Lizzy and the Rainmaker

by Matthew Holley

I woke up early the next morning and, for a second, thought I was back home in my own room, but soon the cobwebs in my head burned away and I remembered I was in a teepee in the middle of a Choctaw village in the heart of Indian country. I was alone for Luke had already woken and left without waking me. I felt home-sick for the first time since we left. I missed Grandma Viola, Katie, and even Billy, but especially I missed Ma. And the part that fretted me most was I didn’t know how long we would have to stay gone. I didn’t know how long Sheriff Calhoun and his men would look for us before they gave up. How long do you look for your brother’s killer before you give up? Maybe never!

  That notion scared me. I loved Luke with all my heart even though some people might say we barely knew one another. But I felt such a strong connection to him that couldn’t be explained. I could never leave him. Only the other side of the coin, I loved my family absolutely and longed to be with them again. I felt torn, like my heart was being wrenched between the love for my family and the devotion I felt for Luke.

  I put aside my internal emotional battle for the moment. I knew it was a futile fight with no possible outcome which could please both sides. I had made my choice, whether right or wrong, the decision was made. I shrugged off my worry and walked outside to search for Luke.

  I scanned the village and saw Luke in the distance standing beside Koi. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but I could see their heads were thrown back in laughter. I began to walk towards them when, suddenly, yelps of alarm from some of the men in the village stopped me in my tracks.

  I saw Koi quickly push Luke into a nearby teepee as he ordered two men to stand guard over him. The women gathered their children and ran into their teepees. The men, who had given the cry of alarm, ran up to Koi and spoke to him in earnest. Then, together, they hurried to the plateau’s edge to get a view of what had alarmed the men. I should have ran and hid like the women and children, but, instead, I went to see what impending danger was coming.

  As I looked down at the valley below, I saw what looked like thirty men on horseback rapidly approaching. I didn’t have to see their face to know who it was. It was Sheriff Calhoun and his men, without a doubt. He had found us…but how?

  Suddenly, Anamosa appeared from nowhere and threw me into the closest teepee. She placed one finger to her lips motioning for me to be quiet. But the silence was soon shattered with the approaching thundering sound of horse’s hoofs, followed by the angered voice of Sheriff Calhoun ordering Koi to present the man who killed his brother. I heard nothing from Koi because he remained tight-lipped which caused Sheriff Calhoun’s voice to grow louder with annoyance.

  “Did you or didn’t you hear me, Chief?” Sheriff Calhoun yelled. “I know that boy is here! If you don’t hand him over right now, I’ll kill everyone here! Do you understand me?”

  Alamosa began to walk outside the teepee so I grabbed her arm to stop her.

  “Where are you going?” I asked under my breath.

  “Koi will not speak. I must speak for him.”

  Then she departed the teepee leaving me behind. With trembling hands, I parted the canvas flap of the teepee ever so slightly so I could watch. Bravely, Anamosa approach Sheriff Calhoun and his men who stood only a few feet away from my teepee. I could see that all the sheriff’s men were armed and did indeed number nearly thirty. Koi stood with twelve of his men facing Sheriff Calhoun's men. Only four of the Indians were holding rifles while the others held knives and bow and arrows.

  “What does this withered old squaw want?” Sheriff Calhoun asked his men as Anamosa approached them.

  “I here to speak for Koi.”

  “Fine, tell him to hand over the boy. I know he’s here.”

  Anamosa re-laid the message to Koi who replied back in his native tongue. She translated his words back to the sheriff.

  “We have not the boy you seek.”

  “Yes you do,” Sheriff Calhoun said with confidence. “We were told he was here by another Indian who saw him heading this way with a young white girl and a little old squaw.”

  Just then, making his way through the wall of horses and approaching Sheriff Calhoun, was the young Indian man who Anamosa had caught following us a few days ago. He was the informant. The young Indian man gave Anamosa a quick evil smirk. She returned a look of anger and disappointment back at him. The sheriff tossed the outcast a small bag which I could only imagine contained gold… his payment for turning us in. He claimed his prize and disappeared back through the barrage of horses.

  “Okay, if you won’t cooperate, we’ll search this entire village until he's found.”

  Sheriff Calhoun was about to direct his men to start the search when Koi ordered his four men to draw their rifles. They all aimed at the sheriff.

  “What do you think four rifles are going to do against all of us?" Sheriff Calhoun snickered," Do you think you can shoot us all?”

  “No,” Koi said through Anamosa, “just you.”

  I could tell by Sheriff Calhoun's expression he was taken back a little by this predicament, but he quickly regained his composure.

  “I don’t think you will. I’ve already been told that this is a village of prayer and spiritual enlightment or some crap like that. You believe in peace, not fighting. You aren’t warriors. Ain’t that true?”

  “We never had much use for fighting,” Anamosa translated.

  “That’s what I thought," Sheriff Calhoun grinned. “Lower your rifles.”

  The four Indians with rifles remained steadfast.

  Sheriff Calhoun motioned to a few of his men who picked up their rifles and shot recklessly a couple of times into random teepees. The Indians with rifles looked to Koi for instructions who immediately ordered them to lower their rifles. He wasn’t willing to risk the lives of the women and children hiding inside those teepees. Sheriff Calhoun ordered a few of his men to dismount and take the rifles from the Indians. After collecting the rifles, the rest of Calhoun’s men began shooting into the teepees again.

  I then heard Luke’s voice screaming for the men to stop shooting. I looked and saw him running towards the sheriff waving his arms and shouting. The two Indians who had been guarding over him were lying on the ground. Luke had forced his way through them to get to the sheriff.

  Koi looked back at the number of teepees riddled with multiple bullet holes and then glared back at the sheriff with fire in his eyes. He was ignored by Sheriff Calhoun who was fully focused on Luke standing in front of him.

  “So, you’re the son-of-a-bitch who killed my brother?”

  “It was an accident! He came at me and I knocked him to the ground. His head hit a water troth. I swear it was an accident!”

  “So is this!”

  Sheriff Calhoun swiftly drew his pistol and shot Luke in the stomach. Luke fell to his knees holding his belly in shock and obvious agony. Small trickles of blood ran between his fingers. I screamed and began running to him but Anamosa caught me and held me fast. I dropped to my knees screaming and sobbing for Luke.

  “I only gut-shot you, boy. I don’t want you to die just yet. I need you to suffer!” Sheriff Calhoun sneered. He then motioned to two of his men. “Drag him over to that tree, prop him up and tie him to the tree so he can watch.”

  The two men did as they were ordered and tied Luke, who was grimacing in pain, to a pine tree. Luke was in too much pain to stand, so they left him sitting down, tying his hands together around the trunk of the tree. The men rejoined the others and mounted their horses.

  “Boy, open your eyes,” Sheriff Calhoun shouted. “I don’t want you to miss anything. Everything that happens next is your fault. You brought all this upon these people when you killed my brother. They will pay for your sin. Out here, I’m the judge and the executioner. I’m the final voice of justice!”

  I looked towards Luke through watery eyes. His head was pointed slightly towards the sky, his eyes were closed, and the agony which had covered his face only moments before had vanished. He looked
serine and peaceful and appeared as if he was…praying!

  “Boy, you praying for a miracle, cause that’s the only thing that’s going save you out here,” the sheriff mocked. He then motioned for his men to spread out in a semi-circle and draw their rifles. Some aimed at Koi and the Indians standing in front of them and some aimed towards the teepees.

  Sheriff Calhoun lifted his right arm in the air to ready his men. Before the sheriff dropped his arm to start the massacre, I looked back at Luke just as he opened his eyes. I could see nothing but the whites of his eyes just like the night up on that ridge when he had made it rain. At the same instance, the sheriff dropped his arm and his men pulled their triggers. I closed my eyes tight and waited for the awful explosive sounds of thirty deadly rifles firing, but all I heard was thirty clicks as the rifle’s hammers fell ineffectively.

  I opened my eyes in surprise and saw the same surprised and bewildered look on Sheriff Calhoun and his men’s faces. We all knew that miss-fires happen on occasions, but never with thirty rifles at the same time. I remember thinking to myself…it would have taken a miracle.

  Suddenly, my attention was directed towards Koi when he screamed something in his native tongue. I saw him reach behind his back and produce a hatchet, from where, I couldn’t tell you. He reared his arm back and threw it with all his might at Sheriff Calhoun. The hatched found its mark and sunk deep into the sheriff’s chest with a sound very much like when Pa used to split open a watermelon with his machete.

  Sheriff Calhoun gasped loudly, reached for the hatchet imbedded in his chest, and fell off his horse. He hit the ground with a loud grown and didn’t move. The rest of Koi’s men, quickly and swiftly and with much skill for being “peaceful” people, attacked the sheriff’s men with knives and daggers. The sheriff’s men, not being skilled in hand-to-hand combat, were quickly over whelmed and soon all laid dead on the ground. The triumphant Indians hooped and hollered their victory cries.

  I saw Koi approach Sheriff Calhoun who was lying on his back, spitting blood and struggling to draw a breath. Koi bent over, looked the sheriff in the eyes, and, to my shock, spoke in English.

  “I say we never have much use for fighting. I never say we didn’t know how!”

  And with that, Sheriff Calhoun drew his last breath.

  I broke free from Anamosa’s hold and ran to Luke who was now slumped over; the rope around the tree was the only thing holding him upright. I quickly untied the rope and eased him to his back.

  “Luke,” I cried, “open your eyes! Don’t leave me! I need you! I love you! Open your eyes!”

  Through much effort, Luke opened his eyes. His breathing was labored and when he spoke, I noticed blood in his mouth.

  “Oh, Lizzy, I’m sorry… I put you through… all of this. I…didn’t mean…for you to get…hurt, not you! Please, don’t…cry for me. It’s time…for me…to…go home.”

  “No, you can’t leave me! It’s not fair! I can take you home! Let’s go home together!”

  “Lizzy, it’s time…for me to…go to my home…in heaven. I can’t go…home but by way of …death. It’s all right…Lizzy; I’m ready…to go home. It’s time. You…must let me go. Please, Lizzy…let me go!”

  “Okay,” I sobbed as a saw the tremendous amount of blood flowing from his belly. I knew he was in pain. I had heard stories of how painful being gut-shot was and how very few people ever survive them. “You go home. You go home and rest now. I'll miss you every day.”

  Luke swallowed hard and choked on the blood in his throat. He wrenched his eyes in pain for a few seconds and then looked back at me, smiled, and said, “I remember what I am, Lizzy! I remember!” He then looked towards the heavens and closed his eyes. His smile widened and he whispered under his breath,” I see your pa. You…have his…eyes.”

  His smile then faded, the air in his lungs escaped, and his whole body went limp. Luke was gone! I held his body tight and sobbed hysterically.

  I don’t know how long I held Luke’s body, but when Anamosa came to my side, the sun was low in the western sky.

  “Lizzy, come with me. Let my people prepare Luke’s body for Great Spirit to receive. Come, Lizzy, walk with me.”

  I stood up on aching knees and placed my arm around Anamosa. She led me through the village and towards the river. I noticed on the way that the sheriff’s horses had been gathered together in a make-shift corral and Sheriff Calhoun’s body, along with his men’s, were being piled one on top of the other to be burned as is custom with the enemies of Indians.

  “Were many of your people hurt?” I asked Anamosa.

  “A few cuts and bruises, but everyone okay.”

  “That’s amazing! All the shooting the sheriff’s men did and none of your people were killed?”

  “The Great Spirit watch over us. The Great Spirit tell Kio to watch over Luke and our people would be protected.”

  “Right before Luke passed, he said he knew what he was, not who he was! Do you know what he meant by that?”

  “Yes, Luke was Adawehi. You white folks call them angels.”

  “Angels?” I exclaimed in shock. “Are you trying to tell me Luke was an angel?”

  “Many times our ancestors tell us stories of Adawehis walking among people. While living in the heavens, some Adawehi grow curious to know what it like to be human. On rare occasions, the Great Spirit allow one of them come down here and experience being one of us. But while here, the Great Spirit no allow Adawehi to remember what he is. How can one really know what it like being human if one know he is not?”

  Suddenly it all made sense…as much sense as it could. Why Luke couldn't remember who he was, how he could heal, and why he seemed to be able to look directly into your soul when he looked at you.

  “I can’t believe I was with a real angel. I can’t believe I didn’t know. But why did God, I mean the Great Spirit, allow all of this to happen like it did?”

  “He works in mysterious ways. Maybe it to allow an Adawehi to be human for a while, maybe it was to give Koi horses he needed to get wife back, or maybe it was to restore a little girl’s faith.”

  As we continued to walk through knee-high brushes, I was startled by the distinctive sound of a rattler. I immediately stopped in my tracks and looked down to locate the snake, but it was too late. The viper had already struck at me with such speed I couldn’t react in time. I felt the creatures fangs penetrate the skin of my left leg just above my ankle.

  I fell to the ground, knocking Anamosa down with me, and grabbed at my leg. Anamosa quickly crawled over to me to investigate what had happened.

  “A rattler bit me!” I cried.

  “Let me see,” Anamosa ordered.

  I lifted my slacks up to reveal where the snake had bitten me. Astonishingly, there were no puncture wounds, no marks of any kind. I pulled my slacks back down and discovered two hole in them where the fangs had gone through and I know I had felt the pain of the fangs entering my leg, but there was no wound.

  Anamosa then motioned for me to look on the ground in front of us. Lying in the grass, belly up, was a dead rattle snake. She began to laugh.

  “What are you laughing at?”

  “Look like you have guardian angel watching over you.”

  I looked up into the heavens, smiled hugely, and whispered,” Thanks, Luke!”

  The End