San Francisco State University - Franciscan Yearbook (San Francisco, CA)

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felt powerful surges of emotion such as commoners could never feel. He gazed at the touchable Nature about him and envisioned many beauties of the Can't Touch nature within man. He held even the Storyteller spell- bound with some of these beauties and graciously accepted w'hat few skins and food were proffered him. He didn't blame the world as it didn't know any better, but sometimes couldn't help musing at how unfair it was that the glimpses of beauty he offered were so poorly received. He deserved more skins and food than he received, but of course being Luster, these things were mere creature comforts to him and not the be-all and end-all of existence as to hunters. Femma drooped about and grieved over her never first-born, until she found that her new mate, although only a mere hunter, sometimes had things to say that were good to hear. Together they went to hear the Storyteller and the man who made sweet sounds, and together they looked at all the many wall scratchings. She felt a pang at first when her new mate would speak on a subject already covered by Luster, but was surprised to learn that even ahuntercan sometimes have big thoughts. As more and more big thoughts were told her by her new mate and as she experienced strong feeling with him that she thought commoners could not have, she was upset--for if mere hunters could think big thoughts and experience strong feelings, then where did that leave Luster? Hernew mate explained it to her in language she could understand. He scratches glimpses of beauty on our walls for us and for all our grandchildren's grandchildren. That is what he is to do in the world. l cannot scratch walls so I hunt and look at his work and give him of my extra skins and food to scratch pictures for us on our walls. But he cannot be fat with health unless enough of us have him do wall scratchings for us, she protested. That is up to him, shrugged her new mate. It is as much up to him as how l manage my bow to bring home dead animals for us to eat. Femma pulled reflectively at her hair. How could she put this into words? But everyone understands food. Not enough people understand wall scratchings. Well then, let him do some things they want for their walls, he suggested reasonably. I But he says then it isn't beautiful. He sees beauty which all can- not comprehend, she insisted. Then let him do those for himself and for our grandchildren to ap- preciate. lf he doesn't care as much for the creature comforts, why ask 1'9

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He watched their antics sometimes, tolerant and benign, as they splashed in the river shallows with their mates or tumbled about the grass at river's edge with their babes. He heard them discuss the day's catch and all the tribal gossip. Some of them were even smart enough to gape awestruck at his wall scratchings and to these he was always kind despite his many pressing troubles. Then Femma carried his child in her and he was cheered up a little. She hadn't been provident enough to save many strings of dried beef to last the full time of the child carrying so he even interrupted his own work to do a little hunting for her a few times. In spite of this, she dropped the child before it was fully formed and now he was without son, too. X Surely the troubles of Luster were enough for any man, but she for some odd female reason, could not look on him again with favor after dropping the child, and their quarrels grew numerous. When she began to lose faith in the very core of his integrity--his wall scratchings, that was too much and Luster finally realized the shallowness of her under- standing. Her plan was simple and degrading indeed. She proposed that he hunt half the day so she would have to hunt only half the day. This meant he would have but half a day to wall scratch! He needed all day and sometimes all night. When he wasn't wall scratching, he was think- ing and planning bigger and better wall scratchings. Here he was, right next cave to a mere maker of sounds who enjoyed more of the tribes' favor than he could eat or use all in one day. At the river every day he saw the successor of Chut pampered and fed to the bellyfull for scratching walls with cheap and unspiritual images. Here he was, not despairing--still trying against overwhelming odds to scratch the walls with beauty that would la-st from grandchild to grandchild! And he was content with her poor hunting, standing proudly in his shabby skins, still alert to every nuance ofthought, every shimmerof leaf and shadow, every surge of deep feeling that merely rippled lightly on the commoners. Then--to have his mate Femma suggest such preposterous and un- dignified things for him to do, that was too much. He beat her soundly for the suggestion, but weak-spirited mere female that she was, she crawled back to her parents' cave and later mated with a mere hunter. Glorious even in trouble, Luster continued his deeds for the world that kenned them not. Late into the Moon he thought deep thoughts and 18

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E r V r I l i I F r i , i V l P a E LL pay for those special pictures? llBut--,, Doesn't he say that food and skins are but temporary pleasures and that the visions he sees are beyond our ken and of re al pleasure only to him and our grandchildren's grandchildren? Yes, but-- Well then, let him scratch them for himself and for our grandchildren. No one stops him. But he must eat! Let him eat. Enough of us will trade with him if that's what you're Jorried about. But one interferes with the other. Woman, how you fuss about details. That is his job, is it not. Yes, but look how well Chut's successor does with his cheap and vulgar work while poor Luster who does such beautiful work-- Enough. His problem is no more to him than mine to me. He has more talent than we. That is his blessing and also his curse. Could we wish him all blessings, more than we have, and then go get his game for him too? The fire had burned low by then and the hunter and his mate slept well afterwards. Meanwhile Luster looked at his wall scratchings which represented so many years of his life, so many burning inspirations with correspond- ingly difficult technical problems, and he was bewildered that with all that beauty he hadn't been rewarded more completely. The grandchildren's grandchildren who would better appreciate them were not yet born and thus could not give him food and skins. But the thought of their praise and of how the Storytellers would describe his struggles for an ungrateful world comforted him. And when he looked at his hands, he felt even better -- for he still had long fingers. Q!! I 6 ng - -Gloria L. Alford. LLY , -N ,rf-4 ,.. Q ,f A . 0 if 4 , ff '?f , Qfa'b4f?f ' a 0 fa- egg. ff, f Jw i 'e,f2f ' lim- .Q-2' IAMMZV U. pm!!! I V .JE 2,1151-.J W' 6,10 .QM 1, , wg, ' ' ' .ff-3afif1'1 'ff H 1 w as -W. ff ff f, 4 ,. . 0 in MP, 1 fit. A 2.66,-' - '5- '- 17' V 0 1 ...., J! 4 gg ' Q '. . -- .-Sv? L1 ,v ffl-, -V-. - -,,.gffi'f- -:EL X- 4,s j?'?5-2422 ' - fi- ft ga- - q A - :g-QL' -S fav. IYQLYH-11, 1:-if! , A 1 if ' - . W,- ,ffgf 3 ,4 ' -N. , , -4- . x .. .p -- 1. 'RQ' g ,fe b - Q - - -W -, L. '- 20