When
he awoke the woman was softly nudging him.
"It's time," she announced, "the gongs are ringing. It is time for the
feasting to begin."
2 They were led back through the tunnels down into a great chamber,
deep inside the mountain. There was strange writing on the walls, and
at the far end of the chamber stood a great statue, like nothing Swift
Deer had ever seen before. It looked something like a man, but
the features were all wrong. It held in its hand a round ball, but
Swift Deer could not make out the details on the ball. "Where did THAT
come from?" he asked.
3 The woman shrugged. "It was here when my Master and his friends found
the caverns. They call it The Forgotten God. It must have been made by
the people that first lived here. If they looked like that, I'm glad
they're still not around! Have you ever seen anything so ugly?"
4 "It reminds me," replied Swift Deer, "of a story my mother used to
tell, about people that had long fur on their heads and faces, and
whose skin was like the skin of a dog where it has no fur... soft and
smooth without any color."
5 "Sickening!" gasped the woman. "I'm glad there's none of them around."
6 Swift Deer laughed. "I don't know," he argued, "they might be
interesting! Sometimes differences can be pleasing. The same thing all
the time can get to be boring. I think some of the golden- skinned
women are very beautiful."
7 The woman gave him a dirty look. "Have you known many of them?" she
asked.
8 Swift Deer laughed. "Already you put bounds on me, and I do not even
know your name. Is it fair to put chains on a man when he does not know what to call you?"