Mara and Dann by Doris Lessing

by myself, as you said.’
    â€˜What makes you think I haven’t changed my mind?’ said Kulik, and went on grinning there, a long time, to keep her afraid in case he had changed his mind.
    â€˜You promised,’ said Mara at last, not crying, for she was determined not to.
    â€˜Very well, you come with me.’
    He got up, in his heavy, slow way – like an animal that has decided to tread all over you, Mara thought – and went towards the enclosure where his male milk beast was, all by itself. Mishka began to jump and rush about at the end of her rope.
    Kulik turned his head to grin back and say, ‘Can’t wait for it, can she? – you are all the same.’
    Mara had no idea what he meant.
    At the entrance to the enclosure, which was a small one – just room for one animal and a bit over – he slid back a bar and pushed in Mishka, and then picked up Mara and lifted her over so that she was among the legs and the horns. Then he leaned his arms on the wooden rail, grinning, and watched while Mara dodged about, as the big male beast nudged and pushed and edged Mishka into position, and she sidled and evaded, and came back … and all the time those great hooves were missing Mara by inches. Along the fence of the enclosure now were the men, standing there grinning and hoping that Mara would get a hard kick, or a poke from one of those sharp horns. It seemed to go on for a long time, the pushing and shoving in the enclosure, and Mara tried to get out through the rails of the fence; but the men pushed her back in, and this time she was just under Mishka’s head. The male was on Mishka’s back now and pushing Mishka down, but she was trying not to hurt Mara, keeping her head and shoulders away from the girl. At last it was done. The two beasts stood clear of each other. Mara was trembling so that she could hardly stand, and she felt her pee running down her legs. But she got the rope around Mishka’s horns and stood with her at the place where the opening was. For a good long while Kulik did not take his arms from where they lay on the rail. Then he moved back, lifted off the rail and stood aside. Mara led Mishka out. She did not look at Kulik or at the other men, who were standing there grinning and pleased with themselves.
    â€˜Remember, it’s mine if it’s a male,’ said Kulik.
    â€˜I promise,’ said Mara.
    â€˜She promises,’ said the men to each other, in copies of her little voice, but lisping and silly, not as she spoke.
    She took Mishka back to her place near the others, and stood for a time with her arms around one of the big front legs, because she could not reach any higher; and Mishka put down her soft muzzle and licked Mara’s sweaty, dusty neck for the salt.
    Then she went to Daima and told her. Daima only sat with her head on her old hand at the table and listened.
    â€˜Well, let’s hope she takes,’ she said. And Mishka did ‘take’: she was pregnant and she gave birth to a male. Dann could hardly be got away from Mishka and her kid. He adored the little beast, which would lookout for Dann, who brought it bits of green he found in the grass, or a slice of the yellow root.
    Mara said, ‘Don’t love that little beast so much, because we can’t keep him.’
    And Daima said, ‘That’s right. He must know what the world is like.’
    â€˜Perhaps it won’t always be like this,’ said Mara.
    And then the beast, which Dann called Dann, was taken away by Kulik, who chased Dann off and said, ‘I’m not having any Mahondi brats, get away.’
    Dann could not understand what had happened. He sat silent, puzzled, full of grief; but then it seemed some sort of change took place in him. ‘I hate Kulik,’ he said, but not like a little boy. ‘One day I’ll kill him.’ And he didn’t cry. His face was narrow and tight and suspicious and hard. He was not yet