and maybe you’ll have good dreams for a change.
Soon, Chase—Cloud Chaser—Martin slumbered almost peacefully as he dreamed of a beautiful and desirable Indian maiden who danced and sang through a verdant and dense forest and summoned him onward with her smiles and finger motions while she stayed just out of his reach.
The following morning, Hanmani returned as promised to bring him food and to fetch the bowl from last night. “Hau, tanksi. Anpetu waste.”
“Han, anpetu waste. Ota wayata he?” She agreed it was a good day and asked if he had enough to eat as she placed his meal atop the log.
“Han, pilamaya,” he thanked her, observing how she concealed her communication with him from others by keeping her back toward camp. He quickly asked, “Who is the female who does her chores with you? I saw you two together when I arrived and working together last night.”
Hanmani was surprised that was the person he chose to ask about during their short time together, as Macha also was greatly interested in her alleged brother. She replied in a hurry as she pretended to reposition the new bowl atop the log to prevent it from falling off, “She is Dawn, my best friend. She was six when you vanished. She played with you as children. Do you not remember her?”
“Perhaps that is why she seems familiar to me,” he cunningly muttered as if to himself. He deduced she was using her wits and daring behavior to extract clues from him, so “accidentally” revealing a “secret” to her might win her over; and he was convinced she wouldn’t repeat it and expose her defiance. “I thought it was because she favored the Indian maiden in the strange and powerful dream which called me home.”
As she collected the dirty bowl, Hanmani glanced over at him where he sat on the ground and asked, “You saw Dawn in your vision-dream?”
“I do not know if it truly was her, but it seems that way to me. That is strange, is it not, tanksi, to dream of a female and then to see her?”
For an inexplicable reason, Hanmani’s heart raced with excitement to be entrusted with a sacred secret. She yearned to hear more. Yet, she could linger there no longer. “The Great Spirit often works in mysterious ways, tiblo. I must go now. I will bring you more wood and food later on this sun.”
“Ake wancinyankin ktelo.” He told her good-bye and that he would see her again. After she departed, he grinned in delight, for she had called him her older brother and he had discovered the enchanting beauty’s identity.
He assumed Macha had been born at dawn, for it was the custom to take a child’s name after an occurrence or sighting at the time of delivery from a mother’s womb or after something cherished in nature if nothing unusual took place at that awesome moment. His mother had given him an Indian name to make him acceptable to his father’s people, though her generous and cunning attempt had obviously failed. He wondered if hischildhood name would be changed when he had his next vision-quest, for he had not been here when that ritual age took place.
Chase closed his eyes, called forth the vivid image from memory, and compared the dream woman to Macha. There was no denying or ignoring the fact that he had not lied to his sister. The dream woman and Dawn were either the same female or matched in looks and smiles down to the smallest detail. But how could he dream about a stranger, for Macha only slightly favored the little girl who played with him as a child? Either it was an odd coincidence, an evil force playing a wicked trick on him, or a message from the Creator. But which was it and what did it mean? Was she a good or bad omen?
In the forest while gathering plants and scrub wood, Macha halted her task and stared at her best friend, who had just related a stunning revelation. “Your brother asked about me? Why? What did he say? You were told not to speak with him. You disobeyed. If others learn of your defiance, you will be
Soon, Chase—Cloud Chaser—Martin slumbered almost peacefully as he dreamed of a beautiful and desirable Indian maiden who danced and sang through a verdant and dense forest and summoned him onward with her smiles and finger motions while she stayed just out of his reach.
The following morning, Hanmani returned as promised to bring him food and to fetch the bowl from last night. “Hau, tanksi. Anpetu waste.”
“Han, anpetu waste. Ota wayata he?” She agreed it was a good day and asked if he had enough to eat as she placed his meal atop the log.
“Han, pilamaya,” he thanked her, observing how she concealed her communication with him from others by keeping her back toward camp. He quickly asked, “Who is the female who does her chores with you? I saw you two together when I arrived and working together last night.”
Hanmani was surprised that was the person he chose to ask about during their short time together, as Macha also was greatly interested in her alleged brother. She replied in a hurry as she pretended to reposition the new bowl atop the log to prevent it from falling off, “She is Dawn, my best friend. She was six when you vanished. She played with you as children. Do you not remember her?”
“Perhaps that is why she seems familiar to me,” he cunningly muttered as if to himself. He deduced she was using her wits and daring behavior to extract clues from him, so “accidentally” revealing a “secret” to her might win her over; and he was convinced she wouldn’t repeat it and expose her defiance. “I thought it was because she favored the Indian maiden in the strange and powerful dream which called me home.”
As she collected the dirty bowl, Hanmani glanced over at him where he sat on the ground and asked, “You saw Dawn in your vision-dream?”
“I do not know if it truly was her, but it seems that way to me. That is strange, is it not, tanksi, to dream of a female and then to see her?”
For an inexplicable reason, Hanmani’s heart raced with excitement to be entrusted with a sacred secret. She yearned to hear more. Yet, she could linger there no longer. “The Great Spirit often works in mysterious ways, tiblo. I must go now. I will bring you more wood and food later on this sun.”
“Ake wancinyankin ktelo.” He told her good-bye and that he would see her again. After she departed, he grinned in delight, for she had called him her older brother and he had discovered the enchanting beauty’s identity.
He assumed Macha had been born at dawn, for it was the custom to take a child’s name after an occurrence or sighting at the time of delivery from a mother’s womb or after something cherished in nature if nothing unusual took place at that awesome moment. His mother had given him an Indian name to make him acceptable to his father’s people, though her generous and cunning attempt had obviously failed. He wondered if hischildhood name would be changed when he had his next vision-quest, for he had not been here when that ritual age took place.
Chase closed his eyes, called forth the vivid image from memory, and compared the dream woman to Macha. There was no denying or ignoring the fact that he had not lied to his sister. The dream woman and Dawn were either the same female or matched in looks and smiles down to the smallest detail. But how could he dream about a stranger, for Macha only slightly favored the little girl who played with him as a child? Either it was an odd coincidence, an evil force playing a wicked trick on him, or a message from the Creator. But which was it and what did it mean? Was she a good or bad omen?
In the forest while gathering plants and scrub wood, Macha halted her task and stared at her best friend, who had just related a stunning revelation. “Your brother asked about me? Why? What did he say? You were told not to speak with him. You disobeyed. If others learn of your defiance, you will be
Similar Books
