As the two moved inside so Tess could explore, Jessie introduced Little John to his new friend and pleasantries were exchanged. Tess had learned quite a bit about rocks over the years while tagging along with Max on some of his expeditions and had developed a real appreciation for the beauty and mysteries of creation trapped in their form. As Tess strolled along the trestle tables that held the various specimens, Jessie remained at her elbow with an ongoing commentary about the stories and legacy of Mother Earth held and revealed in each unique kind of rock and that the rocks speak to those who know how to listen. Little John approached Tess and announced he held in his hands a rare piece that possessed special qualities, Jessie sighed and called it Taheebo, not to be confused with a tree bark of the same name. Jessie went on to explain that one special attribute the bark and rock shared however, is that both possess mystical properties for healing the body and soul. Jessie reached out for Tess’s hand which she freely gave as he began to whisper in a reverent, conspiratorial voice, that this rock was quartz embedded with shards of crystal and flickers of golden Isinglass and that Indian legend tells how this particular rock formation holds the hand print of God, the great creator and that all who touch it can feel a special vibration reverberate from its own magnetic field. Tess noticed that Jessie’s blind eyes held a particular sparkle as he went on to detail for her, that through the vibrations, the rock bears witness to man that what is bound on earth is also bound in heaven and that the very throne of God is replete with these same glowing, luminescent properties found in the Taheebo rock; and that through its vibrations the wholeness of God’s love for the universe he created can be known.
* * *
Tess stood transfixed by the hypnotic message delivered in Jessie’s hushed tones as Chad burst through the door of the rock shop and saddled up to his grandma’s side, then in the exuberance of recognition, threw his arms around Jessie Billagoaty as he called out his name. The old father returned the boys’ embrace as he laughed and smiled with affection. Amazement and wonder registered again on the second Harper in one day to encounter Jessie away from his customary perch on the porch at the marina. As the same explanation for Jessie’s whereabouts was given once again, Tess introduced her grandson to Little John, and a brief update was shared with Chad concerning the facts about the Taheebo rock. He was more than fascinated by this mysterious harbinger of God’s whisper in mans ear. The sheer beauty of this idea that a supreme and loving God would choose to interact with man through the glory of his creation held them all motionless and spellbound. At that very moment of contemplation, sunshine pierced the windows of the shop and moved across the rock being held in Little John’s hand as God light shot through its multiple facets, bathing the room in a prism of swirling color. Jessie invited Tess and Chad to reach out and touch the rock, as his own long fingertips sought out the hand of God. Knowing glances were exchanged as something strange and wonderful happened. A presence bathed the heart of each one caught in the light and filled them with a whispering spirit that said, “Be still and know that I am.”
The moment came and went. The small group huddled around the rock, holding its glowing body in one moment were now standing in deep, silent shadow, as the sun withdrew from the windows and slid behind the tree line ledges across the ravine. For several moments no one moved or said a word, and then slowly Little John withdrew the rock and took it to a back room where it was kept. Jessie began to sway in a gentle rhythm and sing softly a song of praise in his native tongue, his frail arms reaching up, and hands waving in adoration. Chad moved to the arms of his grandma Tess and they stood there holding each other, their moist eyes and joyful hearts were a testimony that something special was happening that neither would ever forget.
A bit later, Little John returned to flip the closed sign in his front window and hand out mugs of warm apple cider to his guests. The group settled into mismatched chairs in various stages of disrepair that were scattered throughout the shop. Tess used her cell phone to call Matte, who was comfortably ensconced at the lodge with Angie and Jordan. Tess informed him that she and Chad were fine and in the company of an old friend over at the rock shop and not to worry. Matte was fascinated to know the old Indian from the marina had family ties at Paria Plateau and chuckled at the irony of their seeing him again. Lifting their mugs to enjoy the tangy sweetness of the cider, they relaxed and converse about the Taheebo rock, its origins and where it had been found. Jessie told them a story about his grandfather whom they called Kehony, a name in their tradition that meant spirit keeper. When Kehony was in his thirty second year, he was part of an encampment of Navajo’s at a place called Cow Springs, on the north ridge of Black Mesa, half way between what we now call Tuba City and Kayenta. He had gone out with a small hunting party to look for game one morning, when they emerged from a group of trees to find a deep gorge lined with unusual rock formations. Thick under growth choked the descent into this steep depression. The side walls of this place, had small outcroppings of rock that caught the light and sparkled in the sun, while giving off a vibration; a powerful presence they all felt. My grandfather knew this place was a holy place and he fell to his knees and could not move. Others in the party were fearful and scrambled back up the steep slopes to run away. As my grandfather’s story has been told over the years, more questions than answers have been revealed as to what actually happened to him that day. Legend has it that he laid there on the ground for a long time speechless, watching celestial light dance and swirl across the ledges, glinting with sparkles of light that could be felt in his body. Overwhelmed with an intense sense of love and devotion, he cried out in unimaginable ecstasy held in that moment. It was only after the sun fell behind a nearby plateau that grandfather felt the presence retreat, leaving him emotionally spent and physically weak. As the last rays of the dying sun washed the desert floor, Kehony crawled from the gorge and later entered the camp holding the Taheebo rock. Members of the hunting party rushed out to greet him saying they thought he might be dead and were anxious to hear about his experience. Around the communal fire that night, as all gathered to hear the tail, Kehony spoke of the great spirit of creation that is in all things and how the rocks spoke to him and blessed him with their sacred knowledge. He showed them the Taheebo, the healing rock, and all agreed it was true destiny that Kehony had been named spirit keeper at his birth, perhaps for just such a moment as this.
Tess and Chad hung on every word of Jessie’s story, a tale that Little John had heard many times before. Tess finally asked Jessie if he had ever been to the mysterious gorge with its shining rock formations. He admitted that over the years he had done some exploring, but never happen upon the right location. Tess’s eyebrows arched as an expression of glee lit her face. “Jessie, would you like to find it if you could?” Tess asked. The old man’s face became animated and Little John leaned in to hear what Tess would say next. She went on to explain that there were now finely tuned instruments able to detect a broad spectrum of geological elements as well as vibration frequencies at virtually any geographic location, and that they are the stock and trade of most professional geologists. At this point, Chad excitedly chimed in to say he knew his granddad had those kinds of instruments because his dad showed them to him a few years ago, when they were out in the shop behind Tess’s house. “That’s right,” said Tess. Jessie began to laugh as Little John sat staring at Tess while smiling and shaking his head. He then said “Are you suggesting we go out there and look for this place with your instruments?” Tess and Chad looked at each other and grinned as Tess said “Yes!”
Over the next week, plans were discussed among the Harper’s and Billagoaty’s as to when and where to begin the search. Matte and Jordan were fascinated with the idea of an excursion, after seeing the stone with its unusual properties and hearing the circumstances of its origin. Matte had six days left of his vacation and thought an adventure off in the wild with his boys could be fun, and of course, Tess would keep things lively with
her ambitions for prospecting. Tess would handled the technical supplies, Matte and the boys organized the tools and necessary hardware while the Billagoaty’s provided maps, a list of landmark coordinates, long preserved among family members, and camping provisions. They decided to rendezvous at the Rock Shop in two days at 8:00 a.m. and head northeast up highway 160 to the Cow Springs area and to what they hoped would be the answer to an age long mystery.
When they arrived in Cow Springs, it amounted to a wide spot in the road with a few farm houses, a gas station, and general store that supplied basic needs. From string and nails to canned spaghetti. Jessie and Tess entered the store while Little John and Matte filled the SUV and Little John’s truck with gas. The boys looked for a spicket in case more water was needed later on. Tess asked a portly man behind the counter which road would be best to take to explore the north region of Black Mesa as she put her map on the counter and reached for some matches. The man behind the counter eyed the two old folks in front of him with a curious grin, and asked why on earth they would want to head out there. He said it was a remote desert area and unforgiving in the summer heat. He then laughed out loud as he suggested they would be better off to stay on the beaten path, no pun intended. Tess arched her left brow, with a look of condescension on her face, and asked if the Hickiwan Road was still open, or had it been washed out by the severe spring rains this year. Convinced the old woman and her Indian side kick were serious and determined, he took a look at the map and said Topawa road would be a better choice because the forestry service had gone in to do some conservation and had graded the road to where it dead ends at Chaney’s Point. Tess gave the man her warmest smile and thanked him, whirled around, sighed, and made for the door while Jessie paid for the matches then fell in behind. Back at the vehicles they spread the map out again and discussed their options. Little John said as far as he could tell, Topawa would put them in closer to where the old river bed lines up with Cedar Glenn where they should make camp and begin to explore. So it was decided, thirteen miles up the road from Cow Springs they would take a left on Topawa and cut down through the swells of rolling hills clustered with Cedar trees. They traveled over red clay and sandy ribbons of road that led them along windswept gullies, where dust devils danced among the blue sage.
It was mid afternoon when Jessie and Little John agreed they were about where they should be to secure a base camp and test out their equipment. On a low ridge, dotted with wild cedar and scrub oak that overlooked a dried river bed some hundred yards ahead, they pulled off the road and into a small clearing. From their position on a modest rise of land they could see off in the distance in several directions. Tess grabbed her field glasses and followed the contours of the land in a complete circle, describing various landmarks they could use as coordinates in the days ahead. Chad sat on a camp stool beside his grandma and wrote down the details she noted. By the time camp was set up and a quick bite of food was eaten as they worked, the sun had drifted behind the cliffs to the west. Sitting around the camp fire later that night, they looked over their maps under a lantern hung on a pole. Jessie once more spoke of his Indian traditions and his grandfather who had enjoyed the love and respect of his people because of the example he had set throughout his life, the way he reverenced the land, and how he was filled with gratitude for all the abundant resources with which God had blessed his people. As the sparks from the fire rose into the air then vanished in the darkened night sky, the full moons large glowing orb rose over the mountain top and sailed on a tide of slow moving clouds that stretched over the mesa, bathing the dramatic landscape in ghostly twilight. In the distance, the coyotes call could be heard, their whimpers and whines from the bluffs beyond. While each in turn said his good nights, Jessie remained by the fire humming a chant he learned as a boy and wandered if he himself would soon walk in the footsteps of his ancient father the spirit keeper.
* * *
For the next two days the search party fanned out from their base camp to see what they could find. They broke up the canvassed area into quadrants as they walked from the center of camp and marked the coordinates Tess had noted. Reviewing the list of sketchy clues they had from Jessie’s family lore and their limited knowledge of the area, they only hoped this mysterious place still existed. On the morning of the third day, as they filled their back packs and readied for their walk, they discussed what had been seen so far and talked about what direction should be taken now. Matt suggested that as they had spent two days in the northern quads, east and west, why not try the south. All agreed it was time to look south. As the sun climbed high in the sky, clouds offered relief shielding the hikers from the intense sun and a slight breeze moved in from the northwest; one could smell the promise of rain in the air. After lunch and a short rest, the party moved on down through the foot hills and again came in contact with the meandering dry riverbed that only flowed with water during the spring runoff. Just over the dry bed was another large run of cedars and scrub oaks so the group spread out walking toward the trees. Jessie was humming as he walked behind Little John to whom he was tethered. The wind soon kicked up and out in the distance a boom of thunder rolled in across the plateau. All of the sudden Jessie began to chant in a loud voice alarming Little John who now looked at his uncle in surprise. Then a holler from Jordan indicated he was getting a reading of vibrations on his instrument; Tess who was nearby thought it might be caused by the thunder and called for Jordan to check it again. Next Matte yelled that he felt rain and pointed out an impression in a hillside up in front of him. He said for all to head that way to ride out the storm. As the small group collected their gear and huddled together in the shallow cavernous space, the heavens broke loose, poured down rain in a might torrent. Lightning flashed and more thunder roared over the dry scorched desert. Jessie said he felt something as they moved through the trees earlier and that the feeling was getting stronger when the rain came down. Jordan concurred, saying it was when he move through the trees that his meter started to make a signal. After a thirty minute down pour, the dark brooding clouds began to pass over the valley and the sun peaked through here and there producing a spectacular patchwork of light and shadow on the refreshed and drenched landscape; filling the air with the pungent fragrance of blue sage.
Heading back toward the thicket of trees from the back side this time, the group tried to reposition themselves where they had been before the storm, when Jessie called the group to a halt. Putting his hands up in the air, his blind eyes staring heavenward, he murmured to himself for a moment or two then told the group he felt something, a tingling sensation and he grabbed for Little John’s arm to support himself as he slowly inched forward in the direction of the vibration. The entire group was fascinated by this turn of events and excited at the prospect that they might have found the source of the Taheebo rock. Next, the group coalesced tightly around Jessie and moved forward at a snail’s pace searching carefully for any depressions in the ground as they pushed away branches and brush in their path. Within minutes Jordan’s meter began a slow beep—beep and its red indicator light switched on, pulsing with the beeping signal.
The party pushed away at the dense lush foliage now sopped and glistening with water. Tess stepped forward once more and suddenly slid down an incline through a mop of soggy, wet branches and short, bushy, shrubs, letting out a terrifying yelp while caught off guard and falling. Matte instantly called to his mother, and flew in after her, the rest in turn followed suit. Once they were all accounted for at the bottom of the small ravine, they took stock of themselves and began to survey their surroundings. From what they could tell, they had fallen at least twenty five feet along a forty five degree decline and landed at the base of a shallow pit. All around them they saw sand stone walls with bits of scrub oak precariously clinging to the ledges with shallow tough roots. They all noted a pulsation in the air they could both hear and feel. Jordan’s meter gave off a continuous sound now and its red light held steady; Jordan switched it
off. As they began to move about and explore the pit, the sun that danced in and out of the clouds after the storm, now pierced the sky over the tree tops and hit the side walls of the pit with a miraculous, startling glow. Darkened recesses in the walls were now luminescent and literally sparkled like gleaming gems that had initially gone unseen in the deep wet shadows of the sand stone. The sun light coming just as it did that day in the Rock Shop, once again revealed the dazzling brilliance of these few rare outcroppings stuck in the walls. They all stared wide eyed in fascination, when all of the sudden the ground shook and a rumbling sound reverberated off the ravine walls sending Jessie and Tess tumbling to the ground. Jessie, while on his knees, began to rhythmically chant and Matte ran to his mother to lift her to her feet. Jessie then motioned to the others to gather in a circle and bow down, for they were trampling on sacred ground, and as they did this the ground shook violently again and a chunk of Taheebo stone fell from the south wall of the pit and bounced across the ground landing near the group. With all that was happening, suddenly there was a great whooshing sound, as a fierce gust of wind whirled over the top of the pit, hovered a moment, then vanished as quickly as it had come. The sun that had shown so brilliantly just moments before now moved behind the straggling clouds and all was still and silent. Stunned and gasping for breath, the small huddle of humans at the bottom of the pit were not sure what had just happened; they exchanged glances but were too amazed to utter a word. All were transfixed by a strong presence of power they all felt. For the next several minutes they stood quietly, each one reflecting on that moment of awe and wandering what might happen next. After some time passed, Tess cautiously lifted her head to look around. Her eyes darted across the ravine’s expanse to see where the Taheebo rock had been dislodged from the south wall. Chad followed her eyes and then saw what she saw.
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