Maleprey

(story continues from That Strange Island 3) Part Four On that strange island which no outsider ever visited, a girl in a Friendly village lay in her bed chamber in the early morning remembering a wonderful thing she had seen the day before. A man from an Unfriendly tribe had been fed to the big lizard in the hill and the girls her age had been taken to see that spectacle for the first time. Some girls from another tribe had been invited to join them; this girl had sat next to one of them and they had enjoyed it together. ...

On that strange island which no outsider ever visited, a certain girl stole out of her village and made her way stealthily over the hill. The elders always warned the young men and women of the tribe, especially the young women, about the dangers of wandering too close to the men of the Other Tribe. This particular girl, however, derived a sly enjoyment from spying on them. On numerous occasions, she had sneaked out to watch them on their hunt in the gorge on the other side of the hill. Their strange ways drew her intense curiosity, but she always remembered the elders’ warning and had learned how to hide expertly among the boulders of the gorge to avoid being seen. ...

(story continues from That Strange Island) Part Two On that strange island which no outsider ever visited, a traveler walked along a swiftly flowing stream. Coming to a deep pool, he stripped off his animal skins and entered the water for relief from the warm day. As he climbed out, his feet slipped from under him on the wet rock and he slid down a short embankment, plopping into a mass of gooey muck up to his armpits. At first he was disgusted, but his disgust quickly turned to panic when his feet felt no support beneath him and the ooze began to draw him down. ...

(story continues from That Strange Island 2) Part Three On that strange island which no outsider ever visited, a certain girl whispered to two other girls in her village about a horrible—and wonderful—thing she had seen. At that time, some women from a Friendly Village were visiting. One of these overheard the girls’ whispers and went to their matrons to ask permission to take the girls to visit their village. Permission was given and they set off. ...