Some Idea of Human Kindness

On the Ice Cap

It had been a long hunt, ten days on the ice cap in search of meat.

Two of the hunting party had fallen dead of hunger.

Finally, they saw a mammoth. Grisly. It was hungry too.

Man against mammoth, fighting for survival in the cold gray winter of hunger.

The mammoth lost.

They cut it up on the spot so they could carry the meat.

It was a bloody job. They were covered in blood, dried blood, as they returned to the cave.

The others waited—the sick, the old, the women, children.

Everyone was hungry.

She was young—with innocent tender eyes that always seemed to follow him.

He had the breast of mammoth on his back—hands and face covered in dried blood.

He could not wait to scorch the fresh meat with fire—burn it to crisp bits, then gorge himself upon the succulent morsels.

But as he approached the fire pit, he searched for her in the crowd.

He found her peering from the back, unable to get closer.

He raised his club and screamed, revealing his sharp teeth.

He reached, grabbing her wrist, and yanked her forward.

He dragged her to the fire pit—she stumbled over rocks.

They crouched together, thighs touching.

They scorched the mammoth meat. He fed her with his fingers. She licked them clean of blood.

It was some idea of kindness—some idea.

A story by Pemba Umoja