The great find
Posted by Social Matters , Wednesday, October 13, 2010 3:53 AM
The hot blazing midday sun lit across the clear and cloudless blue sky, in the midst of gorges and mountains, way above the evergreen grass that seemed to actually the enjoy the scorching heat, though to any onlooker the grass seemed over grown. Lehana studied the gorges closely as her eyes slowly moved from the gorges and followed the river channel below, only stopping at the section where the river split into two. She took the last bite of her sweet banana and searched for the waste paper bag with her left hand, her brown-almost black eyes lazily followed the river channel that disappeared into the thick, dense forest, but still she could spot the river channel all thanks to the darker green trees near the river bank. She sighed in awe.
“Back to work!” the husky male voice, all too familiar to her interrupted her lazy thoughts.
She turned and stared at the tall, muscular, rather handsome looking young man a few steps from her rubbing his rather rough chin. Then pulled the weight of her body up from the large basalt rock she was seated on. Then gazed at the terrace below at Jelani, whose hand run through his short dark hair, as the other on lay firmly on his hip, staring right up at her standing right next to the section he had been working on for the past two weeks.
“Avoiding me again?” he queried. “Why did you join us?”
Lehana gazed at the leafy green tree, whose shade was a favorite for Jelani, and a company that Lehana had come to despise. Her gaze shifted back to Jelani. “I think I love the view from up here better.”
“There more than down here right.” He had both hands on his waist as he teased her. “I am also sure you wanted to keep looking at him over and over again, right?” she seemed unprepared to answer that, as she glanced at the young man scribbling some notes on his blue small notebook down nervously.
“I think you should mind your own business as usual.” She seemed agitated as she turned away from him.
“What do you think?” his gaze was still firmly fixed on her as she turned back to face him, she quickly turned to look at Faizah who studying some artifacts under the tree with the green and brown leaves right beside Jelani, before her gaze shifted to the section that Jelani had been working on, the bright orange soil made her eyes to flinch.
“I think The earthquake destroyed everything” she looked directly into his black uncertain eyes. Then looked at the terrace below his where Montez was laughing with some of the students that were helping him. “I think whatever we are looking for is down there.”
“So what do you think these are? Finally his eyes took a break from searching longingly at her and moved around the vast green forest that surrounded them.
“Way different time period than I…” she breathed in. “We are interested in.
Jelani studied her face intently.
“I think…”she rolled her eyes. ‘I know that this forest was planted around five hundred years ago, before that this area was almost desert like.”
“The evidence is everywhere.” She almost shouted as her eyes wondered about.
Jelani still seemed not convinced. None the less he smiled at the frustration that he could see clearly in her face.
“You know, you are a very difficult woman.” He said in a matter of fact kind of way.
Lehana just rolled her eyes at him. “I think for a man you like to be soothed too much.”
He chuckled. “I think I am the man who can handle you with the care you deserve.”
His dirty hands ran through his almost brown t-shirt.
“Lehana! Jelani!” Nathan’s husky voice stopped her before she could reply to Jelani. “Get back to work.” He ordered them with a smile directed towards her. She smiled back.
Lehana picked up the small shiny silver trowel that she had become accustomed to, and knelt down staring at her section. She could see Nathan’s light hairy legs across the other side of her section. “Scientific study of the past by usage of ancient techniques.” She joked as she looked up at him. “That’s the only thing that hasn’t changed, Leakey used them and hundreds of years later, we are still using them.”
She raised her trowel a bit for him to see with her gaze firmly fixed on him. Jelani joined in the fun as well as he waved his trowel at Nathan.
“Enough!” he ordered them. “I am in charge.” He turned to Jelani. “Mind your own terrace business, I’ll mind mine.” He turned to Lehana. “As for you Miss.”
She jumped up playfully.
“I see you have a lot of energy left.” He mused. “Are you done with your section?”
“Yes.” She proclaimed. “Up to the drawing part.”
“No context sheets yet.” He asked.
“None.”
“Use my lap top to do that.” He moved around to her side as Jelani watched, a little bit of envy filling his eyes. “You can also clean it up a bit for a photo please.” He looked around for a brush. “There’s a brush.” He turned to the brown eyed girl who was still staring at her.
“Hmmm.” His long arms ran through his thick blonde hair. “The sun is rather hot today.”
She shrugged. “I think its okay.”
He moved closer towards her for a further inspection of her section. “Looks good.” Almost bumping into her. “Sorry.” He smiled nervously.
“Clean it up.” He feigned toughness.
“Yes sir.” she almost stood at attention.
Nathan walked away with a chuckle, she smiled as well as she watched the tall figure walking away from her, then she lowered herself into the section, only to find Jelani staring at her.
“Are you interested in Nathan?” Jelani asked Lehana as he hurriedly walked back to camp.
Lehana just made a discontented face at him as she struggled to keep up with his pace, through the bush in a narrow rocky and dusty path as they made their way towards the river. But the weight of the bag she was carrying would not let her.
“I asked you a question.” Jelani’s black eyes widened in anticipation.
“Jelani!” she started only to stop wincing in pain, she held on to her right knee, as she gazed at the small thorn tree that had pierced through her beige polyester trousers.
“Are you in love with Nathan? Jelani totally ignored her pain as he stopped at a distance. He shifted the file he was carrying to his other hand and turned.
“We are just friends.” Lehana balanced her injured leg on the ground slowly.
“So you and Nathan are…” Jelani tried to decipher her statement.
“No, you and I.” she corrected him, as she adjusted the weight of her heavy bag on her bag.
Jelani gave her a mean look and walked away.
Nathan found Lehana seated on a he rock by the river side. “Hello there!” he slipped right next to her with ease. “Are you okay?” he stared at the nasty cut just below her knee.
“Very!’ she quickly pulled her trouser downwards.
There was awkward silence for a while; Lehana gazed across the clear cool flowing water, trying to avoid the blue eyes that were now staring at her.
“You carried some samples I see.” He glanced at the heavy bag right beside her.
“Better now than later.” She answered.
“Only that there are not from our terrace.” He sounded factual.
“I got duped.” She admitted giving a smile.
He smiled back. “So have you decided yet.” he threw his hands in the air animatedly. “Is this it?”
Her face seemed expressionless. “I don’t know yet, at times it seems like my father wants me to carry on with my mother’s work.”
“Your mother was a ‘great’ in this field.” Nathan filled her in. “She has discovered a lot of remains that can be dated back to before the great earthquake arousing more interest in finding it.”
“I have some photos of her in some of those sites if you want to look at them,” suddenly she seemed to gain interest. “They are in laptop in you want to see them, I can show you later.”
“I’d love that.” he replied swiftly, as he dusted way a small brown ant on his navy blue shorts.
The expression on his face changed. Lehana could see the single line on face that showed up whenever he was worried. “Still you are here alone Lehana, after what happened to Janice.” There was a serious intonation in his voice. “You know it’s not safe.”
Her heart began pounding against her chest as it had done for many nights. “You know the beast is no longer imaginary.”
His words made her feel uneasy, her eyes wandered around with ease as she remembered the awful growls that had characterized her nights. “Maybe it’s a creature from the past.” his voice sounded a far off. “From before the earthquake, we might not be able to locate whatever we are looking for, especially if there’s more than one of them.”
She swallowed hard, whatever it was, it had come back with one mission to destroy them…
