"The sound of the waves was faint in the crisp, coolness of the still night air. The hulls of the ships rocked and bobbed, mere specks on the vastness of the Pacific Ocean. Off in the distance, still a full day's sail away, floated a simple raft carrying an extraordinary girl."
Asil shifted, adjusted her long black skirt, and pushed her glasses back up the bridge of her nose. She habitually moved her white braid, adorned with silver and turquoise, in front of her shoulder. Her multitude of rings flinted in the spotlight as her hands spoke at the same rate as her words.
She was comfortable in front of any audience. In fact, it was her happy place. And with her teacher's hands weaving an invisible tapestry of words into the air, she rose from her stool and began to pace the stage.
"This is the story, as told over many generations. I am Asil Wysong, the direct descendant of the Yutki clan. I am the current keeper of our stories and your guest speaker for tonight.
"Whenever possible, I will use the names of places and things as they are known in our time, but keep in mind that sea levels and the climate zones were dramatically different back then, and there was no written language to confirm what has been passed down from one story keeper to another. These are the oral histories of my ancient ancestors."
The auditorium lights dimmed. Oh, how she loved the drama of it all. The spotlight widened, and Asil slowly strolled to the opposite side of the stage, as she mentally prepared.
"Long ago, before the great earthquakes and fire rained down from the sky, when glyptodon armadillo worked alongside the Nek, the giant fanged cats hunted the bison, the Nanoladon Pacifica whales dominated the coast and were the partners, the Yutki clan came to be.
"Our creation grew out of the ocean, our secrets discovered across the land. We are a clan of three worlds: the below, the above, and the within. This is the story of the below, the world that was built from the water."
She looked out into her captive audience of university students, tilted her head slightly, placed her hands palm up, and stated, "Basically, during the Neolithic era in what we know now as Central and Northern America."