The baboon sat watching. It could see the Moon, and the stars. It could see the ring of geostationary satellites. It could see the aircraft flying silently overhead. It could see light reflected off The Lake. It could hear the deep belly laugh of mvuu hippos on the Lake. But it couldn’t eat them and long ago had learnt to ignore them.
It could see ndege bats, and the larger chirombo insects. It could eat those. If they came close enough.
It could not see the nfisi hyena. But it could hear the hyenas rasping intake of breath. It could hear the breath exhaled, the tone rising into the long drawn out banshee whoop that followed. It was telling the rest of the pack where it was. Off in the distance more of them whooped back. Keeping in touch as they scoured the bundu for food. Living or dead, these night walkers didn’t care. Food was food.
A distant lion roared. Just to remind the hyenas who was boss. Or was even the lion a little nervous?
Another older baboon came and sat beside the first one. They were both scared. Behind them amongst the rocks they could hear the rest of the troop, stirring in their sleep. Starting awake from dreadful dreams. Staring into the terrifying dark. Hoping, (praying?) for dawn.
Now they could smell the Hyena. Up wind. On the other side of the rocks. The two baboons got up on all fours. The hyena was close.
One picked up a stick.
The scream. The shriek of terror and pain. Woke them all. Then the cry was cut short. The hyena’s wide jaws were closing. Crunching into a baboon’s skull. For a split second there was silence. Or maybe it just seemed like silence, before the baboons started barking and crying.
Then another louder noise came. The hyena was laughing. A huge triumphant cackle of laughter. It had killed a baboon. It had food.
It was calling the pack to feast.
“Ah”
“What is it Joe?” Asked Alicia
“Oh. A dream. Just a dream.”
“What about?” Alicia was concerned.
“Oh. It was night. I was walking through a graveyard. Mounds of earth under the trees. With Hyenas. It was too dark to see but I knew they were walking with me. They were following me. Like I was their leader. I had a something in my hand. It was a sword or a gun or something.”
Joe was scared. Just a little. He was in his bed, in his house, on Earth. The Lake ripples were gently plopping on the beach outside.
“Wow Joe. Have you had these dreams often?”
“Yes.”
“So have I.”
The hyena laughed again.
“What? We have the same dream?”
“Not quite. It’s usually me standing in a graveyard waiting for people to wake up. Then we all go walking along the riverbank. Or maybe it’s the seashore. Or it could be this Lake…. The thing is there are old men riding hyenas. Sitting side-saddle with one foot on the ground.”
“I dreamt I did that. This is insane. The same dream?”
“Not quite the same. We have linked our brains up. Lots of times. So I guess the thoughts could get mixed up between us.”
“Maybe” said Joe “There’s that hyena again…. Maybe we both heard it and it started us both off.”
“The thing is Joe. My first dream was with Tem or someone giving me a spear.”
“I can’t remember. But maybe it was the same with me.”
“Wow. Well….Come on. Lets try to get some sleep.”
“Yeah” Joe entwined his legs with hers and put an arm across her shoulders. The air conditioning made it quit cold in the bedroom. “I wonder if people used to laugh like hyenas. When they killed. Calling the family to eat or something. Ancient man, hunter-gatherers. You know.” The chip in Joe’s brain started to look that up. He turned it off.
“Go to sleep.”
The wind got up around dawn and larger waves started crashing on the sand. It was almost cold enough for clothes, but not quite. So Joe had his old shorts and Alicia put on her old orange bikini.
“Come on Alicia. I’m
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