The beginning of the end

He sat on the big rock hanging over the river, his heart fill to bursting.  The beauty of nature that surrounded him paled in comparison with hers.  The trilling bird song was only a weak imitation of the sound of her lovely voice, the way the sunlight sparkled on the water was nothing compared to the light in her eyes.  They had sat together by this spot several times in the past, and this particular spot had become very special to him.  Laying back on the sun warm rock, he gazed into the sky and watched the clouds slowly tumble past.  He saw her face in that cloud on the horizon, and he sighed happily.  Every time he saw her his heart skipped a beat, that perfect way her forehead jutted prodigiously out over the rest of her beautiful face . . .

            Ook stood up and gathered his spear, sling, and the four rabbits he had killed that day.  The tribe would eat well tonight, and he hoped Jennifer would take notice of his hunting skills.  A cool breeze picked up as he drew closer to the caves, and the birds continued to sing.  Everything was right with the world.  Ook heard cheers as he got near the caves, and he wondered how word of his successful hunt had already reached the others.  He smiled and held the rabbits high as he turned the corner of the trail and came into the meadow. 

            Everyone’s back was turned to him, and they were yelling and jumping in celebration.  The crowd parted, and Glarg marched triumphantly into the center of the circle, a deer slung over his shoulders.  He dropped the carcass on the ground and raised both arms into the air, smiling in the midst of the whole tribe’s adulation.  Ook quickly turned back on the trail, hiding from view.  Damn that Glarg!  Now these few rabbits, a feast this morning, seemed like a mere pittance.  Ook had noticed stunning Jennifer cheering in the throng of people.  She stood out among the others like a mastodon in a field full of lemmings.  Her admiration of Glarg pierced his happy mood and chilled his soul. 

            Later that night, everyone gathered at the mouth of the cave as the deer was roasted in the fire pit.  Glarg, the man responsible for the kill, supervised the cooking, making small adjustments to each hunk of meat as it hung over the flames, and finally decided when it was cooked just right.  Everyone cheered Glarg, lowered his head and waved modestly to the tribe.  He offered Jennifer the first piece.  Ook watched the whole scene with his chin held in his cupped hands, sighing occasionally.  The deer smelled delicious, and it was large enough that everyone got their fill.  Jennifer walked over to Ook, the flickering firelight highlighting her beautiful brow ridge. 

            “Ug ug ug ug ug?” she asked, offering him a piece of deer.

            “Ug,” he replied, head still cupped in his hands.  When he did say anything else, she patted his shoulder and walked closer to the fire, sitting down on an empty log.  Glarg ambled over with a grin and sat next to her.  Ook overheard their conversation over the crackling of the flames and the sounds of the celebration around him. 

            “Ug ug ug ug ug.” Glarg said

            “Ug ug ug.” Jennifer answered. 

            “Ug ug ug ug ug ug.  Ug ug ug.  Ug ug ug.”

            “Ug ug.”

            “Ug . . .” Glarg trailed off, and Jennifer had to lean in closer to hear the rest.  “Ug ug urk ug.”

            Jennifer threw her head back and laughed, her long hair framing her gorgeous face.  Ook quickly stood up and headed out into the cool night towards the river.  Double damn that Glarg!  A great hunter, and funny too!  Ook couldn’t get the picture of Jennifer laughing, or the look of smug satisfaction on that prick Glarg’s face, out of his mind.  He climbed onto the big rock over the river and laid down.  As he stared up at the moon, he wondered what to do.  The big rock seemed much bigger and lonelier without Jennifer sitting with him.  Ook wanted to do something special for her, something unique.  He stroked his chin in contemplation.  The river continued it’s quite flow, and the moon lit the forest around Ook.  He snapped his fingers as inspiration struck.  A few days of specialized hunting, a few days of labor, and Jennifer would be impressed. 

            Later that week, Ook approached the caves again, several days of hard work cradled in his hands.  Whenever the day got too hot, everyone would grab a tree branch and fan themselves.  The leaves on the branch would never last long, and they never worked up a great breeze.  Ook had spent the last few days tracking The Birds that Looked Pretty but Tasted Bad.  They had long, bright, multicolored feathers, but no one in the tribe bothered to hunt them because they tasted awful.  Ook had killed several of the birds and tied their tailfeathers to a wooden handle.  Jennifer would have a fan that would cool her off, last forever, and complement her one of a kind beauty.  A smile crept back on Ook’s face, until he heard more cheers from the village.  A sick feeling filled his stomach, and he crept out of the tree line to see what the commotion was about.  The whole tribe crowded around Jennifer as she modeled a new saber tooth tiger dress, clearly given to her by Glarg, who stood nearby with a grin on his face.  The dress was tight, low cut, and fit her perfectly. 

Ook crept back into the woods, and the sick feeling in his stomach doubled.  A fucking saber tooth tiger!  Triple damn Glarg and his fancy stone tipped spears!  Ook glared at his own wooden spear and threw it to the ground in disgust.  He crept back to the river and the big rock, feet dragging as he went.  He slumped on top of the rock, picking apart his fan and throwing each feather into the river.  Ook watched as the current carried each one away, and felt a little piece of his soul shrivel and die.  He leaned back on the sun warm rock and despaired.  What could he do next?  How could he make sure Jennifer would stay with him forever?  How could he make sure Glarg never came near Jennifer again?  Ook sat up as inspiration struck.  He was sure no one had ever done anything like this before, but Ook knew it would work.  He and Jennifer would be together, and Glarg would be out of the picture.  Ook knew he had to set it up perfectly. 

Two weeks, Ook came up to Jennifer as she worked alone, picking berries.

“Ug ug ug” he said.

“Ug ug ug ug ug” she answered.  She hadn’t seen Ook these past days, but she still smiled.  Ook’s heart skipped a beat, and he could feel a flush come over his face. 

“Ug ug.” He beckoned her towards the river.  She followed Ook, a curious look on her face.

“Ug ug ug?” she asked. 

Ook only smiled and shook his head, pointing towards the big rock.  He helped her climb to the top, and the touch of her hand sent shivers through his whole body.  The sun was shining, the birds singing, and everything was going according to Ook’s plan.  As soon as they got to the top of the rock, Jennifer gasped and stood speechless.  There was huge picture of Ook and Jennifer, holding hands.  He had spent the last few sleepless days painting it, and had captured her brow ridge perfectly.  She turned to Ook, and he fell to one knee, hands outstretched.  When he wasn’t painting the picture, he had been out searching for the prettiest, most sparkly rock he could find, and he tied it to a branch bent in a circle so she could put it on her hand and not lose it. 

“Ug ug ug ug ug ug ug ug ug ug ug ug ug ug ug ug ug ug ug ug ug ug ug ug ug ug ug ” he said. “Ug ug ug ug ug ug?

Tears of happiness crept into Jennifer’s eyes, and she slipped the sparkly rock onto her finger.

“Ug” she said.