Ugh! It sleep time and me still stare at fire. Me say in day, “Only small fire this night. No add ‘one more wood.’” But me keep stare and stare and no sleep. When do sleep, see fire in sleep.

Once no fire. Then me make fire. Me think fire good. Help eat food, make warm. Me see sharp tooths come in dark, run far from bite, hit with club, no miss. Fire friend. Fire make happy. Fire great? Me say yes. It change lot. Fire make leave cave soon. Live group? Make rule? Plant kale? Me think maybe.

But now start fire, no stop fire. Must have fire. Go back to when no fire and eat raw bird? What, we ape? Ugh! No. Fire stay.

But some time miss dark. It nice in dark. No one see where me put finger in dark.

Life simple in dark. It hard, but me happy when sky go bright in day. Now bright all time and no more care for bright sky. Bright sky, big whoop…

Slave to fire. Fire need wood. All the time find wood. More wood, more wood. Me yell out, “Me go find wood!” then go find wood. Bring back wood. “How like wood?” All make comment. “Like wood, Gronk!” “Love wood.” “Wood too small.” “Wood more good at Blorg cave.” “Wood suck. Hope sharp tooth come bite you.”

Then me sit and stare at fire. That all. No make tool for bang and cut. Me think should but no do. Just sit. Me talk sometime. “Look how wood burn!” me say. No one make answer. They stare at fire too.

Me know flame bad for eyes. Fire smoke make ouch like sharp tooth but no blood.

Scared for small ones. All the time in front of fire. “Go!” me yell. “Hunt! Gather!” But small ones no go, no hunt. No can gather because too soft. “Gather for us,” small ones whine. “Gather too hard.”

Small ones stressed that fire too small. “Why fire small? Fire in Blorg cave more big, more hot! Only three big ones follow fire here. Blorg fire have nine follow.”

Small ones no sleep. Only stare at fire all night. “Go sleep!” me yell. Small ones say, “What if cool spark come, light dog on fire? No want miss!”

“Take break,” me say small ones. “Go look nice cave art! Good story of hunt and sharp tooth.” But small ones make face me no like. “Okay, Homo Erectus… Cave art boring.”

Small ones want make own fire. Me say, “No fire! You too small” Small ones say, “Me 109 moons old! All other smalls have fire! No fair me no fire!”

Me make threat. “Me put out fire! No more fire! Then what do?”

Who me kid? They no think true. Know I like fire more than small ones. No live with no fire. No fire, feel lost. Must have fire all time. Bring fire out of cave. If me leave cave, me take small fire on stick. Check fire on stick all time. Fire work? Yes. Then me check one more. Why? What if want find me. Ask, “Where Gronk? Where Gronk? Oh, we track with walking fire stick. He there. Gronk! Need more wood!”

Me know too much fire no good, but no can help self. Try cut back. Yes, me walk from fire with no walking fire stick. Me think do thing not fire. Hmmmm, me go to water hole maybe, stare at water hole for while. Yes, me stare at water hole and talk. Talk, talk, talk what go on in water.

Yes, yes, me start pondcast.