[center][h2][color=#D3D3D3]Philip Beaulieu[/color]
[color=#778899]Time: One Year Later[/color]
[color=#808080]Location: Long Lakes Region[/color][/h2][/center]

The village where the Great Hill People lived was quiet as usual. Philip woke early and headed out along the lake for a walk. He had no specific destination, just wanted to get outside in the crisp morning air and feel the cool breeze, and breathe the unpolluted air. It was an experience no one from his time could ever experience. That old world was vastly different, at least for Philip

He thought of his wife, Pamela, and their children. He missed them dearly but had no way of getting back home to them or even getting a message to them. He consoled himself by realizing they were permanently separated. It saddened him to dwell on the thought. He pushed it out of his mind often, hoping he could make the most of his experiences here with these people. They did seem to accept him after spending a year with them. Maybe he could share some ideas with them to help in some way.

It is no surprise he realized he was no longer in the twenty-first century but at some point, in time before the fifteenth century. There was no way of knowing when. The calendar humans use in the 21st century is based on the birth of a person who may or may not have been born yet. Even that fact was one he could not pinpoint. The Haudenosaunee or Iroquois never kept written records of their time. They had no paper, no writing implements, ink, or ability to etch in stone. Oh, what Philip would give for a pad of notepaper and a pencil.

Upon returning to the village after his walk, Philip admired the construction of the longhouses in which the people lived. There was one at the center of the village that measured at least seventy-five meters in length. It was huge, housing twenty-five or thirty families. The width of the house was roughly five to seven meters. Many of the trees used as supports were hardened to a point using a fire hardening technique that dried the wood out, making it much stronger and less likely to fracture.

The average house in the village, Philip estimated, was around twenty-five meters long, maybe five meters wide, and five meters high. The people used strips of bark, woven horizontally through the poles. These pieces of bark were then layered like shingles to form as close to a waterproof seal as they could. The roof was made by bending a series of poles, resulting in an arc-shaped roof. These were often covered in leaves and grass. Doors were added at both ends and covered in animal hide to preserve interior warmth. Philip noticed the larger houses, like the one in the center of the village, had doors built into the side walls as well. Every house had a large fireplace or hearth with holes built into the ceiling to allow the smoke to vent out of the structure. Even with a roaring fire inside the house, it was usually quite dark inside.

The village he had been adopted into had roughly thirty houses spread across several acres of land. There were enough structures here to house a group of 450 to 500 families, with an average of two or three children per family. Philip estimated the population at somewhere between 2000 and 2500 people.



As he neared the camp, returning from his walk, he spied Otetiani heading toward him. Even this young man stopped chiding him over things he had yet to learn. “Philip, Sagoyewatha would like to see you in his lodge.”

“Thanks, Otetiani,” Philip responded. “Do you know what he wants?”

“No.” Came the curt response.

“Philip,” Sagoyewatha addressed the Massachuset man as he entered his house. “I have considered a purpose for you. How would you feel about keeping a record of events in the village and amongst the people?”

“I would be greatly honored by this task, Sagoyewatha.” Philip was frankly amazed by his request. It came as something of a surprise. Sagoyewatha has quickly become someone Philip looks up to. He admired his leadership ability and his skills in speaking to people. He was quite adept at diplomatic skills. “Why me?”

“You have a powerful mind. You know things that the normal person does not. You always seem to illuminate details in a way even I have not considered.”

“Do you have anything I can write on?” Philip asked

“You have mentioned this skill of writing. I do not know exactly what this is. Drawing pictures of ideas? Drawing the words we are saying? I don’t know what you would draw on or with?”

“You describe writing as well as anyone. I guess I will just have to remember everything until I come across some paper.” Philip found the concept of memorizing all the life events of a people and then telling these stories verbally to someone else as not simply chaotic but borderline psychotic.

“One more thing,” Sagoyewatha added. “We are planning a trip out to the Great Falls in the west. I would like you to go on the trip.”

“Well, yes, of course. I only hope I can live up to your expectations.”

“I have no doubt you will, Philip. You are a good man.” Sagoyewatha gave the Massachuset man some encouragement. “One more thing.” Philip noticed the Sachem always had [i]one more thing[/i]. “I have noticed Halona taking a special interest in you. You may want to spend some time with her.”

Philip considered the young woman he mentioned. She may have been twenty years of age, and as far as Native women went, she was quite attractive. She was a hard worker with an excellent sense of humor. Philip had already spent several hours with her talking about a variety of subjects. This was a request he would have fulfilled without the sachem’s request. “Naturally, she is a pleasing young woman. Why do you ask me to do this?”

“My wife noticed she watches you every chance she gets. She is very taken by you. Maybe it is just a passing curiosity. But we believe it is something worth you investigating.”

This voice from the sachem and his wife emboldened him to the prospect of possibly finding a mate in this world. Maybe his life in the wilderness didn’t have to be miserable after all.