SKYEYES

by Edward Es

  Tom turns the skin over to reveal on its back another drawing. It also has similar figures of the lands, and of the Child and Wolf, with the Wolf’s paw across the Child. Also in the drawing are many warriors fighting, many warriors dead, and blood running. At the top of the page is a large star in the center of a constellation.

  “The first sign came after many flesh of the flesh, and it came upon an old man named Eagle’s Nest who saw in the new stars the shape of an Eagle, and in it, a bright star that had never been seen before. So he gave the Book to his son, Parunuweap, and told him to please the Wolf. His son became a great warrior and fought all the tribes in the lands, and he killed many and took all the lands. At the end of his days, he went to the burning trees and brought to the Wolf the beads of many dead warriors, and also many treasures from all the lands he had taken. ‘All this I have done to show how mighty my people are, and to give you all the lands, and the treasures of all the people,’ said Parunuweap. But the Wolf spoke and said, ‘I am not pleased, old one. Not all the lands or all the treasures will save the Child of Skyeyes, for he has no need of them.’ So Parunuweap left without the Child.”

  Tom moves the Book to the opposite page. There, in the center, people hold hands and exchange baskets. At the top there is a figure of a black Sun, and next to it a star.

  “Again many people of the people passed, many generations, until a great chief, Red Bird, had a son, and on the day the boy was born, the Sun turned black, and when the blackness came, Red Bird saw stars in the daytime, so he called his child Star of Day. And he gave the Book to Star of Day, who made peace with all the tribes and became their leader. All the tribes lived in peace during his lifetime and multiplied greatly. They hunted well and had much corn. And at the end of his days, he went to the burning trees, and to the Wolf he brought branches of peace, and a basket of corn and a basket of meat. ‘I have made peace in all the land, and all the tribes are my brothers. I bring to you the peace of my people,’ said Star of Day. But the Wolf said, ‘I am not pleased, old one. This peace is only among your people. It is not peace of the People of the Stars, and your tribes will war again. This peace will not save the Child.’ So Star of Day left without the Child of Skyeyes.”

  Tom turns the page over. This one has at the top a rock on fire, great pueblos, and in the center of the largest pueblo, an image of the Wolf with people kneeling before it. At the bottom, the Wolf holds back the Child.

  “This time was the longest time between people with no sign, until the fifth passing of the children of Star of Day when there was born one called Snake of Fire. When he was born, a snake crawled into the fire that heated the knife his mother used to cut him from her, and the snake watched her as it burned. Her husband, a great warrior, had died of fire, and told her before his spirit left that his son would be born of fire. Because of this, she knew her son would speak to the Wolf. When Snake of Fire grew, a flaming star fell to the Earth and the Earth shook, and the pueblos that they had built fell to the ground, and many died. So Snake of Fire had the people build a great pueblo to honor the Wolf, and for many years they built it, with much hardship. When it was finished, Snake of Fire made from stone an image of the Wolf and placed it in the center, and all the people came and laid on the ground to the Wolf’s image, and before it burned a fire that never went out. At the end of his days, Snake of Fire went to the burning trees, carrying a torch from the eternal fire, and laid it under the burning trees. He told the Wolf of the great pueblo, and brought a likeness of the great Wolf that everyone worshipped. ‘All the people of the lands, from the edge of the world to the canyons of the sky, worship Shinob, and sacrifice the white deer to honor him,’ said Snake of Fire. But the Wolf said, ‘I am not pleased, old one. The wolf of stone has no heart, and without heart, there is no spirit. The pueblo shall fall, and the fire shall burn out, and they will not save the Child of Skyeyes.’ And Snake of Fire went away.”

  Children around the world watch the Book, hearing the stories. Mothers and fathers, grandparents and great-grandparents, old and young, watch and listen as pages are turned and strange figures appear.

  Tom moves one more time to a page on the right. At the top are figures of clouds, lightning, and rain, but in the center of the clouds is a hole, and in the hole, stars. At the bottom is the Wolf again, this time with a river curving by him, with people digging near it building dams and levees.

  “And in the time of the people just before our people, there lived an old woman whose husband had died. She had no children. Her husband left her the Book, but there was no child for her to pass it to. She cried every day and every night, and she cried so much that tears began to fall from the sky. It rained every day and every night, and the land was flooded with tears from the sky. She prayed that God would stop the tears because she thought he was crying for her. Then one night as she was about to throw the Book into the waters, a break appeared in the clouds above, and in it she saw the new stars that had been called Tureris, because they looked like a bow and an arrow of fire. At that moment, she heard a baby cry, and when she went to it, she found it alone in a tree, because its mother had put it there before she drowned in the waters of tears. So she called the baby Crying Rain, and when he grew up, Crying Rain said that he would bring the waters to the Wolf, so that he could drink forever of the tears of God. Many years all the people used their tools and their great knowledge, and they turned the river, and changed its course until it came by the burning trees. So at the end of his days, Crying Rain came to the Wolf and showed him what they had done. ‘We have conquered the land, and changed the course of the great river. We have brought you the Tears of God, for you to drink of forever,’ he said. But the Wolf said, ‘I am not pleased, Crying Rain. Your people have done great works, but the Wolf does not drink of the water of this river, but drinks of the Water of the Spirit. This will not save the Child of Skyeyes. But I tell you this. I have grown weary, and will wait not much longer. Your people will be scattered across the Four Winds. The end is coming, and the Book will be closed.’”

  At this, Tom takes hold of the page, but hesitates in turning it, his hand trembling. Finally, he does turn it, and on the back appear similar drawings, more like that of a child. It is not old, like the others, and the figures are in crayon color. Although many of the figures are the same, at the top is a star with a trail behind it. In the center is a flaming arrow and a rocket that points to a red butterfly. From underneath stream many colors. Beside it is a drawing of the Moon, and just above it sits a constellation whose stars form a wolf looking down. At the bottom is a child’s eye with blue sky and clouds inside.

  Melody kneels at the TV, only a few feet away. As the glow from the picture bathes her face, she reaches out and touches the screen.

  “The people were scattered across the winds, but the great-great-grandchild of Crying Rain, Sunman Whitewater, kept the Book. One night, as he was very old and lay dying, he looked up at the night sky in his beloved land, Ioogoone. His daughter was there, and his little grandson who was also dying. Sunman was heartbroken because his grandson had not been given a name of his people. The grandson looked up at the heavens and saw a bright star with a long trail of stardust flying behind it, and he pointed to it and said, ‘Grandfather, look!’ Just then a butterfly landed on his outstretched hand. Butterflies, in the language of the ancestors, are called Spirit Set Free. So he said to his grandson, ‘You shall be called Little Spirit Set Free.”

  Francine and Bud watch. She dabs her eyes with a tissue.

  “’This is my sign. It is the Star That Runs. You shall go to the stars and bring the Book to the Wolf, Shinob, and the Child of Skyeyes will be free.’ After he said this, Sunman died. And not long after, Little Spirit Set Free died also. Little Spirit took the Book and he went to the Wolf, but he said nothing. The Wolf looked at him and said, ‘Little Spirit, I am pleased, for it has always been known that only a child can save a child. Only those things pure of Spirit can
save the pure Spirit. That which is the Ancient of Days is just born, and that which is just born, has always been. You are the Child of Skyeyes. It is your true Spirit I have kept for you, all the years gone by.’

  “So the Wolf went into the sky, and when he did the new stars passed away, and he became a new constellation in the old heavens. Little Spirit became one with his true Spirit, then went into the sky, and his eyes became stars in the old sky. And when Little Spirit went up, he took the stardust from the Star That Runs, and sprinkled it down upon the people. All the people saw that the stars they knew had returned, but they also saw the Wolf and Skyeyes, so they followed them, and found the Land of the Rising Sun.”

  With this, Tom closes the Book. On the back cover is a drawing of the Star That Runs.

  The Sun is about to rise as Isabel stands at the stern, watching the wake. There’s a shipwide announcement. “Attention ladies, gentlemen, and children. This is Captain Wright. Sorry to wake you so early, but your presence is requested as soon as possible on the starboard side, above decks.

  Isabel looks around, as do a few other early risers who turn to stare at the speakers, then off the starboard side.

  The Earth looms ahead of the capsule, the deep blue of the Pacific sparkling against the Western coast of Mexico. Explosive bolts discharge at points around the perimeter, and the service module jettisons, drifting away as the capsule rotates.

  Melody is sleeping, but not for long as Noelle bursts in the room, barely put together, waking her up. Melody looks at her smiling face.

  Tom straps himself into the seat and plants Zion forcefully into his lap. The cat looks up, worried.

  Passengers are appearing on the starboard deck, looking confused.

  The unused retro package is jettisoned, exposing the heat shield. After a moment, the capsule angles to reentry alignment.

  Bud is sleeping on the couch when the phone rings. Not sure whether to answer, he looks toward the bedroom and Francine appears in her Pepe Le Pew pj’s.

  The capsule jolts as it encounters the Earth’s atmosphere and shakes as G forces build.

  Those toward the bow notice the helicopter has fired up and lifts off the deck, heading out to sea. Hanging outside the open door are flippered legs in wetsuits.

  Flames coming off the heat shield lick the rim of the capsule. G forces bury Tom into the seat, and Zion into him. The capsule vibrates as a profuse sweat runs down Tom’s pressed face. Zion’s eyes are shut tight and his ears flat against his head.

  Kirshner stands in the control room watching the path projector as it bends toward a spot in the Pacific Ocean. After checking data, he looks up at his monitor, showing a hand-held camera image of the skies above the ship.

  Passengers on the ship stand next to the cameraman, looking in the direction he’s scanning. Suddenly they point wildly toward the sky and he, after looking in that direction, aims the camera. First a colored pinpoint, the capsule appears with its triple array of striped parachutes.

  Noelle and Melody watch. Noelle claps and Melody stands as they watch the capsule swing peacefully down.

  Francine and Bud watch the image of the capsule splashing into the water. The chopper arrives, hovering over it, and the capsule hatch pops open. Tears of relief stream down Francine’s face. Bud raises his fist. “Yes!”

  The helicopter lands on the ship’s bow and Tom jumps out with Zion in his arms, Isabel standing close by. She walks up and throws her arms around his neck as a formation of military jets performs a low pass across the ship.

  Melody sits in a chair on Driftwood Beach, a small sandy bank a few feet from the Virgin River. It’s a secluded shelter, accessible through a wooden gate in a split-rail fence behind the motel. A grand tree frames the river, two trunks diverging from a single root, one blossoming a canopy of leafy branches over the beach, the other boldly arching over the river, a rustic bridge for those who float under on slowly spinning tubes.

  Melody looks across the river, blinking at sunlight that flickers through branches as they wave in the breeze. And she sings, in the solitude of her thoughts, the song she heard in Noah’s room the day Mr. Holmes brought her there.

  She remembers it was a mild afternoon, a light wind flowing from the canyon in spring. The Sun weighed low on the horizon, large and orange, and spread a gossamer glow over the Shack. Marcy was there with her guitar and the Noah House children, and they stood outside the window of Noah’s room.

  Mr. Holmes held Theo and the Book in his arms. He led Melody up the stairs to the verandah, and they both stopped to admire the distant canyon skyline. Then they entered and went to Noah’s room. The door was still open from the time he left to fly to the Moon, and they walked quietly into the darkness, but this was no longer a tomb of sorrows. Noah’s father went to the window, parted the starry curtains, and opened it, letting in the light of the fading world, and bathing the room in the velvet radiance of sunset.

  Then he walked over to the dresser as Marcy and the children sang the song outside, the words drifting into the open window with the breeze, the song about wishes for tomorrow and the dreams of those who’ve passed this way. Mr. Holmes stopped, looked at Melody, and with certain peace, placed Theo back on the dresser, and then the Book. And Melody, with the alll heart and gratitude of a healed child, touched her lips, and placed the kiss upon Noah’s smile, shining at her from the picture.

  Melody dwells upon this memory, then tenderly turns the pages of a picture album laying on her lap. She touches each of her three favorite pictures as she admires them, and the song in her thoughts warms her recollections:

  As the shadows fall, and the daylight fades,

  And the Moon rises high in the blue,

  When the night rolls over the misty glade

  It’s a wish for tomorrow and you.

  Tom and Zion sit on the ship’s deck alone, facing outward to a setting Sun.

  Here’s a wish for tomorrow, with the hope of today,

  And the dreams of the past ones who’ve walked this way.

  We will sing each new day’s awakening,

  And we’ll see what tomorrow brings.

  Francine and Bud sit on the porch at the Shack, smiling. Harriet stands behind, her hand on Igloo’s head, watching them with a smile also.

  As the Sun draws near from its hideaway

  And the silver begins to shine through,

  When the songbirds carry the night away,

  It’s a wish for tomorrow and you.

  Noelle and Sid stand at the altar, with Melody as Maid of Honor, and adopted daughter.

  Here’s a wish for tomorrow, with the hope of today,

  And the dreams of the past ones who’ve walked this way.

  We will sing each new day’s awakening,

  And we’ll see what tomorrow brings.

  We will sing each new day’s awakening,

  And we’ll see what tomorrow brings.

  And he shall go to the stars

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  Earthset Press is committed to donating a portion of each copy of Skyeyes purchased online from www.SkyeyesNovel.com to various children’s charities, selected by the purchaser.

  We encourage and are grateful for any personal donations by readers to these organizations, or to any other that dedicates itself to the furthurance of children’s rights around the world, and to providing them care, food and guidance.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  My deepest gratitude to Scott Penza and his team at The Creative Hive for their encouragement, support and enthusiasm for both the message of this story, and its developement. Without such heartfelt encouragement, an endeavor such as this would have been much more difficult.

  Every writer has his or her “scripture” of inspiration and guidance, mine being Rebecca McClanahan’s Word Painting. Her insight into the art of description brought me to the threshold of the kingdom of storytelli
ng, and through her magic eyes I learned my voice, I learned what to say, and, of course, what not to say. It is no coincidence that witnin her wonderful book, most of the examples she presents of truly gifted word painting came from the pens, pencils, and crayons, of child authors and poets.

  Thank you to Jessica Keets, the “Proofreader’s Proofreader”, for sparing me from pitfalls and potholes through your keen eyes and sharp red pen.

  I am grateful as well to Mike Gentry of the Johnson Space Center for his assistance, and to Mary Ann Hager at the Lunar Planetary Institute for her kind and generous help in obtaining the spectacular images placed on the cover of this book.

  And finally, to my three children, who taught me the joy of being a father, without which I could never have breeched the subject of Tom Holmes’ loss. Their shining has illuminated my life and shown me the essense of my short mission on this fragile planet. They taught me what love means, through their innoncence and their faith, and inspired me, above all else, to fashion this tale of hope, of belief, and most importantly, of divine hands upon my own life. God bless you, always.

  .

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Edward Es is a commercial airline Captain. He graduated from UCLA in Motion Pictures with a writing specialization, and obtained his Juris Doctor in 1996. Edward was an operative assistant to the President of the WarnerColumbia motion picture facility for seven years, and from there became a recording engineer. In 1985, he pursued his lifetime ambition to fly airliners , and here, with Skyeyes, has manifested what he always believed to be his true calling.

  Edward’s most prized accomplishments are his three children.