Chapter 18: Rough Landing
Shirley stared out of the small window to the earth below;, the rocket was now floating along in space. Eagle Flying Bye was busy in another part of the capsule. She did not disturb his thoughts for fear that she would disrupt whatever escape plan he was now involved in. It gave her pause to think back over everything that had happened.
Eagle Flying Bye, presented himself a few minutes later. He held in his hand a metal container. “This is the only thing I could find,” he stated. “It will have to do.”
Shirley looked into the container, but it was closed. “What’s in there?” Shirley asked quizzically.
The medicine man spoke softly. “Something I need so that I might create an archway or a bridge of mist … but we are still not close enough to the earth’s atmosphere, I’m afraid.”
Shirley looked at the earth; they were much closer now. She even managed to find out how to open the hatch. Cassini’s instrumentation consisted of: a radar mapper, a CCD imaging system, a visible/infrared mapping speedometer, a composite infrared spectrometer, a cosmic dust analyzer, a radio and plasma wave experiment, a plasma spectrometer, an ultraviolet imaging spectrograph, a magnetospheres’ imaging instrument, a magnetometer, and an ion/neutral mass spectrometer. There must be something there that they could utilize to escape.
“A bridge of mist? How are you going to create a bridge of mist?” Shirley was curious and anxious.
“Everything has a spiritual double. When someone passes through an area or a place, they leave a footprint, or body print—like an aura of flecks of substance, or a little something upon the nothing.”
“Huh?” Shirley looked perplexed.
“Let’s just say I will gather up the substance of all of those who have come before and create a bridge of mist. It will reveal the gate that we can safely enter through to return home. We are only eighty miles from the surface, so it won’t be long—maybe another twenty miles before we can leave.”
“How will I … I mean, you can become the great eagle, but I can no longer return to the form of the catbird—or the eagle, for that matter. I was able to do it with the light—”
“Stop—quiet yourself. I want you to remember your exact thoughts when you became the eagle.”
“I don’t remember—”
“I said quiet yourself. Now be quiet. And just think.”
Shirley closed her eyes and tried to remember the words that had formed in her consciousness in order to allow her to change her human form.
“I don’t remember,” Shirley finally stated. “I can’t.”
“Then you will die,” the medicine man simply stated.
Shirley stared hard at the medicine man. She remembered that the catbird had allowed her his form. She thought hard about what happened next. She remembered allowing her arms to become light as a feather … she was starting to remember. Her mind’s eye formed words that made her understand the very consciousness of the catbird. Shirley remembered. She consciously surrendered to the spirit that allowed her to change form until she once again possessed all the attributes of a familiar.
The medicine man suddenly spoke: “Very good. We will be able to get back home.”
Shirley chirped. She suddenly realized she was standing before the medicine man as a catbird.
The medicine man then floated to the control panel. “I think I can reignite the rockets, but I am afraid to. We are now pointed toward the earth. We must somehow put the Cassini back on track toward Jupiter, or we could blow the whole earth to kingdom come.”
The medicine man located the ignition; he’d keep it in mind once they were ready to leave.
“Where do we have to go to get to the bridge of mist?” Shirley asked.
The medicine man turned to see Shirley in her human form. This was going to be a problem; she could not hold the thought for long. He changed the subject: “Let me tell you of an ancient time, of those who came before.”
He spoke quietly, in a singsong voice. “Upon the sunrise of this early planet’s time, when the earth grandmother was still considered sacred and honored, a song was sung out to the universe. The sun and stars surrounding the earth heard the song. The sun was joyful to hear such a glorious sound that vibrated the waters as he rode his shining steed up the sierra to the sky. The stars danced to the music at the top of the peaks and laughed stardust laughter, as this was a very good song. Thus, the universe smiled at the earth, and she in turn smiled back, creating a rainbow of magical stardust and mystical waters: the bridge of mist.
“Earth Mother bore many children and taught them all the wonderful song. For a long time, her children sang to the universe, and the universe sang back; this created a bridge, an archway between the children of the earth and the universe. The sun rode his steed up the mountain each morning, and the stars dazzled and laughed each night. The moon cast spells across the sky, creating wonderful vistas for the stars to see. The earth children gazed at the nightly wonders and danced with joy around warm circles of fire. When the sun rode up the mountain, the earth children painted pictures with red clay and purple berry juice on the white rock ledges to create the mystical waters, so they would never forget the gift of star dust—the bridge of mist.
“As the children grew, they divided into tribes, each becoming proficient in their own specific skills. They lived by the waters, they lived in the mountains, and they journeyed across the hot dry deserts. They grew apart in the process of becoming themselves and forgot some of the pictures they had painted on the white rock. The fire circles became smaller, and the earth grew older. New children came and did not see the great steed run up the mountain; they saw only the day. New children came and did not notice the stars laughing stardust laughter, or see the magic spells cast by the moon; they only saw night. The universe was sad, because it did not hear the song. A great dark silence came to be, and it was called deaf.
“The moon cast many spells, unnoticed, and the earth turned sadly in the great, dark void. But, as the children had grown apart, they began to grow back together. The far-away wanderings brought them back to where they had begun, as the earth was round, and this is how the Great Spirit designed it to be. They painted the white rock ledges with all the colors of the earth and sang a new song out to the universe. Once again, the universe rejoiced, and the earth sang back. And this is how it was. As the magic of berry juice is set on white rock, as spells are cast across the black sky of night, as the sun rides up and down the great mountain, the earth turns, and the wind echoes the voices of those who came before, creating the beautiful rainbow, the bridge of mist.
“The hatch is pointed toward the earth. I will pour this out in just a few miles, and the bridge of mist will become evident in a few seconds. Then we will have to open the door, which will be hard, because there is no gravity here—” He broke off, startled by the reigniting of the rocket. The blast sent the capsule careening backward. “We have no time—we must leave now!” yelled the great medicine man.
The medicine man grabbed ahold of a machine and pulled Shirley with him; the capsule jolted in the dark void and moved ever closer toward the earth.
Eagle Flying Bye then made his way to the hatch, the metal container in his hand. He once again unscrewed the large telescopic camera that was there and opened the container, careful not to release the contents until he had the opening level with the hatch. Eagle Flying Bye watched as his urine floated through space.
He quickly shut the hatch and made his way to the window. Shirley was already there, watching with wonder as an arch suddenly formed in the dark void.
“We have to go,” Eagle Flying Bye said. “Quickly—you must change before we open the door. The window of opportunity is slim.”
Shirley stood before him, a beautiful female eagle. Eagle Flying Bye could not take the time to adore her beauty and perfect plumage. He opened the hatch door to the Cassini spacecraft and fluttered out; Shirley was right behind him. She headed for the rainbow of mist an
d found it thick enough to walk on. Eagle Flying Bye, grabbed her gently with his great talons, and they sailed through the bridge of mist until they were about twenty-five miles above the earth’s surface. Eagle Flying Bye knew Shirley would not hold her form forever and circled above the great Canadian tundra looking for a safe place to land.
Eagle Flying Bye focused on a clump of white pine trees. He circled slowly until Dancing Feather had the chance to land on a high-hanging branch. He let her down softly, and to his surprise, she circled along with him.
They soared and then lighted upon a grove of northern white pines, still feeling exhilarated by their tremendous feat. Eagle Flying Bye was chirping in a loud, melodious voice—happy to be home, happy to be alive.
Shirley, feeling more brazen, took off again toward the south, playfully chirping back at Eagle Flying Bye. She was anxious to be home, to be herself. She flew out of sight. Eagle Flying Bye, rested a minute before taking off in the direction that Dancing Feather had flown. She was nowhere to be found; he searched, circling the earth in wider and wider circles.
He found her at the bottom of the far side of the ravine. Eagle Flying Bye landed immediately;, though not in his human form, he jumped to the ground. No longer in bird form, Shirley lay broken and bleeding. She had tried to return home in the night. As a bird at night, she had become disoriented. She had thought she was at the top of the cliff when she changed back into human form. She had realized her mistake too late, falling; she fell far and landed upon an overhang in the side of the cliff. Her voice was fading when she cried out for Eagle Flying Bye.
The great eagle had heard her cries, he flew deep into the ravine and approached her. She reached for him; he lowered his head under her hand, and she gently rubbed him. Whispered words escaped her lips as the bird answered her with the love song he had sung first so many hours ago—and now, for what would be the last time.
The bird moved closer to her as the last of her strength faded away. The medicine man knew that this was beyond his thaumaturgy, his simple healing abilities.
Eagle Flying Bye let out a terrible cry that carried over the cliff to the mountain. He began a song of sorrow and despair that floated upon the winds. Hearts wrenched and stomachs knotted at that sound. So opposite from all other songs the bird had sung over the years, this one made the strongest nature spirits choke. Tears flowed from every searching predator; rivers flowed down from the mountain; dark, menacing clouds rolled overhead; the Great Spirit thundered across the skies for what was lost. There could be no mistaking the meaning of the song, nor what had prompted this song of agonizing sorrow.
Eagle Flying Bye ended his song and then set forth a cry that shook the cliff itself, causing the ocean waves to freeze and the dark clouds in the sky to gather in frenzy. The great leader on the mountains was shaken from his throne as the sound of that cry ran around the earth on high, making it all tremble. The great bird reached for his love, but there was no consoling him. Another song, more heartfelt, of anguish and loss echoed to the four corners of the earth.
Then, impossibly, Eagle Flying Bye began to cry. Genuine tears fell from his eyes as he perched upon she whom he had loved so dearly. Huge droplets struck her face as he gave full vent to the emptiness within. Shirley saw the tears, saw the source. She stared in amazement—an amazement that grew, for she was breathing again. She stirred some, causing the medicine man to break off his song. He looked at her; he checked her pulse. Her breathing was very shallow. He had to get her to a hospital right away. “Dancing Feather, you are still with me!”
The skies cleared; the trembling stopped. A great sigh of relief went up all around the wilderness. The combined grief that had become such a threatening terror to all had given way to something else—something brighter, something fantastic, something amazing, an epiphany … a miracle. The medicine man bent to lift her into his arms; she transformed back into Dancing Feather. She flew up into the sky, calling for Eagle Flying Bye to follow her. He took to flight right away; though she wanted to play, he made her fly to the mountain. Someone would have to make sure she was all right, though Eagle Flying Bye was sure now that everything would be all right.
Shirley flew into Cook County; Eagle Flying Bye knew the area well, as he had relatives in Grand Portage. There was even a hospital nearby. Shirley flew to a bright clump of Japanese cherry blossoms and waited for Eagle Flying Bye.
The momentous day dissipated into the threads of the eon as Father Time looked out across the leaders of all things and shook his head in disgust. The Cassini II was now well on its way to Jupiter, a destiny that would cause the largest planet much harm. Shirley slumped back down against the tree of life. What to do? When all hope seemed lost as to a solution to the rocket that was filled with enough plutonium and rocket fuel to destroy a planet …
“I feel fine,” Shirley assured the medicine man as he inspected her body. She was bruised very badly above her thigh; a hematoma about the size of a baseball had developed. The shaman directed her to a nearby stream, where the water was very cold, and instructed her to walk into the stream to her waist. Shirley stayed in the stream until she started to shiver before the two of them walked into the town of Grand Portage.
Shirley stared up into space. “How long will it take for the rocket to get to Jupiter?”
“I guess about three earth years,” responded the medicine man.
“Why would anyone want to nuke a planet?” Shirley quizzed.
“The illumined ones want to create another sun. They think that they know the answers, but they were only doing what the great serpent wanted them to do.”
Shirley turned red. She, too, had been duped into doing what Lucifer wanted her to do. “You were there to save me and snap me out of it,” Shirley praised the medicine man.
Eagle Flying Bye, stared at Shirley. “No need for praise. I live by the clear light, not the lesser light of chaos and confusion.”
“What do they possibly hope to achieve by this horrendous feat?”
“Lucifer has promised them immortality—something he himself does not have, which is why he tried to send his light—or source of his light—to Jupiter. He wanted to go and prepare a place for them: a new earth, Titan.”
“By bombing the shit out of Jupiter?” Shirley looked perplexed.
“The scientists and those who have backed this project are hoping that the explosion would cause nuclear fission large enough to create a sun.”
Shirley laughed. “But the light is unsustainable—even Uktena showed me that much. The serpent knows that the light is only a flash-bang—he told me so himself. He has deceived those who follow after him.”
“The blind lead the blind, and they all go to the sides of the pit,” remarked the medicine man. “And that is what he has prepared for all of those who have blindly followed him: a pit.
“We will visit my brother-in-law,” the medicine man commanded. “He lives here, in Cook County. We will stay there tonight and go home tomorrow.”
“I doubt if I will be welcome,” Shirley surmised. “Your relatives do not know me, and I am not a Native American.”
“You are my wife, and as my wife, you are welcomed wherever I am. My brother-in-law is a Chippewa of the wolf clan. We often run with the pack together; he knows that I had prepared myself for the battle of a lifetime. He followed me to New Mexico and watched over me.”
“Wolf clan …” Shirley repeated.
“The Chippewa believe that the creator once placed the wolf and the original Chippewa together to walk this world together as brothers. Then the creator separated the Chippewa and the wolf to walk different paths, saying that whatever befalls one will befall the other. If the wolf tribe perishes, so will the Chippewa people.”
Shirley laughed. “Do you really believe that?”
“The Lakota people have great admiration for the wolf; we learned many good things from the wolf, and the wolf has helped our people to survive in the past. We learned honor, endurance,
perseverance, and loyalty from the wolf. Now, let’s go visit Harry. I’m sure he will show you great respect.”
Shirley had heard him say “wife,” but it hadn’t sunk in yet—too many shocks to her system in the last twenty-four hours. She only realized he had meant it when they arrived at Harry Cray’s humble abode.
Harry was sitting out on the porch surrounded by a group of children, smoking his pipe and telling them a story. It was then that Eagle Flying Bye introduced Shirley as his wife, Dancing Feather.
She snuggled close to the medicine man, the great healer, and dreamed … I should be thankful that you blessed me, great teacher. Being raised within a Jewish home, I was unclean from my illness. It was unnatural for a woman to bleed from the womb for all these years. To bleed from the womb was to render a woman unclean; I was an abomination, and I had been soiled for so very long. No man would touch me; no rabbi would bless me. I was grouped with the lepers, though my skin was then as it is now: pale and perfect, with no telltale marks or pallid look of disease. I had paid for the finest physicians, but there was no cure, so great was my affliction! There were none who could heal me. There was no savior for one of the unclean—no savior for me. Until you, Eagle Flying Bye.
Where no man has ever been
I was slowly walking along my way
Feeling poetry in light, looking afar.
Suddenly! There she was in my bright day:
an angel? A goddess? A glowing star!
I was swept away into her far sky.
Quickly I rose to her mist, high somewhere,
as she smiled at me and taught me to fly.
We left dark earth, headed into the air.
My hard heart melted as my spirit rose;
I’d never felt so warm before.
And as we flew into new heaven glows,
I knew it was the rapture, maybe more.
Sweet ecstasy, no mortal could ever hold
a woman loving me in outer space.
And as we flew beyond pure blue to gold,
I was vaporized, woven into her lace.
And now I’m just another spirit wind;
she took me where no man had ever been—
where no man has ever been.
Birthing the Lucifer star Page 44