Secrets of the Anasazi

by Sky Whitehorse

  Chantal didn't answer; the steady rise and fall of her chest implied she had fallen asleep.

  For the first time since her arrival, Maya felt like she needed to talk to her dad. He always knew how to calm her after a bad dream.

  She headed down the empty hall to the front desk. She didn’t want to use the one in her room because it would disturb Chantal from her sleep, and she knew how her cousin valued her sleep. Maya dialed his cell number.

  "Hello?" her dad answered.

  "Dad…"

  "Maya? Why are you calling at this hour? Is something wrong?"

  "Sorry. I’ve been having bad dreams, and I miss you, both of you. I was wondering how Mom was doing."

  "She's... the same," he said, sounding as if there were more to it than that.

  "Really? Nothing's happened to her?"

  "Well, she fell out of bed when I was out, but she’s doing fine. The nurse comes to feed her while I’m gone to work."

  "Who was home when she fell out of bed?"

  "No one. I was at a poker game with the guys, but as soon as I got home I helped her back into bed."

  "You went to a poker game and left Mom alone? Dad! I can’t believe you.” Maya leaned over the desk, placing her hand over her forehead.

  “Maya, don’t try and give me a guilt trip. I’d do anything for your mother. Sometimes I just need a break.”

  Maya balled her fist.

  “That same night I came home the lightbulb in the hallway was burned out. I tripped in the dark and sprained my ankle.”

  “I’m sorry about your ankle, but still..."

  "She doesn't need constant supervision, Maya."

  She had no words for how angry she was. Then it occurred to her, the dream she’d had where she was alone back at home, she had turned on the light and it fizzled out, then her mother in the upstairs bedroom tangled in a mound of blankets… she had been there in a dream.

  "Maya, are you alright?"

  "My dream was real. I dreamed about her on the floor by her bed a few weeks ago." She felt the blood drain from her face.

  "Maya, not this again! It was a coincidence."

  She didn't reply. She couldn’t explain to him that she was a shaman.

  "Maya, are you ok?"

  "I… I'm fine," she replied, swallowing. "I'd better go. It's late, and–" Her throat began to tighten. She slammed down the receiver without uttering another word.

  She headed out the double doors of the hotel toward Ahote's.

  16 . Dream Catcher

  Maya found Ahote standing outside the door of his hut star gazing in the warm night air.

  She tried to catch her breath from running. "I had a bad dream."

  "Oh?" He arched an eyebrow. "Come. Sit and talk." He held the screen door for her then scanned the outdoors as if watching for someone before closing the door behind them. They sat down at the table. "Tell me about your dream," he said.

  "The first dream I had when I arrived, I was back at home, alone," Maya said. "Well, not really alone. My mom was hidden away in her room, but I'm forbidden to go in. I heard thumping upstairs, so I went to check it out. When I got there, I found the noise was coming from her room. Since then I’ve had other dreams, like my mother screaming while pulling her hair out, or she’s chasing me and her legs are long and bony."

  "Mm. Uh-huh." He had one arm across his chest and one finger on his chin. "Were you afraid?"

  She nodded. "I saw my mother's hand reaching from under the blankets on the floor. She inched closer to me with her foot from under the covers like she couldn't move normally." Maya felt a lump in her throat. "I called Dad tonight and he told me Mom had fallen out of bed recently while he was gone, just like in my dream."

  He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. "A wise woman once said, the universe is always speaking to us, sending us little messages... causing coincidences and serendipities, reminding us to stop, to look around, to believe in something else, something more.." Ahote said, putting his hand on Maya's shoulder and squeezing it.

  “There’s something unusual about her illness. Doctors have no name for her illness and no cure.” Maya squeezed the table so hard her knuckles turned white. She realized it and loosened her grip.

  "Calm yourself. We don’t control our destiny. White Buffalo Calf Woman once said, The power of the universe will come to your assistance if your heart and mind are in unity.” His tranquil voice was soothing.

  She knew he was trying to give her peace of mind, but she wondered with all the herbal remedies in his medicine cabinet if there could be something for her mother. Her eyes traveled to it. Ahote noticed but said nothing. Maybe if I confided in him he would let me have something. "I saw a bat fly into her hair the night before she became sick."

  A grave look washed over his face as the red hue drained from his copper-toned skin. "Bats are a bad omen. Trickster Kachinas use them for trouble, especially when the spiritual world has been knocked off balance." He got up and looked out the window. “Is there reason to believe she is responsible for something? Anything that may have happened before the bat?”

  She swallowed. "I did feel like something wasn’t right, but… my mom argued with me. She says the old ways are a silly superstition."

  He looked at her over his shoulder. "What do you think?"

  She considered after seeing the bat attack her mother, the painting with her Grandmother with her clairvoyance, and the black beads she had awoken to after her nightmare. She had to admit she did believe in a higher power, but to what extent? She didn’t know. "I’m not sure what to believe.”

  He looked away from her as if disappointed.

  “We had a beautiful oak tree in our backyard that was there before our neighborhood was built. Mom and Dad had it cut down to make room for a pool. The trunk was cut into pieces and thrown away. I’m not sure if that’s it, but I felt terrible about it.”

  He lifted his chin. “Shaman are sensitive to the spiritual world, but If you’re not sure, maybe you need to do more searching within yourself.”

  She slumped in her seat, feeling so far away from where she wanted their conversation to go. What he was suggesting would take too much time for her to figure out.

  “But if you want to know what I think…”

  She sat up. “Yes?”

  “You are exactly right. Not only was it disrespectful, it was wasteful. Before a sacrifice is made in our tribe we show respect by praying and asking for approval from the wind, mountains, and rivers. Afterwards every piece of the living thing is used. Our job as shaman is to keep the balance. Cutting the tree for the reason it was cut and disposing of it is irresponsible. In order to restore balance you will have to perform a ritual, otherwise there will be a ripple effect.”

  “Will the ritual break the curse on my mom?”

  He frowned. “No, but if you don’t perform it there may be a ripple effect.”

  Goosebumps prickled her skin. She rubbed her arms. “What do I need to do?”

  “You won’t be able to perform it until you get back home. For now don’t worry. I’ll teach you what you need to know in time.”

  She sighed. “Can my mom’s curse be broken?"

  He was silent for a long time, closing his eyes in meditation. He opened them, "Yes, but I don’t recommend it. Not only is it dangerous-"

  "I would do anything to help her, no matter how dangerous." She got out of her seat and stood beside him, ready to plead.

  Ahote sighed and lifted the dream catcher from the nail it hung on over the window. "No more talk about it tonight. Put this dream catcher in your window and do not take it down."

  Maya was touched by the gesture. She knew it was one of his few prized possessions, and he was entrusting it into her care. She touched the web within the dream catcher. It stuck to her finger. She pulled her finger free from the strands of silk. The web jiggled as it retracted. "This isn't like a dream catcher you can buy at a store."

  "It is not a toy. It's rare.” He spo
ke softly. “Spider Woman made it—a shield of protection from your night terrors."

  She threw her arms around him. “Thank you.”

  Just then, headlights speared down the dirt road and approached the stables. Maya saw an old, rust-covered pickup truck with three men inside.

  "Young one, go back to your room. Hurry!" A sense of urgency rang out in his voice.

  Maya ran out the door with the dream catcher in hand. She turned back to see Ahote had stayed inside. She couldn’t help but wonder why he wanted her to leave. She ran into the stables and hid, kneeling next to Fearless Legend.

  Three middle-aged men with copper skin and short black hair strode through the door to the hut. Each of them was shorter than Ahote but they had the same chiseled features. The first man had a leathery, wrinkled face. He looked like the oldest.

  "Have you done what we asked?" the man with the leathery face asked. His voice was deep and gruff.

  "I cannot do what you ask," Ahote replied.

  "If you can't do what we ask then how can we call you our brother?" the second man said.

  "Get us back what is ours," said the third.

  One of the men looked through the northern window where the dream catcher had once hung. Maya ducked from view, looking down at the dream catcher, and hid it behind her back, not knowing if it was what they were looking for.

  Maya heard Ahote's voice. "What you want, I cannot find."

  "You had better find it. It belongs to our tribe."

  Maya peeked around the stable. Ahote stood from the table and shouted in Hopi in short, rapid grunts.

  The three brothers shouted back in Hopi. One of them pounded his fist on the table. Then, one by one, the three hustled out and climbed into the pickup. The tires churned up gravel as they spun and pulled away.

  She wished she could go back and finish her conversation with Ahote, but then he would know she had eavesdropped. She headed back to room 111 and hung the dream catcher in the window, feeling weary after what felt like a long, sleepless night.

  ⭐⭐⭐

  Maya brushed Fearless in the stall. His white mane glistened in the sunlight that shone through the open window. He loved it when she brushed him. He would back into the bristles if she was brushing his rump or lean into it if she brushed his side. His eyes would close like he was going to fall asleep when she ran her fingers through his mane. When she finished he nudged her arm with his muzzle.

  Warren came up behind her and pressed his chest against her back, then began planting kisses up and down her neck. She melted into his arms.

  Wait... she was being pushed. She tried to say "go away" but the words didn't come out.

  "Maya, wake up," Chantal said.

  She rolled over in her bed to see Chantal and Paris dressed and ready to go to breakfast.

  "Do you want to come to breakfast with us?" Chantal asked.

  This was unusual, Chantal waking her up to ask if she wanted to go to breakfast. It was almost like she was beginning to enjoy her company. She turned to look at the clock. Seven in the morning. "Actually, I'm meeting Warren. Ugh, I need to get ready." She jumped out of bed.

  "Wow, that's a nice dream catcher," Paris said, walking over to the window and taking it off the nail. "I've never seen one like this. Where can I get one?"

  She acted genuinely nice. What was wrong with her?

  "It's one of a kind," Maya said.

  "I'll buy it from you.” She pulled money from her pocket. “How much do you want for it?"

  "No, it's not for sale," Maya said, taking it out of her hands and placing it back on the hook.

  Paris scowled at her. Now that’s the girl I know.

  "Paris, let's go," Chantal said, holding the door open for her.

  They left the room as Maya hurriedly got ready. She threw on some new clothes, brushed her hair and teeth, and opened the bedroom door. Warren stood outside with his hand poised as if he had just been about to knock. He wore Capri shorts with a blue tank top that accentuated his arms, shoulders, and chest, sunglasses on top of his head, and a satchel. He grinned and rubbed the back of his neck.

  Maya smiled back. "Sorry I'm late."

  "It was worth the wait," he said.

  They headed down the hall past Aunt Roslyn’s desk. She eyeballed them warily. Maya stayed a good distance away so she wouldn’t raise suspicion about their friendship. “Where are you two going?” Roslyn asked with a smile. Maya knew by now her smiles were all fraud, reserved for when she was prying into her life.

  Maya smiled back. “We’re just going on a walk.”

  “Stay close.” She craned her neck as she watched them leave.

  Maya nodded, then turned to the door, letting her smile fall. They headed outside. Finally, Warren had found a day they could spend the morning without Roy’s being nosy like when she brushed Fearless in the stables. Nobody had booked a climbing tour so he was free. The sun was rising and already the heat was picking up its momentum. They walked with their hands in their pockets, feeling the beads of sweat rolling down their backs.

  "There's something I want to show you up here, but it's a bit of a walk. Are you up for it?" Warren smiled.

  "Yeah. What is it?"

  "If I tell you, it'll spoil the surprise."

  "What if I guess it?"

  He shook his head and chuckled. "Ok, but if you don't guess by the time we get there, you owe me something."

  "What?"

  He shrugged. "Paint something for me?"

  "Deal. And if I do guess, you owe me another climbing lesson." Alone.

  "Agreed."

  "Is it a den of wild coyotes?"

  "No."

  Her eyes rolled around. "Is it a nest?"

  He chuckled. "No."

  "Gila monsters?"

  "No." He laughed.

  "It must be something to do with animals."

  He shook his head. "You're on the wrong track."

  She rubbed her hands over her face. They were walking past the stables and the fenced in area for the horses, through dried bushes toward a rocky plateau. "I thought I had you figured out... Ok, it must be some sort of location. A landmark on the property."

  His face twisted.

  "Awe, I'm on the right track. Maybe it's a rock formation?"

  "No."

  The guessing went on as they meandered down a well-traveled path. It was very thin and wasn’t noticeable from the hotel. It stretched on for about a mile.

  "Your feet are getting dirty. Why did you wear sandals?" Warren asked.

  She looked down at her rose-colored toenails that Chantal had painted for her the night before. They matched her T-shirt. "I always wear sandals in the summertime. Tennis shoes are too hot."