14:29 Oct 29 2019
Times Read: 811
One October Many Years Ago
When I was eleven years old my parents took me to a Pow Wow in October. It was going to start at sunset and I was very excited. All my friends would be there. There would be dancing, story-telling, drumming on the POW Wow drums and food. It was within the Rez so it was safe and we kids could run all over. We arrived right at sunset and out we poured from my Dad’s truck. Now the area we had these events was a big opening with woods all around. That night the moon was full and air had that fall crisps to it. The drums were beating. There was a huge fire-pit and tables were set up with all kinds of foods. I met up with my friends and right away we started playing games.
We liked to play stick ball which is actual you use big sticks and you hit this small ball. It’s a game my ancestors even played as boys. We had been playing for about an hour when the ball got hit into the woods. I volunteered to go fetch it. So off I ran looking for the small ball. I began to step into the edge of the woods and I saw it about 10 feet ahead. Then out of the woods stepped this girl about my age and she stooped to pick up the ball.
I had not seen her before. She was my age. She seemed Cree, too. She had long black hair down past her waist. I had long hair too. She was dressed in Native festival costume. Though her costume seemed really old to me. Like native wear I had seen in pictures taken in the 1800. I even told her I really liked it. I asked her if she wanted to come play stick ball with us. She smiled at me. I have to tell you that year was the year my hormones woke up and I started to notice girls. So when she smiled at me, well, I did not mind being in the woods alone with her.
I am not sure what happen. I remember she reached the ball out to me. I remember stepping forward slowly, I was shy. Her fingertips touched mine and next I knew was I was on the ground and I was hearing people calling my name. I stood up and brushed leaves off me. I looked around for the girl but she was gone. My parents ran up to me and my Mom as Mom’s do checked me over and saw some drops of blood on my shirt collar. She pulled some tissues and began wiping my neck yelling that I was hurt. I rolled my eyes and told my Mom I was fine. I just wanted to find that girl. I wanted to get back to the Pow Wow so I could search for her.
I assured my Mom that I was fine and that I must have ran into a tree branch and scratched my neck and fallen down. Once back at the main grounds I began my search. I looked all over. I went inside the Council Hall where the bathrooms are thinking maybe she was in there. As I was walked inside the pictures on the wall caught my attention. It was the clothing, the old, old pictures. Dresses made of deer hides and the beading, they cloth dyed from plant dyes. Then I saw her. In a picture dated from 1821 was the girl I had just met in the woods. The picture was yellow from age. How could this be? I looked closer and it was her. It gave her name as Wondering Deer daughter of Chief Black Bear, age 11. No one was looking so I unpinned the picture and slipped it in my pocket.
I did not tell anyone. I mean what would I say? Oh Mom by the way I saw a girl in the woods who had lived 100 years ago. Here is a picture of her that I stole from the Council Hall to prove it. I went to bed that night with that picture under my pillow.
The years passed as I had almost forgotten about that girl. I had placed her picture in a wooden box my Grandfather made for me when I turned 10 to keep things in. My Grandfather said every boy needed a box. He had carved my name on it and painted it. It even had a lock on it. I kept my most valuable things from my youth in that box; a real eagle feather a Chief presented to me on my name day. My first love letter from a girl in 7th grade. A real gemstone my grandmother gave to me called Apache’s Tear with a handwritten letter from my grandmother about that stone. Underneath everything was that picture.
It was the year I turned 18 when I was to see her again. The Fall Pow Wow came around and I rode there with one of my friends and his Dad. We no longer played the games we did at 11. No, now we danced, beat the drums and tried to sneak a beer for about 5 of us to share. Oh, and we did our fair share of girl watching. That night again it was a full Moon. It was so big and bright that even far from any city hardly any stars could be seen. It was a harvest moon. We were watching the younger boys playing stick ball and remembering our youth at that age; debated who the best amongst us was at that age when one of the younger boys hit the ball and wham! Into the woods the ball went. The boys were trying to decide which one who venture into the woods to retrieve it when I told them I would go fetch it for them.
For a moment after the words came out of my mouth I paused. See, I had after that night many years ago, decided that the incident was just something my mind had created when I had surly been hit by a low branch and knocked myself out. I must have seen that old picture before on the wall and while I was out dreamed about the girl. Yes, just something my mind created. These were my thoughts as I walked deeper into the woods. I turned around, pushed some leaves on the ground looking for that silly ball.
This time she was older. Again she was my age. She was beautiful and she was wearing a deer skin dress with beading that caught the light of the moon. They looked like tiny stars shinning. Her hair was long, she had those big brown doe like eyes. She held her hand out; holding the ball. This time I did not walk to her. I stood there wondering had I knocked myself out again on a low branch? Am I dreaming? She walked up to me and placed the ball in my hand.
My fingertips touched her fingertips and I felt the emotions run from the top of my head down to the tips of my toes. She smiled and put her arms around me. I took a deep breath as her lips came close to mine. Oh I had kissed girls before but none as pretty as she was. “Are you real?” I whispered to her. “As you want me to be.” Her words were soft and seemed to linger on the cool fall air. I no longer herd all the noises from the Pow Wow. It seemed even the birds had gone silent. All I heard was her words to me. I closed my eyes ready for the kiss. Her lips touched mine. My arms went around her. I did not even feel the drop of blood that ran down my chin.
She lifted a finger and scooped up the blood drop. She placed her finger between her pink lips; then mine. I do not know why but I kissed the blood from her finger. She stepped away from me. Reality started flooding back into my mind as the music, the drums, the laughter came pouring back. “Please do not leave me.” I begged of her. “It’s not time yet.” She whispered. Her voice as soft as anything I had ever heard before. I felt sad. “When can I see you again? How do I know you are even real?” She slipped a picture into my hand and said to me, “Meet me here again when you can and I will show you I am real.” I glanced down at the picture of her and as I looked up she was gone. The taste of her blood was still on my lips.
When I got home I pulled that box from under my bed. I blew the dust off of it, unlocked it and added the new photo to my box.
Years have passed and I have missed quite a few of the Fall Pow Wow’s though it is this weekend. My thoughts have been on that box under my bed and those two picture’s in it. I wonder if I go this weekend will I be adding a new picture to my box my Grandfather made for me...
Oh and Happy Halloween.
COMMENTS
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ZombieMLegendre
19:45 Oct 31 2019
Favorite candy? Jelly Beans. Halloween or not.
LORDMOGY
20:12 Oct 31 2019
Dakotah
20:27 Oct 31 2019
Oh, I am a Jelly Belly addict.