The next morning, the snow outside lay thicker than before, but the sky had cleared a little. Pale sunlight spilled over the village, making the white ground sparkle.
Isabella woke up early.
Her sleep had been a little disturbed by dreams of black panthers running away with bath ladles, but her mind was clear now. Today was an important day.
She sat on the bed for a mont, rubbing her belly in slow circles. The babies moved a little, as if answering.
"Today your mama is going to beco a teacher," she told them. "You hatchlings had better be quiet and let talk, or I will pinch your bottoms when you co out."
Outside, the sounds of morning work echoed.
n changed patrol shifts on the walls. Won started fires and heated water. Children ran around, leaving ssy footprints everywhere until soone dragged them back inside.
After washing and eating a quick breakfast that Cyrus insisted on serving her, Isabella headed toward the open area near the central fire pit.
On the way there, Bubu spoke in her mind.
[Host is really going to create a school in the Stone Age,] she said. [History will be confused.]
"History can deal with it later," Isabella replied. "I am tired. My throat hurts from repeating the sa things. If they learn to read and write, I can just write a sign and wave it in their faces."
Bubu sounded very pleased.
[This is a very host like reason,] she said.
When Isabella arrived at the eting spot, many villagers were already present.
The original tribe n stood together in a group, big bodies wrapped in fur. The new refugee n stood nearby, still a little cautious, but their eyes had brightened over the past weeks. A cluster of won stayed closer to the fire, hands busy with simple sewing as they waited.
Ophelia waved vigorously when she saw Isabella.
"Isabella, over here!" she called. "We are all here."
Shelia stood beside her, arms folded, looking more reserved. However, the mont Isabella appeared, even her calm eyes softened.
Isabella moved to the front and stood on a smooth rock that soone had dragged there on her orders, so everyone could see her.
She looked around.
Their gazes t hers, full of curiosity and trust. Every ti she had called everyone together like this, it had been to announce sothing that changed their lives for the better. Food storage, winter plans, new rules for safety. Now they silently expected the sa.
She cleared her throat.
"Today," she said, "we are going to start sothing new. I am going to teach you how to read and write."
Confusion rippled across so faces.
A man at the back raised his hand.
"Goddess," he said carefully, "what is read. What is write."
Isabella almost laughed.
Right. She had used the words, but here they ant nothing yet.
She picked up a charred stick of wood from the edge of the fire pit and held it up.
"When you look at a drawing of a beast on the wall, you know what beast it is, yes?" she asked. "You can tell lion from tiger, just by looking."
Everyone nodded.
"Reading is like that," Isabella continued. "Except instead of drawings, we use small marks that stand for sounds and words. Once you know them, you can see sothing scratched on stone or skin and understand it, even if the person who wrote it is very far away, or already dead."
A small murmur went through the crowd. The idea of understanding words from soone who was not there made them uneasy and interested at the sa ti.
"And writing," Isabella said, "is making those marks yourself. It ans you can send ssages. You can record things so they do not vanish. You can give orders without shouting them all day until your throat dies."
She felt particularly connected to that last point.
Ophelia’s eyes shone.
"So if I learn it," she asked, "I can write love ssages for Valen and throw it at his head from the roof?"
Valen, who was standing with the other n, stiffened. His ears reddened slightly.
Isabella coughed.
"Yes," she said. "You can also write ’Valen, go hunt’ and ’Valen, do not forget to bring back firewood or sleep outside’."
The won giggled.
The n looked thoughtful. So imagined writing ssages to challenge rivals. Others imagined writing down hunting routes and dangerous spots in the forest so that even if one man died, his knowledge would remain.
Shelia tilted her head.
"Is it very difficult to learn?" she asked. "We are not like you, Isabella. Our heads are not full of strange outside world things."
Isabella shook her head.
"Beast people are fast learners," she said. "Your mories are better than mine. Once you see sothing, you can rember it for a long ti. I will make the marks simple. As long as you are not lazy, you can learn."
Most of them straightened their backs at those words.
They were used to fighting with their bodies, not with their minds. The idea that their brains could also be trained like muscles was new, but they were not cowards.
Isabella looked at Ophelia and Shelia.
"You two will learn first," she said. "I will teach you, and you will help teach the other won. After that, we will teach the n. That way, I do not have to repeat the sa things fifty tis like a human drum."
Ophelia nodded vigorously.
"Okay," she said. "I will beco smart. I will be the smartest after you."
Shelia’s eyes ward.
"I will help," she said. "If you teach us, we will not waste it."
The villagers still looked excited, but Isabella was painfully aware of one problem.
They had nothing to write on.
No paper.
No ink.
No pens.
Teaching reading and writing without any of those things would be like trying to teach people to fight without weapons or even sticks.
In her old world, she would have gone to a store and bought paper and pens with a simple roll of eyes. Here, every new tool had to be born from raw earth and effort.
She took a deep breath.
"For now, I will start by explaining and drawing big marks on stone," she told everyone. "Later, we will make sothing to write on that we can carry."
They nodded. As far as they were concerned, that already sounded impressive.
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