Jake:

"Oh-kay. We're standing outside the cave right now. There are some cave drawings inside that Professor Thrull says probably document some primitive fertility rituals. They're probably over a thousand years old, which puts them being made by people who lived here before the tribes we know as the Native Americans. Professor Thrull, why don't you tell us more about what we're about to see?"

Thrull:

"Yes, well, these drawings were found by a hiker, someone ... a lot like all of you. He happened on this cave and--well, why don't we just step inside and let the drawings speak for themselves?"

Thrull:

"Watch your step."

Thrull:

"As you can see, some of the marks on the wall are obviously fairly recent. This set here ... appears to be spray paint. Quite a shame really. But the drawings--the real artifacts we're here to see--they're back here a little further. See these lines? This is the start of them. See back here? Where the lines start coming together? We don't know much about the people who made them--they probably predate the nations we call the Native Americans by a thousand years. They appear to be lines commemorating religious events and icons of fertility and the hunt."

Damien:

"Professor, how do we know they're that old?"

Thrull:

"We don't, conclusively. But the style is reminiscent of the cave paintings found in France and other parts of the world. See here? What looks like a patch of discolored rock? See here, these black lines are the horns, and the discolored area is the body. This was probably a deer or an elk. Some sort of sacred animal. Painting it here invoked the spirits to ensure a plentiful hunt. Let's move a little further back. Can all of you see? They're more obvious back here."

Ted:

"Cool! I can see them now. That's ... what? Some kind of cow?"

Thrull:

"That's another deer or an antelope of some kind. A little different from the first--the horns are smaller--but yes, you can see the body very plainly. And back here ... See here? These are crudely drawn human figures, probably commemorating a hunt or invoking the spirits to ensure another good hunt. These here are the hunters, pursuing ... this may be a bison or a boar or some sort. See their spears and their bows? A few are holding shorts lines; possibly these are knives. Some of the drawings--look there on the wall behind you--are more clearly fertility icons. See here? This figure has breasts and a swollen middle. Obviously intended to represent a pregnant woman. And over here in the very back is the real find. See them?"

Damien:

"Are they doing what I think they're doing ...?"

Thrull:

"If you think they're procreating, yes, they're indeed doing what you think they're doing."

Ted:

"Professor, these figures over here ..."

Thrull:

"Ah, yes--those are the most interesting of all. See here, how the figure in the back is obviously a man. But the figures here and here, the ones being fucked, they have no breasts; they are not women. See here? These lines on the figures being fucked are almost certainly meant to indicate erect penises. What we've found here are primitive pictures of men having sex with other men."

Jake:

"Ew!"

Thrull:

"Jake, remember what I drummed into you in class. Don't impose your values on people who obviously had a very different value system. We don't know much about what those values were, but obviously they seemed to think homosexual intercourse had its place in fertility rituals, perhaps in their society overall too."

Ted:

"Like the two-spirited people? I read about them in an article."

Damien:

(Smugly.) "And I did my term paper on them."

Thrull:

"Indeed, and quite a fine piece of research it was, Damien. To answer your question more directly, we don't know enough about them to know for certain. One thing I think we can say with some certainty--these drawings suggest a fairly sophisticated spirituality, and probably one based on a worship of the natural world. Perhaps they saw sexual activity as somehow invoking favorable attention from the spirit world, a way to ... inspire the spirits to themselves be fertile and ensure an abundant harvest. They seem to have viewed what we would today call homosexual intercourse as part of a larger cycle of fertility."

Damien:

(Happily.) "You saying the people what did this was all gay?"

Thrull:

"Not in the sense that we mean by the word 'gay.' That's a fairly modern concept. But certainly they seem to have had acts that we would call homosexual. Perhaps they believed that spirits came in many types and proclivities. Perhaps they believed that they needed to engage in many types of sex to inspire many types of spirits. That's all a bit conjectural on my part, I'm afraid. All I can tell you for sure is that these drawings are very old, and they appear to have been made by a group of people who looked to the natural world around them for their spirituality. The same natural world that's all around us now. And perhaps too, those spirits are still here, all around us, just waiting to inspire us."

Jake:

"Professor, all this talk about spirits--you're creeping me out."

Thrull:

"Am I? I'm sorry. Well, I suppose we've seen just about everything there is to see here, and we've still got a long hike to make before we camp for the night. Shall we?"

Damien:

"Wow, Professor, I had no idea ... That was pretty cool."

Thrull:

"Oh, there's more cool stuff waiting for you when we get to where we're heading. Just wait and see."

Jake:

"Did anyone but me notice anything kinda weird in that cave?"

Damien:

"Uhm, yeah. Kinda. Like I feel kinda horny all of a sudden."

Jake:

"Ew."

Damien:

"No, seriously. I mean, really horny."

Ted:

(Laughing.) "It's the spirits doing it to you."

Damien:

"Fuck you! I'm serious."

Jake:

"Guys, I gotta go take a pee. I'll be right back."

Thrull:

"Ted, why don't you clear some ground for the campfire? Damien, you and Jake give me a hand with the tents."

David:

"Anyone seen Jake?"

Ted:

"He said he was gonna take a piss."

David

"This is taking way too long. I'm gonna go find out what's goin' on."

Ted:

"Awright."

David:

"Hey, man, you alright? You okay?"

Damien:

"Oh, man, that's a good idea."

Ted:

"Huh? What's he--oh!"

Ted:

"I'm really horny."

Damien:

"Yeah ... me too."

Damien:

"Can I touch it?"

Ted:

"Huh?"

Damien:

"Can I touch it?"

Ted:

"I dunno ... That's kinda weird ..."

Damien:

"Yeah?"

Ted:

(Groans.) "I never did this before.

Damien

"I can't believe how good it feels ..."

Ted:

It feels ..."

Damien:

"You don't like it?"

Ted:

"I dunno ... I--I don't think I can do this. That chick's hot, but I don't think I can do this. I can't do this."

Damien:

"You sure?"

Ted:

"Yeah." (Firmly.) "Yeah--I gotta go."

Damien:

(Panting.) "You two--are twins. You ever--do this--together?"

Jake:

"Fuck, no." (Groaning.) "Oh, fuck--I'm gonna--gonna cum!"

Damien:

"That's it."

David:

"Nuh-uh. I'm ready to--"

Damien:

"Me too!"

David:

"Hey, Jake?"

Jake:

"Yeah?"

David:

"You know back there with the magazine, when we were jacking off?"

Jake:

(Uncertainly.) "Ye-yeah?"

David:

"Well, it was weird, but, uh, I wasn't thinking about my girlfriend." (Pause.) "What were you thinkin' about?"

Jake:

"I don't wanna think about it, man. I was thinking about--I was looking at the magazine, man. What do you think? Will you turn that damn camera off?"

Damien:

"Phew! What is that stink?"

Thrull:

"Cedar and sage. It was sacred to many of the Native American tribes. Their shamans used it to create spiritual cleansing. They believed the scents helped create an atmosphere where the mind opened up and became receptive to the spirit realm."

Damien:

"I don't think that stinky shit is gonna work."

Thrull:

"Then maybe you'll get more of a rush from ... this."

Damien:

"Weed? Shit, man! That's so cool!"

Ted:

"Weed?"

Thrull:

"It's okay. We're all adults here. It'll help clear your head."

Ted:

"I dunno ..."

Damien:

"You don't smoke a little weed sometimes?"

Ted:

"No, never."

Damien:

"Never?" (Takes a deep toke and holds it.) "Never? Fuck--this is good shit!"

Jake:

"Pass it around, dude."

Damien:

"Hang on--we got us a virgin to initiate. Here ya go, Ted. Just put it up to your lips and take a deep breath. Try to hold it in as long as you can."

Ted:

(Taking the joint, dubiously.) "I dunno about this."

Damien:

"It's cool. You'll like it."

Ted:

"Damn!"

Damien:

"Try it again. Inhale a little slower. That's it. Now hold it. Hold it ... As long as you can."

Damien:

(Laughing.) "Dat's some good shit, huh? Pass it on around, man."

Thrull:

"Gentlemen, the tribal shaman used marijuana--hemp--as part of his preparations for communicating with the spirit realm. It helped him clear his mind, let him open his thoughts. He'd stare into the fire, kind of like you're probably starting to do now, and he'd focus his awareness until all he could see was the flames as they flickered. He would look deeper into the flames, deeper, into the heart of the flickering flames, and he would focus on nothing else. And I wonder if you're starting to feel the same thing he did? An increasing focus. A deepening sense of oneness. A deepening calmness coming over you, as you focus on the flames, feeling yourself relax and become open to whatever the flames have to show you. He'd stare into the flame for hours, without blinking. It's all about concentrating. And maybe you're starting to feel that kind of concentration now. So focused on the flames, without even trying. As you take a deep breath, you might feel yourself getting even more focused, staring even more deeply into the flame. It's okay to let yourself blink if you have to. Maybe you're feeling a little tired feeling at the corners of your eyes? Maybe you're feeling like you need to blink? Maybe your eyelids are starting to feel tired, and maybe kind of heavy. Maybe your eyelids are starting to feel so very heavy, so tired and so deliciously heavy, like there's a very heavy weight attached to both of them. Yes. You can feel it--the longer you stare into the flames, the more tired your eyelids are growing. So tired, after a long day of hiking with those heavy packs. So tired, and ready to sleep. So tired, looking deeper and deeper into the flames. And every time you have to blink, your eyelids feel like something is pulling them down, as if they're wanting to slowly close, yes, already starting to close. And maybe you're feeling that tired feeling spread out from your eyes, spread out though your face, down your neck, into your shoulders. So tired from a long day of hiking. So tired from those heavy packs. Shoulders so tired, and starting to sag a little. That tired feeling spreading down your back and down your chest, spreading through your arms and legs. So heavy. So tired. So heavy you couldn't move them even if you tried. So tired, as maybe you're letting your eyelids slowly close, as you're giving in to that tiredness you're feeling, letting yourself get drowsier and sleepier, your eyelids already so heavy you can hardly keep them open anymore. Just listen to my voice. Nothing distracts you. Other sounds, thoughts, anything that tries to distract you--just let it slip into the background and help you relax and feel even sleepier. I wonder if you can so easily imagine what it would feel like, yes, to be carried gently and peacefully downward, inside your own thoughts, like a baby bear cub is carried by its strong mother bear, who would protect you while you sleep. And I wonder how strongly you can imagine what such a little cub would feel like, how good it would make you feel, how protected and safe and warm it would feel, to know that such a powerful guardian had given you its signal, that all would be well while you slept, more and more deeply, sleeping more deeply inside yourself with each relaxing breath, by allowing you to know that your guardian would stand watch while you slept so deeply, and so peacefully, so oblivious to the world, and everything that may be going on around you, so that you can hear nothing now, except the sound of my voice, and you can let yourself listen carefully, while you sleep so much deeper and deeper now. I'm going to count down from 20 down to 1; and as I count you may feel your eyelids grow heavier, drooping, so drowsy and so very, very sleepy. You can let them close any time you like. By the time I count down to 1, you'll be able to close them and you'll be able to go deep into sleep. A very deep sleep. Shall I begin counting? 20 ... 19 ... Eyelids heavy, drooping, feeling very drowsy, very sleepy. 18 ... 17 ... Eyelids starting to close, close. 16 ... 15 ... Imagine, when they finally close, how good it will feel to finally sleep. 14 ... 13 ... Head starting to nod. Heavy eyelids feel ready to close. 12 ... 11 ... Feeling very drowsy and very good, like you're entering a very deep and pleasant state of hypnosis. 10 ... 9 ... The next time you blink, that sleepy feeling is hypnosis coming over you. 8 ... 7 ... Feeling so good. 6 ... 5 ... Heavy eyelids closing, slowly closing, tightly closing. 4 ... 3 ... Closing them, closing tightly, close them, close them tightly ... 2 ... Feeling yourself drift into an easy, calm, relaxed hypnotic sleep. 1 ... Sleep now."