The Stonehenge

She watched him with wide, frightened eyes. He pointed at his chest, "Habiru."

A long silence passed as they stood watching each other before Drusha could get her bearing back, and she forced her mouth to work as she whispered, "Habiru."

His smile grew, and he nodded his head slowly. Hesitantly, and slowly, he raised his hand up, and gently touched with his fingers her blond hair as it fell over her shoulders. "Droo-sha," he said again, as if savoring the sound upon his tongue.

This time, it was Drusha who slowly smiled, and her tense body began to relax. As he continued to allow his fingers to play in her golden locks, slowly and hesitantly Drusha began to raise her arm up. She pointed her forefinger on the exposed skin of his muscular chest. "Habiru," she repeated, looking at him.

Her eyes drifted down to where her finger was touching his chest. She opened her hand and let all her fingertips lightly touch upon his chest. She felt like she had no control and that her movements were being made by something other than her mind. Her eyes slowly drifted up back to meet his. She felt his hand fall and lightly touch her shoulder, and drift down her arm. It made her spine tingle. She rested her palm flat on his chest. She looked down again, and noticed how white her small hand was against his dark, muscular chest.

Footsteps were heard coming towards them. Both Drusha and Habiru let their hands fall to their side. Habiru continued watching her.

"Drusha?" Edan called. "What is happening? Are you alright?"

"I am fine, husband," she replied as Edan came around from behind Habiru and stood looking threateningly at the dark man. Habiru smiled broadly and bowed at Edan with his fingers on his forehead while saying "Edan".

Drusha walked off with her jug to go fetch water. Edan turned to watch her go, and when he turned back to face the dark man, Habiru had already begun walking away in the opposite direction.

Later, as Drusha was back in her hut cleaning the sleeping furs, her mind was racing and replaying what had occurred. She kept on saying the name Habiru over and over in her mind. She couldn't help by smile a little. She felt an excitement unlike any she had ever felt. Then her husband entered the hut, and her smile disappeared and was replaced by a frown, and instantly she was annoyed by him, first by how he had earlier interrupted she and Habiru, and now he was interrupting her thoughts about it.

Edan stood watching her for a moment. Drusha continued her chore without looking up at him. Neither spoke to the other. Edan bent down to remove his footwear, then moved to sit at the back of the hut.

"You should have cleaned our sleeping furs earlier in the day. When will you be finished, wife? I am tired," Edan said gruffly.

"I am almost finished, husband."

Edan took out a cloth bundle from a nearby basket and unwrapped it. It contained his tools of stone working. He began chipping an arrowhead with his chisel.

"Husband, please do not do that within our hut. I have just cleaned and do not wish to feel your clippings on my backside as I sleep."

Edan just grunted, but continued on with his stone working. Soon Drusha had finished with the sleeping furs and spread them out. She lay down to sleep, lying as far as possible from where her husband would lie. She positioned herself with her back facing him. She lay there awake for a while, listening to her husband's tapping, but in her mind she thought of Habiru.

The next morning, the village was at its usual bustle of activity. Drusha was helping the other women prepare and serve the morning meal. Edan and his warriors sat in a group, talking and laughing near the longhouse as they were being served by several women.

Drusha looked over at the foreigners' tents. She noticed Habiru sitting cross-legged in front of his tent, working intently on something. She decided to help two other women in serving the foreigners. She made her way to Habiru.

Habiru looked up from his work as Drusha walked up next to him. She bowed her head and held out his portion of food and drink. He rose and accepted it from her as she raised her head and looked at him. His smile was one of gracious warmth. He spoke, saying her name and some other words she didn't understand, but which she assumed to be words of thanks. She smiled back cautiously.

She turned and walked away and Habiru watched her go. He then sat and began to eat as he looked out upon the surrounding landscape. A couple moments later, he sensed someone approaching. It was Drusha again, holding more food and drink.

He watched as she sat down upon her knees next to him. She kept her eyes down as she began eating. Habiru faced forward again to look out across the land as he resumed eating. Drusha began to look at him from the corner of her eyes without making it obvious.

She studied the strange markings on his right arm. There were two serpents intertwined with each other around a spear. Their heads faced away from the other, and their forked tongues were sticking out. Above them was an eye with a heavy black line around it that edged off to one side, much like how Menthalos's eyes were. She had gathered that it was a mark of importance among Egyptians.

Drusha knew that warriors of her land would paint markings on themselves before going into battle. But Habiru's markings were different. They weren't painted on, but seemed to be somehow a part of his skin. She had never seen anything like it.

She also couldn't help but notice how muscular he was. His bulging arms served to emphasize the markings there. She thought he looked so much stronger than her husband, the village's top warrior. Tentatively, she reached out and touched the markings, tracing them with her fingers. He looked down, watching her hand as he chewed his food. She looked at him to see if he would object.

"Serpent," Drusha said. Habiru looked up at her.

"Pharoah's army," replied Habiru.

Drusha repeated his words, though she knew not what they meant. Her fingers left the markings and glided over his bulging bicep.

"Strong," she said appreciatively.

She shuffled forward a bit on her knees and craned her head around to look at his front side. With mouth slightly opened, she looked like a child overcome with curiosity. She brought her hand up to his garment and tugged it open to get a better view of the markings on his chest. She traced her fingers along the smooth lines of his chest for a moment, until, suddenly aware of her impropriety, she blushed and moved away. She composed herself and resumed eating. Habiru said nothing and did nothing.

After they had finished their morning meal, Drusha took Habiru's plate and cup and set it aside next to hers. Habiru expected her to leave, but she remained sitting next to him. After a while, Drusha began to casually draw the image of a serpent in the dirt between them. When she finished, she looked up with a proud smile, and pointed at it, then pointed at Habiru.

"Habiru," she said, with sweetness in her voice.

Habiru then began to draw in the dirt. He drew a sun, with sunbeams extending out from it. When he had finished he pointed at it, then reached up to touch Drusha's hair.

"Your hair is as radiant as the sun, Droo-sha," he said admiringly.

Drusha understood the meaning. Her eyes and her mouth beamed at the compliment. Habiru then continued to draw in the dirt again. He drew an eye, with lines pointing from the eye to the sun. When he finished, he pointed to his eye, then pointed at Drusha.

"Droo-sha is very pleasing to Habiru's eyes," he spoke, gesturing for effect.

Drusha's smile grew larger. A giggle escaped from her lips and she felt a pleasing tingle from somewhere in her body. For a few long seconds they looked into each other's eyes, smiling. She reached out and touched his knee, while simultaneously turning her attention to what he had been working on before she arrived, as if by creating the distraction of turning her attention elsewhere, it gave her the legitimate pretext to touch him. This subtle method worked, just as it always had and always will, for untold generations of females, past, present and future. Habiru felt her hand on his knee, but he let her instead draw his attention to what she was looking at, and let her hand stay where it was.

They spent the rest of the morning together, learning how to communicate with each other as best they could.

Across the village, Edan sat among his group of fellow warriors, laughing and talking over the morning meal. The smile upon Edan's face diminished when he caught a glimpse of his wife at a distance, sitting next to the dark man. He began staring and jealousy arose within him as he watched them touching each other and smiling.

Meanwhile, Drusha's father, the chieftain, appeared at the doorway of the longhouse after finishing his meal. He looked out over his village and its people as they went about their business. Several feet away were his warriors, gathered round in a circle and eating. He noticed that among the whole group, only his captain and son-in-law, Edan, wasn't talking or laughing. He had a dark expression upon his face. The chieftain followed the direction of Edan's attention. Among the foreigners sat his daughter, next to the dark man they called Habiru.

The chieftain's first impression was one of concern and safety for his daughter. Then he noticed how at ease and relaxed she was, and then he saw her do something that he hadn't seen her do in quite a while; she was smiling, and so animate, like how she used to be. It warmed his heart to see her enjoyment and happiness, and a smile etched upon his face as he watched her.

He glanced at Edan again for a moment, and he arched an eyebrow in thought, then he turned around and went back into the longhouse again.

Around midday, Drusha left Habiru to return to her hut. Almost immediately after she entered, Edan came in behind her. He spoke to her sharply.

"I watched you with that dark man this morning."

"His name is Habiru. And what of it?"

"I do not want you to be around him anymore."

"They are guests and it is all of our duty to be hospitable towards them. My father, the chieftain, would agree."

"It is inappropriate, and after I inform the chieftain of the behavior of which I witnessed between you and him this morning, I believe it is I with whom he will agree with."

"My father, the chieftain, has more pressing matters to worry over with the coming Harvest Celebration. You shouldn't trouble his mind with such things."

Edan just smiled at her, as if he felt he had her where he wanted her. Then he ducked out and left the hut.

A few hours later, Drusha was summoned to the longhouse. Her father and Edan were the only ones inside. They both looked up as she entered. Edan had a smug grin on his face as he watched her approach.

"You wanted to see me, my father."

"Yes, Drusha. Your husband has brought to my attention that you have been spending time among the foreigners, especially with the dark one they call Habiru. Your husband is distressed and considers your actions inappropriate."

"I regret my husband feels this way, my father. This morning I helped prepare and serve the morning meal for our guests. Once I had finished serving, I took my meal and tried conversing with the man Habiru. He had been working with a metal, fashioning an ornament. I became curious because I have never seen a metal such as he had. He is very skilled and I believe we can learn new ways from these foreigners. With your permission, my father, I would like to learn how to speak their language."

"There is no need for that," Edan spoke, "They have a translator who can..."

The chieftain held up his hand to silence Edan.

"My father, they have a translator, but as our clan is the most prestigious of the land, I believe it would be beneficial for us to have one of our own that knows how to speak their language, especially if we intend to establish regular trade with the Egyptians. Our clan's prestige would certainly grow if this were to happen. Our clan would be the one in which future trading parties from Egypt will deal with, and in turn we can trade things we receive further inland. Also, we would be at a better advantage to learn their ways, such as how to work metal, which is superior to stone or bone. The translator works at deciphering their words, but he is not of our people, and has no vested interest in our clan. We don't need a translator, we need an envoy from our people to strengthen ties with these Egyptians."

"Drusha, you are truly a child every chieftain wishes for. I agree with your counsel. You shall be our envoy to the Egyptians and you shall start today with learning their language. I shall confer with Menthalos on this subject."

"Thank you, father. If it is acceptable to you, my father, and Menthalos, I would like to work closely with the man Habiru. This morning he and I made great progress at communicating, and I believe I can learn the best through him."

"I do not see any problem with that, though I shall have to ask Menthalos."

"My chieftain," Edan spoke up plaintively, "I wholly object to this and believe another would do better in this position than Drusha. She is a woman, after all...."

"Silence, Edan," the chieftain snapped, "This woman is as valuable in thought as you are in toughness. Her job is to think, which she is well qualified to do. Your job is to be tough. As such, I have a job for you to do now. Take yourself and two of your men and go send word to the other clans before they leave for the Harvest Celebration. Tell them to expect foreign visitors at the Celebration. Be back two nights before the Harvest Moon. As for your concerns about your wife acting improper with the dark man called Habiru, concern yourself no further. I find that Drusha was acting for the best interest of her clan, and did nothing to dishonor you as a husband. Far from reprimanding her in her actions, I am commending them, and I hope and encourage her to work even more closely with Habiru in the coming days while you are away. I want her to learn as much as she can before the Harvest Celebration, in order for our clan to be the representative clan for the Egyptians to all the other clans. Edan, you should think more about your clan, and less of yourself. Now, you are dismissed."

Edan glared at Drusha as he passed by. This time it was Drusha who was wearing the sly and smug grin upon her beautiful face.

She was going to look forward to working really closely with Habiru, and couldn't wait to begin.