Chapter 29
The eclipse began. A shadow was moving across the moon. Just about everyone on the star base were sitting each in their own pods. Each person had on the sacred ceremony dress. Their hair in braids. Some had tears dropping from their eyes. In the Reservatory the singers were at the sacred drum with their families, singing many crossing over songs. Everyone was prepared for the death and the renewal.
Stone sat in his pod with his beautiful beaded leggings his Mother gave him a long time ago. He felt proud to be who he was and to make the choice he did. He sat cross legged on the floor and had with him Shell’s diary. Sweet grass was burning in a abalone shell to one of side of him. Clutched in one of his hands was the Eagle claw he wore as necklace. Hanging from one of his two braids was the Eagle feather. Even though the drums and the singing could be heard throughout all the Solar Star Base, in Stone’s ears was the flute song that haunted both him and Shell when this journey began.
The Captain, Malcolm, was sitting in his pod. He was dressed in full ceremonial clothing and looked stoic. He had tracks of tears staining his cheeks, but there were not tears of sorrow, but of joy. Even though he had sweet grass burning near him, all he could smell was lilacs.
Instead of remaining in his own pod, Keo was sitting and waiting in the sanctuary. He too was dressed in his leather leggings and wearing his roach upon his head with elegant eagle feathers on top. Across his bare chest he wore he bone breast plate. Keo had his face painted so the ancestors and Wakan Tanka, would know him when he crossed. His voice moved along with the singers and the drum.
The Solar Star Base rockets propelled them from the shadow of the moon and quickly come upon the enemy. Before the enemy could even react the Solar Star Base collided. The deep dark space was lit up by the explosion of the two ships. The fire hung for a bit then showers of light fell. Some of the light appeared to fall to Mother Earth. The outer space world that once existed with human life was now no more.
After hearing Shell’s scream, Keith looked up at the moon again and saw the great fire ball and the shower of light. For a moment he was frozen in his steps and could not moved. He watched the beads of light fall to the Earth and swore it was near by. He snapped he thoughts back to Shell and looked into the darkness to see what he could.
After Shell gave her last painful push, the baby came forth. With tears in her eyes she held the baby against her chest for a brief moment. Then quickly she cleaned the nose passages and heard the baby suck in it’s first breath. Looking up to the sky to give thanks, Shell saw the light shower. She knew that Creator, the Great Mystery was pleased.
Gently she laid the baby on the hide and begin to cut the umbilical cord. Pushing one more time, Shell pushed out the afterbirth. Cutting off a small piece of leather from the hide, she wrapped up the afterbirth for a later ceremony. Next, she wrapped up the babe and took them both to the river to clean up.
The baby cried with every few breaths and this brought Keith back to reality. He now knew all was right and a big smile came to his face. In the shadow he saw Shell move to the river and he knew soon he would meet his first child. Looking down again at the crocus, he thought this time how beautiful life was.
Shell brought the baby to Keith all fresh and snuggled in the hide bundle. “Keith, I would like you to meet your daughter!” Joyful tears were still streaming down Shell’s face. Keith lightly kissed her on her wet cheeks and then took the bundle into his arms. After a moment he lifted the bundle to the sky and cried out, “Whopila! Whopila! Whopila! Whopila, Wakan Tunkasila! Thank you Sacred Grandfather, Creator! Whoplia!”
The eclipse had passed and the moon shone bright upon the new Mother and Father. Keith took his eyes off the baby girl and looked at Shell. “I think for know, the Creator wants us to call her Snow Flower.”
“That is beautiful.” Shell whispered.
“Come my love, you need rest.” They turned to walked back to the lodge and fire when the wolf began to bark and howl. “Look,” Keith remarked, “even the wolf is happy.”
Shell smiled, but cocked her head at the wolf, “No Keith it is something else. She is trying to tell us something else.”
About that time, shadows appeared in the woods. Keith placed his arm around Shell and the baby for protection as they stood still. Soon the shadows came into the moon light and were recognized as friends and family from the Solar Star Base.
Keith and Shell could not believe their eyes. The wolf stood between the people and Keith and Shell. “Wolf!”, Shell shouted, “these are our relatives!”
The wolf sniffed the air, then began to wag her tail. Hearing howling in the far distance the wolf turned and trotted into the woods to rejoin her family pack.
The rest of the night the People shared with Keith and Shell all the stories of their experiences and preparations for their journey. They spoke of how some made choices to join their relatives in the next world and how some chose to ride the stars and join up with Keith and Shell here on Mother Earth, and to begin again the sweet world.
Chapter 30
MANY, MANY YEARS LATER ON MOTHER EARTH…….
The fire snapped and crackled as the children sat quietly listening to the story the old man was telling. “So you see, my children, this is how we came to be here. Not only are we from the Black Hills of this land, but we are also from the stars. Many of us floated down to Mother Earth on the tails of stars.”
As the story teller paused, a child asked, “But what happened to Keo, the Captain and the guy named Stone?”
The eyes of the story teller clouded for just a brief moment, then sparkled again as he began his answer, “Well you see, Keo, the Captain and Stone, they choose the next world. Keo, he lived such a very long time and wanted to be with his old family again. And the Captain longed to be by his wife side. As for Stone, well he missed his Father and Mother too much. But knowing that, Keith and Shell understood their choices and knew in their heart that one day they too, will move to the next world and will meet them again at that time.”
“Okay children”, interrupted the Grandmother, “it is time we let Grandfather rest. I know his stories are wonderful, but it is time for rest.” The children, one by one rose and walked over to the storyteller, their Grandfather and gave him a hug as they each departed. Once the children were gone, the Grandfather looked over to the Grandmother and said, “You know, my sweet, those children all are beautiful, just like our now grown daughter, Snow Flower.”
The Grandfather looked into the fire and tossed in some cedar and looked up to the sky and spoke, “Mitakuye Oyasin”.
THE END
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