Gentle rode North, following the winding dirt road as it
wound higher into the Rocky Mountains. Plants climbed the mountain
struggling to hold onto the rocks. Trees watched below waiting for her
return. The setting sun cast a reddish glow thru the canopy of clouds
above, as the shadows lengthened. The air became cooler. When she saw the
signs, she asked the driver to stop. Gentle started up the trail with all
she needed on her back. Dog Stella followed faithfully.
It was late August. She wanted one more fasting trip
before returning to College. Gentle was of The People, and had inherited
their dark colors. Her long black hair flowed long and straight down her
back. As far back as she could remember, she loved the Woods and
Mountains, and the animals, plants and minerals that lived there. She
remembered countless stories of her people, told by her Mother and Grand
Father around the evening fire pit.
After about an hour maybe two, she looked around. She
realized she was hopelessly lost. How could that be? Gentle had taken this
secret trail several times before. But now was dark and rocks appeared
different. Moonless night crowded the path, making to dangerous to go
down. She would have to find a place to camp, and face the problem in the
morning. Her heart beat faster as she looked at the dark rolling clouds
overhead, and heard the rumble of thunder. Sun now gone behind the
mountain's to West. She held her breath, feeling dizzy, as she passed
dangerously close to a deep Ravine.
Suddenly, the path stopped! She found herself on a small
ledge. A stream trickled on mountain side. Only air moved on other side.
It was so beautiful here. Gentle sat down quietly, so she wouldn't scare
any animals watching her from the underbrush. She removed her knapsack and
camping gear from her back, and put them down about fifteen feet from the
stream. Everything smelled fresh and clean. She took a deep breath and let
it out slowly. The wind was already speaking louder. She didn't have much
time. She needed to get her shelter up. Her lodge was made special for
her. The cover was buckskin. The base was seven feet in diameter, and
narrowed to a smoke hole. Tubular metal poles snapped into place. The
bottom was anchored down with metal spikes. The entrance was a door flap.
In fifteen minutes her lodge was up.
It was sprinkling by the time she unpacked a small
bundle of wood, some dry leaves, and gathered some stones for the fire
pit. She stacked the extra wood against one wall, then started her lodge
fire. She put a pan of water on the rocks at the edge of the fire, and
spread out her bedroll. The air had a chill to it. The fire felt good.
Gentle took a buckskin dress and moccasins out of her knapsack and laid
them on the bedroll next to Stella. Then removing her clothes, she pulled
her moccasins on, and slipped the soft dress over her head. She sighed in
pleasure at the comfort and freedom the dress gave her.
Gentle fed Stella first as she always does. She put her
things in the knapsack, took out a packet of soup mix, and sat on the
bedroll, using her knapsack for a backrest. The rain beat a steady tat tat
on the lodge. When the water came to a boil, she added the packet of soup
mix, stirred it with a spoon, and set it aside to cool down. This would be
her last food for two days. The aroma drifted around her. She watched the
light from the fire dance around the buckskin walls. The wind howled more
intensity, shaking the lodge. Suddenly rain comes in sheets.
Her breath quickened in excitement. She felt as though
she were not alone. She knew that was ridiculous. She was miles from
anyone. After a while, the rain stopped, and she tied the flap back to get
some breeze. The moon had come out. After she finished her soup, she
washed the pan and spoon in the stream, then quickly undressed and bathed
in the cool water. When she had redressed, she stood on the ledge, looking
at the stars and full moon. Serenity filled Gentle with the Beauty of
Creator’s gift.
She felt the presence of others again, and looked
around. Darkness kept her from seeing anyone. She couldn't figure out who
they might be. She wasn't scared. Stella slept peacefully by the fire.
Gentle went inside and tied the door flap, then knelt on the bedroll near
the fire pit. She took her pouch and removed a small bag of sacred
tobacco, and sprinkled some on the fire. Then using her hands, she pulled
the smoke around her being very careful not to let any enter her body.
This would be most disrespectful to Creator’s gift to The People.
She blew her prayers with the smoke in the four
directions to the Great Spirit, thanking Creator for the many Blessings
sent her way. She gave thanks to gifts of Mother Earth and Father Sky. She
asked healing for all friends she knew now in pain. She offered her life
to carry Creator’s healing to his children. As she prayed, her mind
wandered. She remembered how The People lived before civilization moved
in, robbing them of their land, and oneness with nature. She never felt at
peace in the modern world. She loved Forest and Mountain every chance she
got.
Many times, she wished she lived
as her ancestors did. Finally, sleep claimed her peacefully with arm
around Stella. She woke the next morning to the rumble of thunder. Ducking
out the door flap, she encountered sunshine. There wasn't a cloud in the
sky. The rumbling became clearer. It wasn't thunder, it was drums. She
could hear men's voices chanting, and women's voices singing in a high
clear tone. As one in a trance, she started walking in that direction with
Stella at her side. The drums grew louder, and more insistent. Gentle
hurried her steps. She came to large flat rock surrounded by boulders. A
band of The People was having a Ceremony. Warriors were sitting around a
large fire. The open end of the circle faced her. Women in white buckskin
dresses did a slow sidestep as they sang.
Children sat on furs, off to the
side, where they could watch. Gentle wondered who they were, and where
they came from. She felt a pull within her heart and stepped from behind a
boulder, into the open. It seemed every eye was watching her. Their smile
welcomed her! A young woman with black hair separated herself from the
other women. She stopped at the group of children. A little girl about
three years old, in a white buckskin dress, walked up to her and took her
hand. Together they walked toward her. Then Gentle looked down at herself
in amazement. She was wearing a white buckskin dress with long fringe at
the sleeves and hem. Comfortable moccasins came to just below her knees.
The woman was her Grand Mother!
The little girl was her Mother, who died over one year ago.
Peace and happiness filled her Spirit. She had come
Home!
gentle breeze
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