Old Man Turquoise- draft

That Old Man Turquoise tell me about him

Who do you mean?


That one old man we passed on the way to the trading post, over by
Natani's place, down by the wash, just over that way. Eshkee motioned
with his lips to the Northwest.


Eshkee's father, who everyone called "the Old Man", looked up and
could see the low mountain rising to the West, from here at Two Gray
Hills it went up hill to the trading post nestled in the foothills of
Toadlena. He remembered the day not so long ago, when they had stepped
aside to let Old Man Turquoise walk by them.


"Well, I said I would tell you about him", the Old Man said. He sat
back from the small table where they were standing, just inside the
Chao-summer shade arbor where he was working on something. His eyes
were old, sort of brown, wrinkled around the edges and his eyes looked
as if they could see something a long ways off. Old Man said let's go
for a walk. They walked outside and to the South where the rocks rose
to a ridge like a dinosaurs back running north to south, they climbed
to a high point stepping through the sage brush.


It was after the First Frost, the time for Yei-Be-Ches, stories of
coyotes and legends. The Summer Sings were over, Squaw Dances some
called them, where the Blessing Way was done to restore the spirit,
the body and to brings things back to harmony. As they made their way
through the sage, they slowly climbed the red sand stone rocks to a
place they knew very well, from this spot they had many talks, it
overlooked the whole valley running from Toadlena to Two Gray Hills.
The twin rocks were to the East nestled against the mountain, the road
ran like a ribbon and the small houses and hogans dotted the valley
below. It was from here they sat and looked over the valley. Though it
was Fall, the day was warm one of the last few where it felt like
summer.


Old Man sat down and Eshkee sat nearby, as the Old Man pointed to the
wash that ran along the road connecting the mountain community of
Toadlena to Two Gray Hills, running against the two mesas to the east,
it ran all the way to the highway some sixteen miles to the East.


Do you see those mesas, the one to the North. Yes, Eshkee said, it was
red, pink almost in the afternoon sun.


There is a place on the mesa, where some gather at night, when it is
dark sometimes when there is no moon.


Where is it at?


You can't see it right now but it is there, sometimes at night, late
at night some say there is a fire that comes from a place there where
the witches gather, the ones who follow the Dark side.


Have you been there before?


No, when I was younger I looked for it, but never did find it.


Who goes there?


It is the place where the Skinwalkers gather, where they meet and
carry on with the sacrifices they make. They look like regular people,
but they trade lives with each other, to belong to them you have to
sacrifice someone to be with them. They are quiet about it, they don't
tell anyone who they are. In our way there is a balance, between the
Beautyway and the Evilway, these people have chosen to follow the dark
side. They can take your spirit, cause sickness, misfortune and witch
those don't know it. They are like bad luck that follows you around.


Eshkee looked at the mesa, seeing every part of it, from it's flat
top, to the large rocks that were cracked on everyside, there were
many places one could hide on that mesa. He thought about where this
place they gathered could be.


Old Man said, A long time ago maybe it was before World War II, one
dark night, when I was young, we had a gathering down by the Bain
bridge place. There was Mrs. Watchman, the cook at the boarding
school, Mrs. Belone, Kee Mike, Wareen Natani and myself, those women
weren't married then, they were single. We were all young. We had gone
down to eat, and to sing with the people gathered there.


You remember the Bainbridge place, it is small, with an open area, but
that night the whole place around there was filled with wagons, and
horses, people were camped there, some had come from Teec Nos Pos,
some from Tohatchi, and some from off the Flat-Halgai it is called.
Anyway there was food, bonfires and dancing. In those days there not
much liquour like there is now, it was very traditional. People had
respect for the Navajo Way. We went down there and spent the evening,
visiting with some of the old folks, the Benallys, Tellers, Deals, and
some of the old folks who aren't here any more. It was late when we
left, when the stars were straight up, the Small Ring the comes up,
when everyone takes a break. We decided to go home then. In those days
we didn't have cars to we walked everywhere. People told us to be
careful, since Skinwalkers were running around during that time of
night. We laughed and headed out for home.


It was really dark, there was not moon at that time, we could not see
very well. We knew the area so we knew where to walk through the sage,
we had not kerosene lamp so we walked slowly and talked about who we
saw that evening. It was just over there, he pointed to where the
Bainbridges lived and motioned to the wash nearby. They had gone into
the wash to go home since it ran back up the mountain to Toadlena. The
sand was soft and easy to walk on. They headed back, the five of them.
It was the middle of the night and there was no light.
rustywire