poemtry and prose

The room seemed really still, as if no one was even in the room anymore. Kaylee held her breath as the thought of her Gran having passed away into the next world without giving her the chance to say good bye or tell her gran how much she really did enjoy being a part of her world. She pushed through the curtain, almost as if it were another sacred veil that she had to walk through to attain another goal. The room felt warm and dry on her skin. All the candles were lit and their light flickered in the waxy base. Kalyee looked around the room and saw more vibrant colors than she ever expected.

Normal candle light burns and flickers at a color spectrum between red an green on the RYOGBV scale. It burns a crisp, white light color that gives enough light for someone to read a book by or write in a secret journal. However, the colors that Kaylee now saw were an overlay to the red, yellow, orange and slightly flickering green that the normal candles burned. This overlay added a purplish red to the flame as well as a deep dark, almost black, blue to it as well. The intensity also was turned up as if someone pushed the flames through an Adobe Photoshop filter and processed it with a few hundred filters and color enhancers. The effect was almost trance inducing and Kaylee found herself fighting against the desire to get lost in the light of the candles. She closed her eyes tightly and blinked her eyes quickly until the feeling passed away.

She then whipped her head around to the soft, tall, bed that her Gran slept in. Her mind conjured up an image of the bed having been cold and unslept in for many days, as her Gran had passed away. It even half expected to see Daniel laying there, as if he were some big, bad wolf waiting to devour her as she returned with here good news. Thankfully, neither of these day dream images were true. For there, laying in the bed was her Gran, the covers moving ever so slightly as she breathed a deep and silent slumber. Kaylee quietly turned her body to face the bed and stared at the old woman with her new eye sight.

This was the first shaman she ever saw and was amazed at the swirls of colors blending and trickling around the emanation that surrounded the old woman. Her aura was stunning. It had a base layer of silver and gold and flecks of black that swam from the parts of the body that was getting prepaired to shut down. But lines of all colors from the spectrum swam near the hands and head and heart of her Gran. It was as if those were the most powerful centers in the body and that is what her Gran's life had focused the energies around.

"I wonder if I will be seeing in myself when I look at myself in the mirror?" Kaylee thought to herself as she attempted to stifle a small sneeze from the dust that the room had.

She crept silently over the old wooden floor boards and made her way over to the bedside where her Gran slept on her back. She knelt down on the floor, her knees betraying her with a somewhat loud cracking sound. Kaylee held her breath and reached out to touch the antique and soft skins that her Gran preferred to sleep under. They kept the warmth of the fire place within them, thefore keeping the core temperature of her Gran warm as well.

Kaylee touched the wrinkly skin of the left hand of her Gran. It was slightly cold and very thin and Kaylee felt nervous to touch the very delicate digits. She closed her eyes as she sat her head down upon the skins and breathed slowly. A few minutes passed and then Kaylee heard movement under the skins. Her eyes snapped open and Kaylee looked towards the face of her Gran.

"Gran," she whispered softly, not wanting to wake the sleeping woman but wanting her to wake at the same time, 'It is me, Kaylee. I have returned. I am here and have done what you asked me to do. Are you awake?"

The head beneath the blankets turned towards her and Kaylee watched as the sleepy eyelids of her Gran fluttered open. The old woman smiled and pointed to the night stand.

Kaylee followed the gaze to the small wooden table where she saw a pitcher filled with water and a small glass sitting next to it. She carefully picked up the pitcher of crisp reservation water and held it firmly in her right hand. With her left hand, she swept the glass off the counter and held it steadily. Then she slowly poured out some of the cool, mountain farmed water down into the glass. She kept her hands very steady and did not drop a single bit.

She then set the half full pitcher of water down gently and turned to her Gran. She cradled the old woman's head in her free hand and helped prop it up so she could take a small sip of the water. Kaylee lowered the glass to the lips of her Gran and allowed a small trickle of water to reach the tip of the glass and go into her Gran's mouth. She slowly kept on doing this until her Gran nodded her head in an acknowledgement that told Kaylee that she was done. Kaylee then set the glass back down in the old spot on the night stand and moved the pillows around for her Gran so that she was propped up a bit better. Finally, she sat down on the soft leather deerskin hide and stared at her Gran.

The old shaman looked lovingly at Kaylee and coughed to get the phlegm out of her throat so that she could speak.

"Are you alright, Gran?" Kaylee asked.

Gran cleared her throat, "Yes dear I am quite alright. Just the night stuck in my throat still. I am excited to see you have returned. Really I am. Do not let the dying body of an old woman fool you."

"Gran, you were right," Kaylee began trying to figure out exactly what to say about her experience, "You were so very right. And of course, my spirit guide, Mouse, was within me all along. It is funny how that happens. If only I had sat down and listened to myself first I would not have had to go anywhere or do anything. But no matter, in the end I found Mouse.

"I want to tell you all about it. Vellum Hollow is one amazing place and I can not believe it is so very real. I mean, I thought it was some place in stories that you and the others told to keep up the faith for us kids when we were young and had visions of leaving the reservation land for something bigger and better. But now I know better."

Her Gran touched her dirty cheek, "I know dear. I know. But the ways of the young are stubborn as they learn. And yes, I knew you were coming. Wolf came down from Vellum Hollow and told me of your success. Apparently you impressed the council greatly and they were quite happy with the progress and things you had done in such a short amount of time."

Kaylee smiled and tried to hide the feelings of pride and overachievement she felt, "I just stayed focused. I was more worried about you and whether or not you would still be here when I returned. I just wanted to see you again before the great darkness took you away from me again forever."

A stream of tears cleared the dirt from Kaylee's cheeks as she watched her Gran. She cleared her throat and continued, "It was amazing. At first I thought I was lost and that somehow I let go of you and went in some wrong direction. I about freeked out when I realized the drumming and you sounded so far away. But then, I saw a will o wisp and it led me to safety. I slept in a round cabin that was set in the middle of a large clearing. Somehow it always knew what I needed so I always had food and water and warmth. And during the days I did what you told me to do. I used the divination stones and figured out what that day was going to bring. Then I used them to pick one of each direction to search for a small item to place in my pocket.

And the things I found. They were amazing. Gran, I found..."

Her Gran cut her off short, before Kaylee could describe the four items that were now in her medicine bundle and empowering her majick, "Do not tell me what you found little one. Those are your sacred items and no one else needs to know exactly what they are. I am sure they were well choosen and made perfect gifts for you."

Kaylee nodded as she absent mindedly fingered the small bundle hanging around her neck, "Yes. Yes, I guess you can say that they do fit me quite well. Oh and then I met four spirit guardians. I met Weasel who was silly and yet very down to earth. He was goregous with his black and brown and tan pelt and small twitchy ears and black eyes. Then I met Barn Owl, who was wise and looked poetic as he flew through the air in some plateaus. His feathers practically glowed in the heat of the sun. I also met Frog who was small and tiny and sat by the lovelist pond. The water was a gorgeous shade of cobalt blue and he spoke with a weird accent that was almost southern. And I also met Bobcat. I think you may already know who this is. Sadly, I am not sure I can trust because of the deception he pulled."

She turned her head towards the doorway and searched the outside for any signs of Daniel being nearby. She did not want to confront him while she was in with her Gran. She used her new powers of aura detection and did not see any colors standing anywhere on the other side of the curtain. Satisfied, she sighed when her vision did not detect him at the doorway.

"Gran, I need to tell you something. You may not like it but the spirit council can back my story up if you need to know more. Daniel sent Bobcat to me. He was trying to screw up my akalam so that I failed. He did not want me to become your successor because he wanted to become your sucessor. And Bobcat almost succeeded except that in my ritual he said something that made the others all upset and well, yeah. Please do not hate me for saying this. But I knew that Daniel was up to something not very good when I first laid my eyes on him."

Her Gran turned towards the door and frowned, "I always wondered why the spirits wanted to have you as my successor over him. It seemed odd that I was training someone as an apprentice that would not be one to truly wield the powers as deftly as a natural born could. He hid his deception to me well. I am saddened by this news but now feel how it can be so very true. No matter, I am sure you can take it up with the Tribal Council and they can deal with the matter in accordiance to tribal law."

Kaylee bowed her head and growled softly, "I am very sorry that I had to tell you this news. Do not worry I will not do anything rash but I feel that I must confront him about it myself."

The old shaman nodded and coughed again, "I am proud of you. You have a warm and true heart and have shown both me and the spirit council that you can do anything if you set your mind and heart to doing so. You are very worthy of being my apprentice and my successor and I am glad that you have returned back to me today. Kaylee, I love you but I am not sure how much longer I have on this planet.

I am so very thankful that you were my granddaughter and know that your mother and father would be very proud of you to see what a wonderful woman you have grown into. I have one more request of you. Do not worry, this one does not involve you going away to Vellum Hollow again. It can be done right here with just you and me."

Kaylee leaned forward and rested her head against her Gran's chest. "You know I would do anything for you. What is it that you want?"

"I need your medicine bundle. Can you hand it to me?"

Kaylee lifted her head off the chest of her Gran and removed the small black leather pouch with much attentiveness from around her neck. She then wrapped the necklace up around the bundle threefold and set it down gently into the open hand of her Gran. She curled her Gran's fingers around the pouch and watched attentively.

"One day, far off into the future, you will be performing what I am now going to do. This is one of the final acts you will face as a shaman. Once I am done with this act, I will be spent and my energy depleated. Oh little one, I wish we had more time together but the spirits grow weary with my desire to stay longer in this world. There is much I need to do on the other side and can not remain here any longer. However, I have one final gift for you. Just so you know that I am always with you and will always be there when you need me."

Kaylee fought back the tears that threatened to fall once more. She did not want to lose the last living relative that connected her family together. She already knew what the old shaman was going to do and the only thing she could do was to sit back and watch it be performed.

The old shaman clasped the Medicine Bundle in both of her hands and raised it up into the air. Kaylee watched as the candles in the room all started flickering taller and brighter, much more brighter than they had been doing so only minutes earlier. A wind picked up in the room and started blowing counter clockwise. Small wisps of her hair and her gran's hair began dancing with the wind. She looked down at her Gran and saw that the old woman had been replaced with the form of a younger, much more powerful individual. Her Gran's eyes flickered silver and there was a lifeforce stronger than she had ever known or seen swirling in the body.

The shaman opened her mouth and began chanting in the words of the ancients. It was such an old language that Kaylee did not even understand it but attempted to memorize the powerful words that were coming as a final rite of passage for the two women.

"Dine bizaah loganish. De aramaound y'tet smaquish. Dine bizaah loganish. Finop oerah leengula. Y'tet dine, y'tet dine. De aramaound y'tet smaquish. Heram't requien finop leengula. Dine bizaah loganish capula. Dine bizaah loganish. De aramaound y'tet smaquish. Dine bizaah loganish. Finop oerah leengula. Y'tet dine, y'tet dine. De aramaound y'tet smaquish. Heram't requien finop leengula. Dine bizaah loganish capula. Dine bizaah loganish. De aramaound y'tet smaquish. Dine bizaah loganish. Finop oerah leengula. Y'tet dine, y'tet dine. De aramaound y'tet smaquish. Heram't requien finop leengula. Dine bizaah loganish capula."

And on the third repetion of the chant, a surge of great power fluctuated through the room. It was as if the wind had become a powerful tornado that surged with the chanting, swelling up the entire life power that they both had. It was so great that all the candles blew out. Kaylee leaned back a bit, fearful of what might happen next. She closed her eyes into a slit and caught a flicker of lightening that appeared out from the ceiling of the room. It charged downard and struck the very center of the medicine bundle. She watched as her Gran's eyes glowed brightly and then went dark as the rest of the room went dark.

All the knowledge that the powerful shaman had went into the medicine bundle. She was performing the Final Ritual of Passing. Not only did this ritual give the apprentice the power of the shaman but it also infused the medicine bundle with the knowledge and energy of the lineage of the Ser'lapham shamans. It was something the old shaman had witnessed when her mentor passed into the next world and it was something she knew she had to pass on into Kaylee before the dark wolves of death came to reclaim her power and carry her into the next world where she would rest for a time before moving onto Vellum Hollow to be reunited with her family and ancestors who went on before them.

The old shaman smiled in the darkness of the room and slurred out, "Yah eet eh. It is good." Then her hand went limp and the medicine bundle rolled out and onto the deerskin blanket. A single candle reignited and then all the other candles relit, allowing Kaylee to see once more. When she looked down, all she saw was the still form of her Grandmother. The old shaman had passed away with this final rite.

Kaylee grabbed the medicine bundle in her hand and then drew her Gran's lifeless body to her chest. The old woman felt light in her arms. She pet her Gran's hair and rocked the old woman in her arms, lightly singing a lullabye, hoping that it would help carry her Gran onto the next world. She cried out and let the tears fall freely. She felt alone in the room and felt the sadness wash over her.

Off in the distance, Kaylee heard the sad and hollow howls of the wolves. She closed her eyes and knew that the spirit guardian of her Gran was also mourning the loss that evening.

**************************

The next day was a blur for Kaylee. She remebered not getting any sleep for she stayed by her Gran's side for as long as she could. Daniel appeared in on them when the first light of the moring rose. When he caught Kaylee's eye he knew that he had been caught. Yet he made no attempt to run or challenge the battle. He knew better than to escape from fate. He knew that no matter where he turned, Bobcat and Kaylee and the Tribal Council would hunt him down and bring the charges against him to frutation.

Kaylee went upstairs to remove the robes of her week long ritual. The smell of firewood and sage stunk strongly from the leather. She wrapped a long, cotton towel around her body and made her way into the bathroom. She stared into the mirror and saw a thin, gaunt face staring back at her. It was almost foreign and unfamiliar to her. The streaks of red paint that marked her passage from this world into Vellum Hollow seemed faded and far removed from the tears she shed over the past few days.

Kaylee slowly and deliberately washed the paint off her face. Thoughts of her youth flooded into her head as she spent at least a half hour cleansing herself and getting herself cleaned. She took a long and hot shower, cleaning her hair thoroughly. She brushed all the knots out of her long, black hair and did not wince at the pain of it all. She thought of all the good times that she had with her gran. The times spent preparing maize for a ritual food, helping play midwife to the tribal livestock and the long walks spent in the woods as her gran pointed out all the edible items and medicinal herbs used to help cure and heal various sicknesses.

When she was done, she dressed herself in a button down black shirt and slipped on her blue jeans. She noticed that they were a bit looser than she remembered they were and thought about how much weight she may have lost during the time spent in Vellum Hollow.

Daniel helped Kaylee prepare the old woman's body for her final burial rites. Together they cleansed the body, stripping it of any dirt or impurities, with a gentle handwoven linen cloth. They used a mixture of lavender, silver sage and lemongrass. The scent rose high into the air and Kaylee reprised her song of the lullabye from the night before.

When they finished, they dressed the old shaman in what Daniel said was her finest ritual robes. The soft deerskin robes were white and carried many handdrawn tribal symbols. There was a symbol for the labyrinth which helped focus meditation and carried knowledge from the spirit lands into this working reality. Kaylee also recognized the small symbols of the howling wolf and the stars. Her Gran was always fascinated with the stars and loved to incorporate the old stories about how they got there in with the seasonal rites that she did for all the tribe.

Kaylee fingered the beads that were woven into the symbols and patterns. She remembered how her Gran always loved the bright colors of the reds and blues and the green beeds. They represented the energies of passion, emotional balance and growth and life. Daniel left Kaylee alone with her gran after they got her dressed. Kaylee spoke to the still body of her gran about her time in Port Riverbend and all that she learned while being outside of the tribal lands. She braided her gran's long white hair into two perfect indian pleats. Finally, she removed her gran's medicine bundle off the chest and placed it around her Gran's neck. The bundle felt just as cold and lifeless as her Gran did.

She pulled the curtain closed once more and mentally locked it from all harm. Daniel sat on the lower steps of the stair case and looked at her. His pipe hung from the lower lip of his mouth and he looked sullen.

Kaylee paused by him as she made her way towards the front door, "I need to go out to the town to tell the Tribal Council about her passing. They have a right to know. I will also be telling them about your tretchery. I know all about your plans on turning our homelands into a new age touristy camp. I do not agree with what you were plotting and I know the Tribal elders will not be pleased to hear this. However, I will let you have your time with your miaosa while I am gone. I do not anticipate being gone for more than twenty minutes to a half hour. I want you packed and gone after that. I am sure you have friends or somewhere else to stay. This house is now mine."

Daniel nodded, his shoulders slumped in response to all she said, "Kaylee," he began, "I am sorry. I was only doing what I thought best for the Ser'lapham. Please, I beg you not to do this."

Kaylee walked off and said rather coldly, "This is the right thing to do. I would be no better than you if I did not turn you in. I am sorry but we all must choose our own paths. I once thought mine laid elsewhere, outside of these lands but I was wrong. This is home and this is the new path I have chosen to do. And you picked yours, you must now face those concequences."

Kaylee spent the next hour or two in deliberations with the Tribal Council. She told them of the sad news about her Gran's passing but also related the good news that she would take over for the older shaman. This caused a bit of a stir amongst many council members but she assured them that she was a much more better choice and fit to carry out the spiritual duties of the tribe than Daniel Bitterwood. She also spoke to the council of the deception that Daniel had plotted to do against the tribe after her Gran passed. She told them that he had planned to turn their safely guarded spiritual beliefs into a tourist attraction to bring money into the tribal lands. She told them that while his ideas had some merit and focus regarding securing the health of the tribe, they were misguided and misplaced and were just as bad for the health of the Ser'lapham people as if they were to bring in a casino.

She left them in deliberations as to what to do with Daniel just as she promised her gran. She told them that her first rite of acting shaman would be to honor and burn the body of her gran in accordance ot the tribal shaman code. She wanted to make the ritual public and invited everyone who had ever been touched by her Gran's help or generousity to attend the ritual that she was going to hold that evening.

Word spread like wildfire and by sundown that evening the entire tribe had arrived to witness and attend the first rite of their new spritual leader. Many dressed in their pow wow costumes, with their antique leatherskin jerkin and pants and fine headdresses made of feathers and leather. The tribal council wore the tall headdresses of each clan as well as the fine and traditional turquoise jewelry that their tribe had been famous for designing. Kaylee herself was dressed in borrowed and hand me down robes of her Gran. She wore a dark leather dress and draped a pelt made of wolfskin and rabit over the plain robe. She wore her gran's mask made from the bones of a wolf and dangled bells and feathers from a belt she wore to chase off the evil spirits desiring to steal the remains of her Gran's spirit. Everyone who entered the clearing set up for the burn passed through two large fires filled with sweet sage grass. The smoke was set up to cleanse them and remove any impurities they brought to the ritual.

She stood next to a large wooden pyre that David, Daniel and many of the townspeople had errected hours before. The body of her gran, now wrapped in white linens sat on top, peaceful and restful. Kaylee smiled sadly as she looked up at the still form of her Gran. She was also proud that so many people were here, paying their respects to her gran.

Finally as the last remaining people trickled into the clearing, Kaylee moved from the fire pyre and stood in front of her people. She looked saddened by the loss but also confident that she could successfully send her Gran's body off into the next world. Kaylee held up a talking stick high into the air and called for everyone's attention as the ritual was going to start.

She called out to the attendees, as she made her voce boom loud so that everyone could hear, "Ya eet eeh. Thank you all for coming. I know that you all may know me and I know that I might not remember you all but I am here to stay and I hope that we can get to work together again.

We are here today to pay respects and to send forth Serena Riverwalker, my gran and the tribal shaman. She was a bright and observant woman who always gave herself over to help anyone in need. She lived for her people and fought hard to keep the ways of the old in sync with the ways of the new. She was a wonderful shaman and will be well missed."

She then passed the antique talking stick to Jose, the eldest of the Tribal Council. It was his turn to speak. He spoke slowly and deliberately, speaking of his memories of Serena and calling forth his guardians in helping her reach her final destination in the lands of Vellum Hollow. He then turned to the next elder on his right and passed the stick to her. This continued for about fifteen minutes and then, finally the stick was passed back to Kaylee.

She nodded solomnly to Jose and raised her arms to the sky. She then called forth all the elements and the spirit guardians to bear witness to the passing of Serena Riverwalker and that they would carry her body to the next world where she would find peace and rest. Daniel stepped out from her left side holding a torch. He passed it to Kaylee who then said a few words in their ancient tongue.

"Today, we bury the last remaining shaman elder. As this chapter closes a new one opens. We give thanks to the years of service Serena Riverwalker gave to the consolidated tribes of Ser'lapham and wish her a safe and speady journey into the lands of Vellum Hollow where her body and mind will rest in peace. We ask that her ashes spread far and wide into the corners of this world so that they may help heal. "

She then raised the torch and lit the funeral pyre that had been errected hours earlier. She and the tribal elders stood back adn watched the wood catch fire. The still body of Serena Riverwalker sat high atop the pyre and was wrapped in bright white linen cloth.

Kaylee started singing a old and sad song as the fire burned higher and higher until it caught the fabrics wrapping her Gran aflame. Her voice wavered out and towards her peoples, "The dawn is here, spirits calling you. The dawn is here, say farewell to you. May your journey keep you well, where your spirit freely roams. May your journey keep you warm. The dawn is here, spirits calling you."

Kaylee repeated her song as people from the tribe walked forward and dropped papers with small prayers and wishes into the ash, hoping their words would help carry the old shaman into the next world with good intentions. The fire burned brightly and lasted all night long. By morning all that remained were the ashes of Serena Riverwalker mixed in with the dead wood and earth.

****************

It took Kaylee a week to get things settled into her new home. She had to go back to Port Riverbend and deal with her old job and apartment. She had to break contract with her lease and pay them one hundred dollars to leave. Then she had to give her immediate resignation to her boss Mark. She felt really bad for doing so but knew that her role at the company would be filled with no problems. She promised to keep in touch with both Mark and Michael and did not really tell them anything about what she was going to do with her new life at the reservation. They did mention that she looked more confident than ever before and looked wiser beyond her years.

David helped carry a box of her possessions into the house. He smirked at how heavy the meager box of possessions was. She smiled as she looked out at the crisp wintery afternoon. Snow had dusted the mountainside and she inhaled deeply and wrapped her deerskin coat tightly around herself.

"Ya eet eeh," she said looking down at the small form sitting on the handrail of the porch steps. Mouse twitched hir nose and nodded. Everything was good and Kaylee was ready for whatever the spirit world threw at her.

The End