A story I Wrote for School: This is the story of a Neanderthal named Steve. Steve dwelt in the temporary village of Nahor, just south of the Blue River and just north of the Green Forest. Today was October the third, 2009 B.C. which a very busy day for Steve and he almost slept in which would have put him off schedule for the rest of the day (Like it did to me when I slept in today). He woke when his alarm went off. His alarm was his wife Sari, who never slept in because she hated to sleep. Every morning she would make breakfast and then grab the cleaning-stick (Broom) and hit him over the head with it because that was the only way to get him up. This morning she made breakfast and then grabbed the cleaning-stick and hit him over the head with it. He covered his head and rolled of the bed and yelled, “Take cover! We’re under attack! Man the sling-shots! Draw your clubs! Let us t—“ “Your breakfast is getting cold, and you’re going to wake the children.” Sari interrupted. “Oh?” Steve said rubbing sleep from his eyes. “I’m as hungry as that fat little English man. What’s for breakfast?” “Deer and eggs.” “Good.” Steve sat down and shoveled in his food. “Oh please honey, you’re eating like an ape!” Sari exclaimed. “I’m in late for work.” He said with his mouth full. Sari threw her hand up in defeat, and asked about his Schedule. “Well,” he said standing up, “I need to go and fix my hunting spears, then go on a mammoth hunt, then I need to help clean the mammoth, then I’ll go and pick some wheat, then I’m gonna make some fish hooks for mumphice and--“ “Good, good.” Cut in Sari. “Just be sure to be done in time to take the kids out, and bring me home some flowers.” Steve grunted his affirmative and left their hut. He took in a deep breath and popped his knuckles. Steve snatched up three of his spears and strolled to the village center. It was a very nice day indeed. Children run to fro, knocking over vegetable baskets. Steve laughed and called for the little-ones to come and put everything back in the baskets. Shortly he came to the open place in the middle on the village, where a big fire pit stood. “Steve! Good day, yes?” One of Steve’s colleges called. Steve lifted one of his hands and said, “Hunter! Yes, very good day!” Steve sat down next to Hunter and started mending his spears. “How sharp be your spear?” Asked Hunter. Steve handed him his best spear and said, “This one is good, this too, but not so much that one. Needs sharpening.” “Umm. This one’s good.” Grunted Hunter. “But how did you break the sick?” “Last hunt a wolf snapped it, would have gotten hurt, but Ig killed it right then.” Steve answered.  “Lucky you.” “Lucky me, yes.” The men talked and showed off their weapons, then a man named Ig stood and said, “Come. Time is short;  we must find the beast before it stops feeding. Grew, take your group to the forest. Steve, take yours to the hill, all of the rest you follow me to plains.” Steve stood and every one quietly walked away from the village then split. For the next 20 minutes the only sound was the soft patting on their feet. Steve led his men up a grassy hill, and once at the top, motioned to them to sit down. They all sat in a circle, each with their eyes wide open for a tail, trunk, foot, anything. Steve watched as Ig’s group walked around down in the valley. The sun was coming up and they all welcomed its heat and light, though Drew’s group wouldn’t even see it for a while, because they were in the forest. An hour passed and still nothing. Then 40 minutes later there was a thrashing of threes at the edge of the forest and Steve saw some of Drew’s men spread out in a line as to not let the animal retreat any farther back into the woods. Steve jumped up and ran down the hill with the others, except for Hunter who signaled to Ig that they had found something. A while later they saw the mammoth with Ig and Drew’s group surrounding it. It charged at sent a man flying eight feet high and ten back. But its effort was in vain for Steve’s group closed the gap and once again the poor beast was surrounded. It attacked again, lifting its massive trunk and swinging a mighty blow at the closest man, who hit the ground just in time, for a second later and he would have lost his head. The hunters began throwing their spears in an attempt to stop the beast from getting away. The weapons hit its skull but just fell useless to the grassy ground. Some sank into the mammoth’s chest and back but didn’t kill it. It grabbed one of the spears and sent it flying at its owner. The stick knocked the man to the floor but he just got back up and sent it back to the mammoth. The mammoth reached out its trunk and coiled it around the one of the hunters, like a snake trying to squeeze away the life of its prey, then hurled the poor man back over its head and he crashed into his comrades knocking them down like bowling pins.  The mammoth had finally caused enough of the Neanderthals to scatter out of its way that it could escape. “Quick!” Everyone shouted. They ran after it tossing spears as they went. Some went into the mammoth’s legs and he slowed, then stopped altogether and decided to fight.  It cut one man’s arm with its tusk and knocked over another. Like a beetle fighting ants the mammoth plowed through the defenses of the Neanderthals. However the ants were great in number never backed down.  Finally a spear found a weak spot and the mammoth gave up. It staggered and then fell to the ground with a mighty thud and shook the land. A cheer went up from the victors. Then everyone went around to make sure no one was hurt. Thankfully the men who were hurt had no more than a few broken bones and cuts. It could have been their lives. Steve and some others walked over to the mammoth which was being inspected by Ig. “Big one!” Steve commented. “Yes, very much so.” Ig beamed. “It’s wonder no one was killed.” Hunter said. “Yes.” Ig’s face hardened. He stood and shouted, “ Drew take all of the wounded home, we’ll get our catch!” Drew waved at is company, “Half come with me, the rest help Ig.”  There was no possible way to get the mammoth home in one piece, so it was butchered in the field. As they finished there, Steve said to Hunter, “I thought we might have to settle for lizard stew again.” “Yes. My daughter can catch some big ones, and my wife can cook good, but nothing beats mammoth.” “It is getting late. Time to go home.” They lifted their last chuck of meat and walked home, happy knowing that they would be full that night. They had made it another day.     I do not believe that Neanderthals were only half human. I think to say so is racist. They were as human as you and me.