Fearing For His Life
The chimpanzee’s back was turned to Lukas. It was clear to him that he had found whatever he was digging for. But as he walked around the chimp to see what was in his hands, the chimp quickly hid it away.
This object had become the chimpanzee’s dark obsession, but as soon as Lukas managed to sneak a glance at the artifact it held, he feared for his life.
Not A Job For Everyone
Lukas knew that some people probably questioned his career choice, especially with his heritage. His father was a trusted doctor in their community, and his mother was a theater actress.
Despite his parents having jobs with high esteem, he wanted to pursue a career that he felt fit his desires and needs. Something most didn’t understand.
Lukas Karlsson
Lukas Karlsson lived in Kristiansand, Norway. It was a close-knit community where people knew each other well. Each family had a certain reputation to uphold, so when his parents heard what he wanted to do, they didn’t know what to say.
Lukas’ passion didn’t lie in theater or medicine. He had a fascination for exotic animals. Growing up, he’d only get to see animals from other continents on his TV until he visited the zoo.
The Kristiansand Zoo
After visiting the Kristiansand Zoo at a young age, Lukas developed a fascination with species of animals that he had never seen before. He decided then and there that he wanted to pursue a passion that would let him get closer to them.
And his dreams would come true when out of high school, he got a job at the very same zoo he’d visited as a child. But he had no idea how dangerous getting this close to these animals could be.
All Manner Of Exotic Animals
Lukas’ parents even managed to accept his career, even if other people wouldn’t. It wasn’t a glamorous job by any means. He worked behind the scenes at the zoo to ensure that visitors had the best experience.
He just loved being so close to the animals. On the one hand, he had to clean up after them, but on the other, he got to feed them by hand. If only he knew that’s what his downfall would be.
One Animal In Particular
There was one animal in particular that Lukas loved to visit more than any others. It was an exotic animal that he knew he’d never have a chance of seeing outside of Africa and Asia.
They really had nothing quite like it in Norway of most European countries. It was the chimpanzee.
Isak The Chimp
Lukas was in love with a chimpanzee named Isak. He had been brought into the zoo ten years before Lukas started working there. After Isak’s parents were tragically killed by poachers, the Kristiansand Zoo volunteered to take him in.
With most zoos in Africa already having many chimps, Isak would have been bullied by the others. Here in Norway, though, he was the only one of his kind. But Lukas would learn sooner or later that Isak had something dire to hide.
Strange Behavior
Lukas had been keeping an eye on Isak for a few months, feeding and bonding with him. But soon, his behavior changed strangely. He went from a happy-go-lucky chimp to one that seemed focused and driven on only one thing - digging.
It started small. He would uncover a bit of mud with his bare hands. Lukas wrote it off as him looking for worms or out of boredom. But if he had known the real reason, he would have tried to intervene.
Digging
Over the next few weeks, the digging turned into an obsession. Isak barely slept and barely ate. All he wanted to do was dig, and he had even upgraded his equipment. He had switched from using his hands to using whatever he could find.
His most recent discovery was that a stick worked a lot better than his hands. He had started to use that to dig deeper than he could have before. But Lukas wouldn’t be ready for the explanation.
A Dark Obsession
Isak’s eyes looked different. This was a dark obsession that was consuming him. Lukas wondered if he didn’t have some kind of illness that made him act so strange. He knew he had to intervene.
But by the time Lukas got permission to go into Isak’s enclosure to check what he was doing, the primate would have already dug up what he was looking for. And it would change Lukas’ life forever.
An Object
The chimpanzee’s back was turned to Lukas. It was clear to him that he had found whatever he was digging for. But as he walked around the chimp to see what was in his hands, the chimp quickly hid it away.
This object had become the chimpanzee’s dark obsession, but as soon as Lukas managed to sneak a glance at the artifact it held, he feared for his life.
Sharp
All Lukas could tell at first was that it was sharp. He moved back a bit to give Isak some room. He didn’t want to end up on the wrong end of the sharp object that he had. But when Isak noticed the fear in his zookeeper’s eyes, he decided to show him.
Isak opened his palm and showed it to Lukas. Lukas couldn’t believe what he was looking at. It had to be of Viking origin and at least 1000 years old.
An Arrowhead
The object was, in fact, an arrowhead. Lukas could tell that it was very old. It must have been long buried and forgotten before the zoo even existed. He imagined how it must have belonged to a Viking from centuries ago.
The Viking would have probably looked a lot like Lukas since Norway is one of the original settlements for the ancient people. Lukas knew he had to show someone what Isak had found.
A Negotiation
Lukas knew that his chimp friend wouldn’t give up the arrowhead easily. He had been obsessed with finding it over the last few months that he wouldn’t just give it to him. But then Lukas thought of an idea.
He negotiated with Lukas. After an hour of coaxing with the best food the zoo could offer, Isak finally traded the arrowhead for a yellow bunch of bananas and other assorted fruit. Now Lukas could have the arrowhead examined.
A Special Artifact
Lukas had the arrowhead examined by a man named Bjorn Pederson from the University of Agder. He was a professor of archaeology and managed to tell him a few things about the object. It was quite a special artifact. He told Lukas that it dates to the Iron Age, around 1000 years ago. It was 4.6 inches long and would have been a prized arrowhead for a hunter at the time. Lukas decided to donate the arrowhead to a museum where everyone would get the chance to see it.
In order to protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author's imagination. Any resemblances to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.