Kheppa and the Cave - excerpt

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Kheppa and the Cave ©  

story adaptation by Steven Hickcox 
concept by E.M. Hickcox

Kheppa placed his outstretched hand over the warm air rising above the hot spring, and tried to imagine what sunlight felt like.  The sound of flowing water echoed throughout the cave and the boy who lived his whole life inside its walls, smiled as he reminisced about the stories his grandfather had told him of the outside.  When I was smaller than you, I would run through the shadows of trees into the warm sunlight, listening to the laughter of my brothers close behind me as they would chase me from tree to tree. We would climb the branches to pick the ripest fruit, filling our bellies while sitting in the shade, Kheppa recalled.  He wondered if the mushrooms that grow near the hot spring taste anything like the fruit in his grandfather’s stories.

Kheppa was the first of his clan born inside a cave they found refuge in, many years ago, when a fire in the sky came crashing down, destroying their village and trapping them inside.  Eventually, they had learned to live without light, however, Kheppa was by far the most adept of his people to the darkness.  

Kheppa and the Cave - update

Kheppa and the Cave © story adaptation by Steven Hickcox



Reaching his outstretched hand towards the warm, humid air above the hot spring, Kheppa wondered to himself if this is what sunlight might feel like. Kheppa continued to squat on a large flat rock, listening to the sound of water flowing as it echoed through the cave, and thinking about the stories Papa would tell him about the outside. When I was smaller than you, I would run between the shadows of trees into the bright, warm sunlight, hearing the laughter of my brothers closing behind me in a game of chase. We'd climb the branches to pick the ripest fruit and sit under the shade, Kheppa recalled. Papa would go on about how delicious the fruit tasted and Kheppa tried to imagine what it would be like to taste something so sweet.

He plucked a mushroom from a nearby rock after reminding himself what he had been sent out to do and knowing that his mother would be expecting him back soon. So he began to fill his pouch with mushrooms that grew on the large, flat rocks near the hot spring. As he ran his fingers across one of the rocks, feeling for the mushrooms in the darkness, he was startled by the sound of breathing nearby, though no one called out to him. Kheppa stood motionless with all his senses keen to the strange presence.

Then out of the dark, came a strange voice, "Who are you, and why are you in my cave?"

Kheppa did not move or make a sound, wishing that he was back with his family on the other side of the cave. After several seconds had past, his voice finally cracked, "I, I am Kheppa, and I was born in this cave."

"Oh," replied the stranger as he exhaled, "So you've only known the darkness."

Suddenly full of pride and forgetting his fear for a moment, Kheppa replied, “Yes, but my grandfather has told me about the sunlight beyond this cave. He says that one day I too will see it."

"Indeed," cackled the stranger, followed by a moment of silence. "Well, child of this cave, you have taken something that belongs to me."

Kheppa held the pouch close to his body, "My mother sent me to gather mushrooms. She is waiting for me to bring these back to her."

A low growl came from the stranger, followed by a long pause of only the sound of breathing. Then, the stranger spoke, "Since you have been brave, I will let you take what is mine, but do not come back here unless you have something useful you can give to me in return."

A faint whistle from off into the distance of the dark cave had Kheppa's feet fast into the air as he leaped from stone to stone until he reached the ground. "Thank you mister, but I must go!" he shouted back towards the stranger as he ran in the direction of his mother's call.

"You were out too long!" cried Kheppa's mother. "You know that it is dangerous to be alone in the cave for very long."

"Yes, Mama," replied Kheppa, whose heart was racing from the strange encounter and the fear of upsetting her.

“Let us join together for meal!” Papa exclaimed.

(excerpt)

.......

Dialogue Piece

Final_Take_25 from Steven Hickcox on Vimeo.

This is my first entry in the 11 Second Club's monthly animation contest.

The Crazy Path I'm On

Well, I'm back animating and it really feels great!  Meeting deadlines along with the challenges of the creating the animations are stressful, but so far I'm finding the courage and confidence to rise to the challenge.  I don't know where this path I'm on will lead, but I'm forever grateful for the support I've gotten from former classmates, colleagues, friends and family.  It's easy to let myself be defined by what I do, which can change with the wind, versus being defined by who I am, which is a slow and ongoing journey of self discovery.  I'm not an artist, as much as a person who has had a life long connection with art.  I don't need to let that connection box me in, or prevent the other dimensions of me to flourish.  While at the same time, I should not feel resentful of it nor diminish its importance in shaping who I am.  What a crazy and amazing path I'm on.

Changes

Over the past several months, I have wrestled with the idea of changing careers, mostly out of desperation to provide more economic stability with my family, but also because the volatility of the industry has worn me down.  My first idea was to get my teaching certificate and teach (Math...and possibly Art).  However, it seems that that profession also comes with a great deal of uncertainty.  So I've decided to take a shot at getting into the medical field.  That decision doesn't come without its own uncertainties, such as whether I can even succeed, or whether I have the stomach/nerves to handle the stress and challenges that come with a medical profession.  I'm also wondering if I will truly be able to continue being an artist in my spare time.  But when I think of my family and the kind of future I want to provide for them, this seems to be the best option.

I haven't been handling stress very well lately and exercise, which has been my saving grace for so long in dealing with stress, has been more difficult to come by under my current personal circumstances.

Revision

Kheppa and the Cave © story adaption by Steven Hickcox

Chapter 1

Reaching his outstretched hand towards the warm, wet air above the hot spring, Kheppa wondered to himself if this is what sunlight might feel like. Kheppa continued to squat on the large flat rock, listening to the sound of water flowing as it echoed through the cave, and thinking about the stories Papa has told him about the outside. "When I was smaller than you, I would run between the shadows of trees into the bright, warm sunlight, hearing the echoes of laughter of my brothers closing behind me in a game of chase. We'd climb the branches to pick the ripest fruit and sit under the shade.” Papa would go on about how delicious the fruit tasted and Kheppa tried to imagine what it would be like to taste such sweetness. Kheppa then picked a mushroom from a nearby rock after reminding himself what he had been sent out to do and his mother would be expecting him back soon.

So he began to fill his pouch with mushrooms that grew on large, flat rocks near the hot spring. As he ran his fingers across one of the rocks, feeling for the mushrooms in the darkness, he was startled by the sound of breathing near him, but nobody called out to him. Kheppa stood motionless with all his senses keen to the strange presence. "Who's there?" he cried out.


"I am the dweller of this cave," hissed a voice. "Who are you and why are you in my cave?"


Kheppa did not move or make a sound, wishing that he was back with his family on the other side of the cave. After several seconds had past, his voice finally cracked, "I, I am Kheppa and I was born in this cave."


"Ahhh," replied the stranger. "So you've only known the darkness."


Kheppa, letting his guard down, proudly replied, "…but my grandfather has told me about the sunlight beyond this cave. He says that one day he hopes I will see it too."


"Indeed," cackled the stranger, followed by a moment of silence. "Well, you have taken something that belongs to me and I want it back."


Kheppa held the leather pouch close to his body, "My mother sent me to gather mushrooms. She is waiting for me to bring these back to her."


"Hmmm…I see," hissed the stranger. "Since you have been brave, I will let you take what is mine, but do not come back here unless you have something useful you can give to me in return," replied the stranger.

A faint whistle from off into the distance of the dark cave had Kheppa's feet fast into the air as he leaped from stone to stone until he reached the ground. "Thank you, mister, but I must go now," he shouted back towards the stranger as ran in the direction of the whistle.


Chapter 2

"You were out too long!" cried Kheppa's mother. "You know that it is dangerous to be alone in the cave for very long."

"Yes, mother," replied Kheppa, whose heart was racing from the strange encounter and the fear of upsetting his mother.

"Let us eat now." Kheppa's gra