Transcendence by Shay Savage
DEDICATION
For all those who didn’t want a story about a man who acted like a caveman, but a story about an actual caveman! Hoh!
Special thanks to the fabulous team of people who helped pull this together: Chaya, Tamara, Heather, Adam, Ellie, Holly, Jada, Jamie, and everyone on my street team for the constant encouragement and support!
IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE
Located in the left hemisphere,Broca's Area is the part of the brain associated with the comprehension of both verbal and non-verbal language. It’s what allows you to understand English, learn to speak Chinese, use sign language to communicate across the room, or even to play Pictionary.
Yeah, Pictionary.
Reading the words on this page also uses Broca’s area to take symbols and transform them into words your mind recognizes and comprehends. This part of the brain is completely responsible for how Homo sapiens communicate.
So what if someone has no Broca’s Area in their brain?
Meet Ehd, the caveman. Ehd is a completely fictitious form of a human-like primate (we'll call him Homo savage, m'kay?), who is pretty much exactly like modern humans except he lacks Broca's Area in his brain.
What does that mean?
What it means is Ehd CAN'T learn to speak. He just doesn't have the ability. He's still highly intelligent and capable of learning; he'll just never associate the sounds someone makes with any objects or actions. He might learn to associate a sound with a desired behavior - that is, he can figure out that if he makes a certain sound he can influence the reactions of others, but he'll never truly associate the sound with the action like your two-year-old will.
It is very much like your dog that might learn a whole bunch of commands, but s/he doesn't actually know the word "walk." That doesn't mean the dog isn’t smart; it will still pick up the leash and carry it to the front door. It just means it doesn’t have the capacity for language.
So, no matter what, Ehd's never going to speak English or French or COBOL. It's just not within his capabilities. He's still a bright boy, though - he'll come around in many ways.
If this doesn't make sense, or you happen to be a neurologist, and you're mumbling "BS" under your breath, just remember, while you're muttering that, I'm muttering "artistic license." ;)
Enjoy!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Dedication
Important Author's Note
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four Epilogue
Other Titles By Shay Savage
About the Author
CHAPTER ONE
I awake to cold and near darkness like I do every morning.
Around me is the chilled stone of the rocky cavern where I live. There is warmth from the animal furs that surround me, and it’s difficult to push myself away from them to crawl across the dirt and rock and add a log on top of the glowing coals in my fire pit. Within moments, flames lick around the edge of the wood, and I wrap my fur around me a little tighter to ward off the cool air until the fire can further warm the small cave.
The faintest glow can be seen coming from outside the crack that leads to the outside, but I can’t quite bring myself to venture out just yet. My body is weakened, and there is little inside my mind that wants to push on—to survive.
It’s been so long since I’ve eaten.
As I watch the flames grow higher, the need to relieve my bladder becomes urgent. With a deep breath, I force my muscles to push myself onto my feet and move to the ledge just outside my cave. The air is even colder on the outside, but the springtime sun holds the promise of a warmer day.
I listen to the morning birds sing for a while and wonder how long it will be before there are eggs to collect from their nests. I hope not long, though I know if I wait until that time it will be too late.
I need to eat.
Not for the first time, I consider just going back into my cave, lying down, and letting the hunger take me. I’m tired, cold, and alone. I’m not sure there is any reason for me to continue to work so hard just to keep myself alive.
With a long sigh, I decide not to give up just yet.