by D. J. Holmes
* * *
Blue Cloud’s tribal brothers have helped him build a scaffold out of large branches. The tribal mothers have cleaned and dressed Snow Flower, Running Deer and Gray Wolf. A mother with one son on each side, are placed on top of the scaffold.
Blue Cloud stands with a lighted torch in his right hand.
“My beautiful wife, your sons are next to you. Gray Wolf and Running Deer, mind your mother. Always do what she asks you to do, because she is a good mother, the best mother that you could ever have. May the smoke of this fire carry you all to a better life; my love goes with each one of you.” Bending down Blue Cloud lights the scaffolding. With his tribal family he watches the bodies as they burn and the smoke as it rises to the sky.
“I have nothing left. My sons and wife are gone. I can no longer sleep in our family tipi.” Returning to his tipi, he takes out his knife and rips his home to shreds.
Chief Joseph and Mother Willow try to comfort their son. “Blue Cloud, why did you rip your tipi to shreds?”
“Mother, Father, I couldn’t stand to see our family tipi still standing waiting to greet our family.”
Walking to his horse he adds, “With my family gone, I can’t stay here any longer. The memories are too painful.”
As Blue Cloud gets on his horse, Chief Joseph sadly says, “Come back to us when you are ready my Son.”
Still grief stricken, Blue Cloud, nods to his father and mother, and reaches for their hands. “Thank you for everything, my Mother and Father.”
He looks at Black Bear…puts his right hand in a fist over his heart as a sign of eternal friendship.
The tribe has gathered by this time. They sadly wave good-by as they watch him slowly ride away.
Blue Cloud rides to the mesa, gets off of his horse, and begins to climb the stair case that he and Black Bear had found as children.
“Great Spirit, I will climb to the top of this mesa so that I can be closer to my family. I want to be with them. Please, bring them to me.”
As he reaches the top, there is nothing! He waits for a long time, with the sun beating down on his head, and the wind blowing in his face, watching for any sign of his family. But, there is still nothing. Out of frustration and grief, he begins to dance and chant, moving back and forth all over the mesa, his chants become louder and louder, until exhausted, he falls to the ground.