Moon Water

by Pam Webber

  “And tell him what? That you tried to make another pass at me?”

  “Good point.”

  “I appreciate the offer, but Andy and I are the ones who need to talk.”

  Back at the beach, Anne stood on her blanket, arms crossed, staring at Nettie.

  Nettie’s eyes narrowed, anger building. “I’m sick and tired of this.”

  Win grabbed her arm. “What are you going to do?”

  “Stay here.” Nettie marched across the sand.

  Anne turned back and forth to keep from being face-to-face with her, but it didn’t work. “Will you stop? People are staring.”

  “What do you care? You’re the one that turned this day into a three-ring-circus.”

  “What do you want?”

  “I want to know why you are so blasted hateful.” Anne pushed past her. “Get real.”

  Nettie caught her arm. “Either tell me or I’m coming to your house and asking again, in front of your parents. I’ll bet they’d be surprised to learn how their precious little girl behaves when they’re not looking.”

  “You wouldn’t dare.”

  “Watch me.”

  “You’re a fool, Nettie.”

  “You and I both know Andy’s only part of the reason you’re so hateful to me.”

  Anne hissed through gritted teeth, “It is Andy. You don’t want him, but you won’t get out of the way so someone else has a chance.”

  “I’m not standing in his way. I couldn’t if I wanted to. If you really knew Andy, you’d know that.”

  “You are standing in his way—you just don’t know it.”

  “Walking away from you was his call, not mine.”

  “That’s a lie.” Anne’s voice lowered to a whisper, as if she didn’t believe her own words.

  “It’s not a lie. Straighten your halo, Anne. Maybe then you’ll be able to recognize the truth when you hear it.”

  “You are so hateful.”

  “Me?”

  “Yes, you. You always have been. Ever since we were kids, you’ve been just as hateful to me as you could be.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “It is.”

  “Look, I know we’ve never gotten along, but—”

  “Never gotten along? Are you kidding?” For an instant, Anne’s eyes looked more sad than angry. “You never gave us a chance to be friends. Not once. Even when we were little. You laughed at everything about me, just because I didn’t dress and act like a tomboy. On top of that, you get the one guy I want and dangle him on an invisible leash just so I can’t have him. If anyone needs to straighten their halo, it’s you.” Anne stormed off toward the parking lot.

  Nettie wobbled as Win hurried up. “Are you all right? What was that about?”

  Nettie didn’t answer, her thoughts reeling. Had she really been the spark that had ignited all that hate?

  Win took Nettie’s elbow, guiding her toward the path circling the lake. Ethan tugged Cal back to the blanket. “Give them a few minutes.”

  Away from the crowd, Win pressed. “What in the world did she say to you?”

  Nettie shivered, despite the late-day heat, as she relayed the conversation.

  “Don’t do this,” Win warned. “You are not responsible for that girl’s meanness.”

  “I know, but she’s right about one thing: I don’t think I ever gave her a chance.”

  “Did she ever give you one?”

  “I don’t remember ever wanting her to.”

  Nettie and Win held tight to their pouches of arrowheads as they jumped from the caboose. Scurrying along the shaded river walk toward Oak’s Landing, they stopped by Huffman’s to get a Coke before heading to Nibi’s to finish their dreamcatchers. Hearing lively bluegrass music coming from the park, they joined the crowd gathered on blankets, benches, and lawn chairs in front of the gazebo. The mayor sat on the steps, puffing into a jug, keeping time with his foot, while Dexter Carter plucked a banjo, Alma Carter strummed a guitar, and Sheriff Tanner played a red-tinged fiddle tucked under his chin. Behind all of them stood Mr. Huffman, plucking an upright bass.

  Mr. Meeks stood guard over the red punch bowl, while at the next table Mrs. Loving advertised chocolate fudge, lemon drops, and an assortment of taffy.

  A familiar bicycle stood propped against one of the old oaks. Wade and Skip sat on a low branch, hidden partially by leaves. Seeing Nettie, Wade did a backward flip off the limb, sticking the landing for a split second before falling on his butt. He jumped up and hurried over, not bothering to brush himself off. “Hi, Nettie. I didn’t hear the Weak and Weary’s extra whistle. Must have been the music.”

  Nettie smiled at his assumption that she had expected him to meet her.

  “Did you come for the concert?”

  “No. Did you hurt yourself getting out of that tree?”

  Wade blushed. “Uh-uh. Are you going to Miz Nibi’s?”

  “In a few minutes. Just thought we’d enjoy some music before we head up.”

  “Is it okay if I walk up with you?”

  Before Nettie could say no, Wade’s father called to him and Skip. “Hamburgers are done. Time to eat.”

  “Figures.” Wade looked disappointed. “Maybe I’ll see you on the way back?”

  “Maybe.”

  Win grinned at Nettie as the boys ran to join their parents. “I must say, he’s persistent. Are you sure you don’t like younger guys?” she teased.

  “Good grief.”

  Pushing uphill past brush, trees, and boulders, Nettie and Win came to an abrupt stop at the bottom of Nibi’s clearing. The running cedar had become so thick, they had to take big hopscotch steps to avoid trampling it.

  “Isn’t this stuff off the endangered-plant list yet?”

  “Not that I know of.”

  Clanging and banging echoed from the back of the house as their knocks on the screen door went unanswered. When they entered, the doors to the kitchen cabinets were wide open and the counters covered with clutter. Nibi’s head and shoulders were buried in the bottom of her Hoosier cabinet.

  Win knocked on the wall. “Hi, Nibi. Isn’t it a little late for spring cleaning?”

  “Hey, girls.” Nibi inched out of the cabinet. “Found it.” She sat on her heels, holding a carved wooden pipe, the bowl black and worn. “It was my father’s.” Nibi climbed to her feet, using the chair for support. “You girls have your arrowheads?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Thanks to Chief Brannon.”

  “He’s a good man. I want to give him this pipe as a gift for helping you.”

  “Want us to take it to him?”

  “Thanks, but no. I’ll see him soon. Get those two balls of sinew and the scissors off the table and come with me.”

  Nibi had hung the dreamcatchers on the same low limb as the buck. “Both of you cut thirteen pieces of string. The longest should be about eighteen inches; the next two should be sixteen inches, the next two fourteen inches, and so on. Keep going until you have two six-inch ones. Tie the longest string at the very bottom of the ring, then come out two inches on either side and tie the next longest strings. Keep going until the six-inch strings are on the ends. Tie them with bow knots—they don’t let go.”

  While Nettie and Win tapered the strings, Nibi laid their eagle feathers out in rows by size. “When you’re finished, tie the biggest feather in the middle of the longest string and work your way out, adding the next two biggest feathers to the next two longest strings. Save the extras.”

  Next, Nibi organized the arrowheads into two rows. Pulling the solid white one out of the bag, she studied it from both sides. “Nettie, did you find this one?”

  “Yes, ma’am. I found it near the Indian brave’s skull.”

  “Near what?”

  Nettie and Win explained what had happened on Bear Mountain.

  “Should I not use it?” Nettie asked. “Should I take it back?”

  Nibi shook her head. “White arrowheads, quartz ones in particular, are symbols of great stre
ngth. But what’s most important is that it was delivered to you.”

  “Pardon?”

  “You heard me.”

  “You think this arrowhead was meant for me? That I was supposed to find it?”

  “Not only was it meant for you, I think you met the brave who made it and delivered it.”

  “But why me?”

  “We don’t always know why things happen, good or bad. But for this to come to you at this moment in time is no accident.”

  Nettie fingered the arrowhead as Nibi moved on, demonstrating how to use bow knots to tie the arrowheads onto the ends of the sinew. When they were finished, she examined each stone to make sure the fibers rested in the smooth curve at the base and that each knot was tight, especially the white quartz.

  When she had examined and approved the last details of the dreamcatchers, Nibi touched both spider mothers, closed her eyes, and chanted a beautiful melody using words Nettie didn’t understand. Then she stepped back. “Well done, girls.”

  Win took Nettie’s hand. “I can’t believe we’re actually finished. Thank you, Nibi.”

  “It is I who should thank the both of you. The journey to complete these was difficult and dangerous, with much to learn along the way. You did it, and you did it well. For that I am grateful.”

  “Is that what the chant was about?” Nettie asked.

  “It was a prayer for continued wisdom and strength for both of you.”

  A rustling in the barn caught their attention.

  “Is the white owl still here?” Win asked.

  “No. We must have another visitor.” Moving quietly to the barn door, Nibi led the way inside.

  Nettie blinked as she waited for her vision to sharpen. “There.” She pointed to the top of the ladder.

  A black owl with piercing yellow eyes sat on the top rung. His jet-black feathers were tipped in white.

  An ominous feeling wrapped Nettie like a blanket. “Nibi, I know you said Nature doesn’t play either-or, but since the white owl has come and gone and the black one is here now, could that mean . . .”

  “Don’t say it,” Win whispered.

  Nibi stared at the black owl, then left the barn. Her hands were shaking when Nettie and Win caught up with her.

  “You two go sit down. I’ll be back in a minute.”

  Nettie grabbed Win’s arm as Nibi disappeared inside. “Does this mean what I think it means?”

  “Is it a bad omen? Yes.”

  “What kind of bad omen?”

  “I have no idea.”

  Nibi returned shortly with three cups of blackberry tea. Composed, her hands steady, she settled into a chair, looking resolute. “The black owl warns that the darkness is approaching. Yet it remains veiled. For months, the mountains and wildlife have hinted that it bodes from Nature, but the exact form remains distorted, confusing. What I can see clearly is that it has an emerald aura, which makes no sense.” Nibi leaned forward, cradling her cup. “In the spring, when the darkness first appeared, there was a spiderweb in front of it. The web was ringed with red willow and wrapped in grapevine. A real spider sat near the portal as a white owl and golden eagle came forward, offering gifts of their feathers. As they disappeared, the spirit of an Indian brave appeared and laid thirteen arrowheads at the foot of the web. The largest one was solid white.”

  Nettie shivered as she tried to process the connections. “The spider was building a dreamcatcher?”

  Nibi took a deep breath. “No. You and Win were.”

  It took a moment for Nibi’s words to sink in.

  “In the vision, we were building it?” Win repeated.

  “Yes. Piece by piece, the two of you put together the symbols of faith, wisdom, courage, hope, strength, and commitment and placed them in front of the coming darkness.”

  “But it had a white arrowhead. Does that mean my dreamcatcher is supposed to stop it?” Nettie asked.

  Nibi shook her head. “The only thing I know for sure is that the two of you have important roles to play.”

  The breeze flowing from the peaks made the suspended dreamcatchers dance, the spider mothers sparkling as they spun. Nibi watched them, deep in thought.

  Win moved to sit at her feet. “You’re afraid we may not have done enough, aren’t you?”

  “This darkness is deceptive. There is much I do not know.”

  “Is that why you had us make a second dreamcatcher?”

  Nibi stroked Win’s hair. “The time is coming when you will take my place among our people. Your dreamcatcher will serve you, as mine has served me. As for the darkness, we must continue to prepare as best we can and continue to remember the lessons we’ve learned. Hopefully, the darkness will reveal itself before the blood moon rises.”

  “Why before then?” Nettie asked.

  “Because that’s when Nature’s energies are most out of balance and destructive. The full moon peaks midweek; the blood moon will follow.”

  “What do we do until then?” Win asked.

  “Live your life. And do it unafraid. We will deal with what comes as it comes.”

  “When do you want us to come back?”

  “When the darkness appears. You’ll know.”

  Nettie and Win moved their dreamcatchers to the front porch and hung them next to Nibi’s. With rings two feet wide, intricate webs, and shining spider mothers, they made an impressive combination.

  “Would you like us to help you put the kitchen things away before we head home?” Win asked.

  “Thanks, but I’m still going through them.”

  Nibi gave both of them a long hug.

  “Nettie.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Are you finished with your Wednesday-night study sessions?”

  “Almost. One more, I think.”

  “You have good instincts. Trust them.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Nibi turned and went inside.

  When they reached the bottom of the hill, Nettie stopped. “I didn’t realize Nibi knew about the sessions with Mr. Danes. Did you tell her?”

  “Not that I remember, but who knows? It’s been a long summer.”

  Chapter 15

  Nettie and Win dried the last of the plates and stacked the clean trays on the counter, completing their turn at church supper cleanup duty on the last possible day. Wednesday-night suppers were to be suspended until after school started.

  Nettie peeked under the sink at Pic. “Were you able to fix the leak?”

  “For a little while. Pipes are shot. Leak won’t stop for good until they’re replaced.” Pic climbed out and wiped his hand on his pants. “Church’s building committee moves slower than I do. I’ll leave the bucket here, just in case. You two headed home?”

  “Not yet. I have my session with Mr. Danes. How about you?”

  “In a bit. I’ll wait and walk you home. Exercise will do me good.”

  “That’s nice of you, Pic. Ethan and Cal should be here in a few minutes. As soon as I’m done, the four of us are going out.”

  “Double date, huh? I remember those days. My brother and I used to double date.”

  Nettie baited him. “Anybody we know?”

  Pic shook his head. “Too long ago.”

  Win nudged her. “You’re going to be late for your session.”

  “Right. Gotta go. See you later, Pic.” Gliding among the almost empty tables and chairs, she and Win stopped long enough to thank Mrs. Mac for sponsoring the GA class again. She’d been teaching it for as long as Nettie could remember.

  “You are most welcome. It’s been a pleasure. See you again in mid-September.” Before Nettie could turn away, Mrs. Mac touched her hand. “How’s the baptism prep going?”

  “Okay, I guess. It’s almost over.”

  “Good. Don’t second-guess yourself or your faith. Sometimes adults just get it wrong.”

  “I don’t think Pastor Williams feels that way.”

  Mrs. Mac winked. “He’s coming around, slowly but surel
y.”

  Nettie hugged her teacher’s thin shoulders. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, dear. See you Sunday.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Once they were in the hall, Nettie turned to Win. “I bet she’s the reason Pastor Williams is ready to let me finish. I wonder if he’s already talked with Mr. Danes. With luck, this really could be my last session.”

  “Let’s hope. I’ll wait for you on the front steps. Ethan and Cal are picking us up there. I think we’re going to the Tastee Freez.”

  “Good. Maybe we’ll have something to celebrate.”

  Nettie knocked on the partially open door and peeked in. “Mr. Danes?”

  He wasn’t at his desk. The air conditioner hummed at full blast in the window while the back door leading to the staff parking lot stood wide open. Stepping outside, Nettie started to sweat; the rising heat and humidity had become so oppressive that the swallows were flying low and the insects had disappeared. In the waning light, Mr. Danes fiddled with something under the hood of his car. Pulling the office door closed, she crossed the almost empty parking lot.

  “Engine trouble?”

  “It’s been misfiring for a couple of days. I just changed the spark plugs. Let’s see if that fixes it. Get in.”

  “What about our study session?”

  “I’ll drive, you talk. We’ll kill two birds with one stone.” Something strange flickered in his eyes, before he looked away.

  Nettie didn’t like the analogy. “I don’t mind waiting until you get back.”

  “No need. Let’s go.” Mr. Danes slammed the hood and opened the door for her. A suitcase and other odds and ends lay on the backseat.

  “I can come back tomorrow.”

  “Nope. This is it. Our last class.” He opened her door. “Hop in.”

  Last class? Relief told Nettie to get in the car, while fear told her not to. She hesitated, then stepped in. Mr. Danes slid behind the wheel and started the engine, gunning it twice. Pulling out of the parking lot, he headed away from town.

  “Engine sounds pretty good,” Nettie said. “No misses.”

  “So far.” Mr. Danes kept his attention on the narrow twists and turns in the country road. When they reached a straight stretch, he spoke. “So, this is it? You think you’re ready to be baptized?”