Naza # 6

Published quarterly by Dell Publishing Co
April-June 1965
Writer: ?
Artist: Jack Sparling

Part 1: The Giant Hunters

The Gairn are on the run from their last encounter when they enter a unknown valley. Once again, as they walk under a cliff, tribesmen throw rocks down on them. They are saved by a jutting ledge. From above they hear shouts that giants are coming, and Naza wonders what giants the new tribesmen are talking about. He offers his help in driving off any giants the tribesmen see, but his offer is refused as the men above roll more boulders down on the Gairn.

Eventually, the men above stop, thinking that they have slain the Gairn who for some reason they consider giants. As these strange men walk away, the Gairn hear them boast about their victory over the giants.

When the danger has passed, the Gairn come out from the cover of the ledge and continue into the valley. Though it appears that there is danger before them, they know that there is danger behind them. Naza reflects, "But it seems our fate to feel what no one else feels, see what no one else sees--to live in our different world, a world apart." He is referring to the inability of the Gairn to find a tribe that is similar enough to themselves that they can join.

They find a new fruit; a beautiful, purple fruit that Keena immediately takes a bite of. Naza warns her against eating the new fruit until they know something about it, but her hunger overcomes his caution. And she mentions that if the fruit were dangerous, then Roon would bark a warning, since animals are quick to sense danger. Naza lets Roon sniff the fruit, and when Warm Eyes gives no warning, he eats the fruit too.

They pause to rest, taking their fill of the delicious fruit. Suddenly, Mair and Keena shout a warning that giants are coming.
It is true! Two hulking, ten foot men (or more) are striding boldly down the path. Naza and Sola fight them, hoping their spears will be enough to defeat the giants who are armed with clubs only. After a struggle, the Gairn win, and the giants run away.

No sooner do the giants leave when Roon barks a warning. Wheeling, the Gairn see a gaint wolf on a nearby slope, snarling viciously at them. Naza and Roon fight this beast; the combat ends when Naza slays it with his knife.

Keena wonders if they have stumbled into some strange valley of giants. Naza replies that they have been victorious, so what is there to worry about. These are strange, proud words from the usually cautious Gairn leader.

They gather a large supply of purple fruite and continue on their way. 100 yards away their journy is interupted by a geyser of lava. The Gairn run away, barely escaping into a large cave.

Part 2: Cave of Beasts

Inside the cave, the seek safety from the lava. They sit by a pool of water. While the others sleep, Naza remains alert, staring at the pool as if he sees some strange monstrous form lurking beneath its calm waters. Up from those waters comes a large alligator. Naza fights it, ending up in the water after being slapped with its tail, and uses his knife to kill it. He drifts underwater, his air gone, until Sola dives down and saves him.

When he awakens in Keena's arms she says to him, "Did you think I would ever be far from you? Without Naza what is Keena? An empty shell... an unfilled promise!"

Sola interupts, "Enough! You hint of what you might mean to Naza someday, but let him enjoy this moment."

Again the men discus how they have emerged victorious over monstrous foes.

But their danger is not over. A huge spider attacks, and running, the Gairn become trapped in its web. After a terrific struggle, they free themselves from the web and strangle the spider with strands of its own silk.

As they leave the cave, the danger from the lava and earthquake past, Naza is puzzled by one thing: Roon had barked no warning when they were menaced in the cave. Nor did the jackal-dog try to help in their fight against the alligator or spider.

Keena, "He is but an animal. Do not expect feelings from him."

Naza, "Are you jealous of him, Keena? Of course he loves me. See how Warm-eyes wags his tail when I pet him. Give him some fruit to eat."

Up to this point, Roon had not eaten the purple fruit. After Keena gives him some, he changes. Naza notices how he flees from an ordinary rabbit. Curious, the Lone One stares at the rabbit, and before his startled eyes it transforms into a giant, menacing shape.

Naza's quick mind realizes what has been going on. He stops Keena and the others from continuing to eat the purple fruit. Sola wrestles him a bit, until Naza explains that it is the fruit that is giving them visions.

Naza,"Yes we imagined them (the giants) all. Oh, there were men, a wolf, an alligator, a spider...but all normal sized till the fruit took effect. That is why Roon did not panic... not until he ate the fruit and saw the rabbit as some monster. The effects of the last piece I are are still slightly with me.. enough to have shown me the rabbitt changing size and shape."

His explaination is stopped when a group of 'hairy' men descends upon them. The hairy men call the Gairn pygmies,. Naza replies that they are not pygmies, and that it is the fruit that they must have eaten that has given them bad visions. The hairy men do not believe this and attack the Gairn. Naza and Sola are overpowered by large numbers, and the Gairn are taken captive.

Part 3: The Fatal Fire

The hairy men take them to their village and tie them to stakes with the intention of burning them alive. Naza pleads with them to stop eating the fruit. His claim is that it makes them see bad visions and causes them to feel more powerful than they really are. The hairy men refuse and light the logs under the feet of their victums.

Naza dares the men to eat more of the fruit, saying they are afraid to eat more fruit because they are afraid of the visions it will send them. The tribesmen take the dare, and eat so much fruit that when ordinary termites flee the burning faggots, they see the insects as monsters. When the tribesmen flee, Naza frees himself by thrusting his bound hands close to the fire until the ropes are singed enough for him to pull loose. Then he frees the others.

The tribesmen chase the Gairn. Naza pauses to use a torch he had been carrying to set the fruit trees on fire. A huge fire erects a barrier between the 'hairy' men and the Gairn. When small creatures rush toward the hairy men, fleeing the fire, the tribesmen see them as monsters and flee in panic again.

Later, when the smoke has cleared, the effects of the fruit wear off and the tribesmen see the Gairn as normal men. They drive off the Gairn, because they had destroyed the fruit grove and with it the fruit that made the tribe feel powerful.

Later, in the safety of the deep woods, Naza reflects on the insident, " We could not have lived among that tribe. Those who prefer false victory over imagined fores than to know reality are not for us. Thje gairn will survive only if we face life as it is.. that will provide our challenge to search on for a new home."

NOTES:

Obviously, this story was about drug adiction, and how it distorts a person's perception of reality as well as his view of himself. The lesson was to be drug free, and true success will be yours.

It is clear that Naza and Keena have not become mates yet. He continues to stand aloof from her, untrusting.

Rod Hunsicker comments

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