Reba walked toward Dot holding two mugs. She wore a burgundy wraparound skirt and a white cotton tank top. Dot looked at Reba’s defined arms, thinking that they resembled carved marble. Reba handed one of the mugs to Dot and beckoned her to join them on the porch. Nodding her appreciation, Dot followed her outside. Kai took a seat on the railing, leaning against one of the cedar branches. They sipped their tea quietly and watched the morning’s events unfold beneath them.
Dot observed several family members hanging laundry from lines that ran between trees in their yards. Small children crawled underneath the drying clothes as older siblings played hide and seek among the draping folds. She observed a group of men and women stomping in muddy soil with bare feet, while others poured water into the thickening puddle. She set her cup on a small table nearby and pointed to where they worked, looking questioningly at Kai. He walked over to Dot and looked down. “Yeah, they’re mixing dirt to make cob bricks. Once it’s thick enough, they’ll shape them into the sections that can be stacked together for a house—like the one you slept in last night.” Dot opened her mouth in astonishment. Houses made of mud…in a rainforest? She pantomimed hammering a nail. Kai understood her question and replied, “Yeah nah—no nails, or screws either—at least, not until the roof beams go up.” He smiled at her reaction and continued. “We make the cob houses during the dry months—they’re heaps strong, ay. We give ‘em have time to set and then we seal ‘em before the rains come.” Pointing to the men who were building the log house addition, Kai added, “Most of our homes in the Greenwood are made from trees or the timber that we scrounge from the mining camp a few kilos north. Wood’s something we definitely have no shortage of.” Dot tilted her head to the side and watched the people below stamp about in the mucky soil. She imagined the sensation of mud between her toes and the slurping suction as she lifted her feet. Everywhere Dot looked there were dwellings of all shapes and materials. Houses up in the trees—like Kai and Reba’s, and dug into the earth; yurts, cabins, thatched huts… even a wooden cone house shaped like a beehive. Dot rested her arms on the rail, cupped her chin in her hands and studied the diverse architecture. Kai glanced over at his wife, who was in turn, observing Dot with equal curiosity. He smiled at the two of them—both silent thinkers. Picking his mug off the table, Kai walked back to the doorway. He turned toward them and said, “Right then. I’m going inside to have a lie-down. I’ll leave you both out here for a wee yack.”
Reba finished her tea and set it on the table. “Would you like to see more of our village, Dot?” Looking up at the statuesque woman, Dot felt bashful and unsure of how to respond. What if she can’t understand me? At that moment, Reba smiled and Dot’s shyness melted away. She nodded yes and followed the chief into the house. Kai reclined in a hammock with his book. As they passed through the room, Reba leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “We’re going on a walk. Come find me later.”
“Chur, love.” Kai laid his book on his chest and looking over at Dot, said, “Táan’s at the beach with Oolie and the rest. You could join ‘em after your tiki tour.” Dot waved to Kai and climbed down the ladder. As she stepped off the last rung, Monk flapped down from the guesthouse eaves, landing on top of her head. Giggling, she tapped her shoulder until the bird hopped down. The raven stretched out his neck, peering at the chief from under Dot’s chin. Reba bowed her head and looked at the bird in the same manner. Dot froze, witnessing their interaction as Monk proceeded to jump onto Reba’s arm and consider the chief’s features. Dot’s eyebrows raised in astonishment—the raven seldom interacted with other people—especially strangers—and not unless food was part of the bargain. Smiling with amusement, Reba returned the bird to Dot’s shoulder. “This is a regal companion you have here. I think he’s been a friend for quite a while—am I correct?” Dot nodded, remembering the strange black bird that alighted on the foredeck of a boat adrift in the North Pacific. She recalled the exhausted and frightened little girl that he befriended and how the bird had remained with the girl for days on end—until the boat was driven aground on an empty beach in Dixon Entrance. She reached up and stroked Monk’s feathers.
Reba motioned toward the pathway, “Come on, let’s take our walk.”
For the next several hours, Reba showed Dot around the Greenwood settlement, introducing her to many of its residents. The summer months were busy ones in the heavily wooded village, and the people who lived there were hard at work harvesting, preserving food and repairing homes. Dot observed some women planking sides of salmon onto slender boards, sliding them into a large stone oven. The heavy smoke that spilled out of the chimney filled Dot’s airway with a savory, cedar aroma. Reba walked her through an old barn where a handful of villagers labored over a forge. Dot was captivated by the glowing metal rods being hammered into flattened bars. She noticed an ancient Caterpillar generator, salvaged from the ghost mining camp. It was surrounded by jerry cans of diesel, sturdy workbenches and an assortment of hand tools. Carcasses of old boilers and conveyors were littered around the floor, in mid-process of restoration or cannibalization. Dot marveled at the resourcefulness of the Greenwood’s inhabitants—creating a functional community out of the remote wilds. During their tour, people came out of their homes, sheds and gardens to talk with the Chief and meet her guest. Reba chatted with each of them, inquiring about children, their family’s health and their supplies. The people’s respect and fondness for their leader was evident everywhere they went.
As they arrived at an open meadow on the settlement’s border, a young girl and her dog ran toward them. The dog jumped on Dot, its front paws nearly reaching her shoulders. Monk croaked loudly and took flight, landing on a post several meters away. “Karl, that’s no way to greet someone!” Reba snapped her fingers and the dog immediately laid in front of her feet, his tail wagging enthusiastically.
The little girl bounded up—out of breath, she said, “I’m Lilu-ye, sorry about Karl, he gets pretty excited about new people.” She brushed a muddy paw print off Dot’s sweater. “Are you the one who sailed over here in that pretty boat?”
Dot nodded, taking an instant liking to the girl, who reminded her, no doubt, of her younger self. “May I see your boat—would you please show it to me?” Lilu-ye asked.
Reba placed her hand on Lilu-ye’s shoulder. “That’s a good idea—if Dot’s willing to walk to the shore with you. I must head over to the council house and speak with the scientist. I understand he has quite a story to tell.” She looked at Dot as she spoke, “Do you wish to accompany Lilu-ye to the boats? I believe you’ll find Táan and the fetchers down there as well.”
“Please? Can we?” Lilu-ye clasped her hands together under her chin and jumped up and down. “May I go for a sail in your boat?”
Dot smiled at Lilu-ye and bowed her head toward Reba. Holding out her hand, she clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth and Monk flew back to her shoulder. Reba waved as they walked down the path toward the shoreline. She called after them, “Lilu-ye, I’ll be with the elders in the council house. Bring Dot and Táan back in a few hours—Alright?”
“Sure thing, Skaukw. See you later!”
Dot followed the girl along the winding trail. Lilu-ye made a very informative, if not subdued, tour guide. She babbled on about the families who lived in each house they passed: Who was growing what in every garden; how many goats, cows or chickens resided in each paddock (and often the names of said animals). Lilu-ye’s gossip was interspersed with bossy commands to her distractible dog. “…and then this family of raccoons got into their chicken coop again last winter. Boy, was Mr. Kittle angry! He just about… Karl! Get over here! Quit sniffing in those bushes—last month, Karl got sprayed by a skunk when he stuck his nose in a dead tree trunk…” They walked in this manner for some way, until the dwellings became sparser and dense thickets enveloped the trail. A heavy silence hung around them—as if the forest meant to draw all sounds into itself. Even Lilu-ye quieted as they walked along. No
stranger to silence, Dot reveled in the serenity and felt the last two day’s stress slipping away. Tree trunks the size of tractors cropped up, some with knobby clumps of moss growing out of them. The ground under her feet became marshy and Dot noticed pools of water form alongside the path. Soon enough, she was stepping over fallen trees to negotiate the inlets of brackish water. Karl led the way, padding lightly over logs and boulders, occasionally looking over his shoulder to confirm that they were still following. Monk had deserted his human mode of travel for the more expedient method of flight, flitting blithely from branch to branch, always at least four trees ahead. Muffled noises from the direction of the shore reached Dot’s ears. She heard the hearty tenor of Táan’s laugh and smiled. To her, Táan’s laughter felt like raindrops on a blistering hot day. Karl heard the noises as well, and raced ahead to investigate. Lilu-ye resumed her chatter as if she’d merely been put on hold. “…there’s a mama bear that lives in these woods—I’ve seen her twice—she had two cubs with her the last time and one of them was pure white! We call them ‘spirit bears.’ Have you ever seen a spirit bear? Our elders say that they bring you luck—you know, to see a spirit bear in the wild…”
They stepped out of the woods onto a scattered driftwood beach. The crystal-blue Principe Channel rolled by with July’s sun sparkling off the waves. A small crowd had gathered to watch an impromptu game of water polo—opposing goals, made from fish net and old crab pots, bobbed 40 feet from each other, weighted down with small anchors. The fetchers spun their kayaks this way and that in the surf, crashing into each other as they fought for the seal-hide ball. Dot recognized Ooligan and Pasha in one of the double kayaks and Adili paddling by himself. She spotted Táan in the front end of a boat steered by a red-haired man. Lilu-ye narrated the plays from the beach as cheers erupted from the crowd when Oolie scored. Táan’s kayak broadsided Adili’s—paddles clacking together as the players wrestled for control. Táan retrieve the ball, sending it airborne with a flick of his paddle. Dot applauded and Lilu-ye yelled, “Way to go—good steering Asa!” Táan looked up and, seeing the pair on shore, waved just as Pasha rammed their stern. The boat tipped, and Táan and Asa went into the water. The crowd onshore laughed and clapped as the contestants crawled back into the cockpit of their capsized vessel. Dot smiled, aware of Táan’s aversion to swimming.
“Sorry about that, pal!” Ooligan yelled over to them. “Asa had it coming—he dunked us in the last game.”
Asa rolled into his cockpit and located his paddle. As Táan struggled to throw his legs onto the deck, a voice from the crowd shouted, “An orca—out there!” The group looked where the man pointed and saw a shape that resembled an obsidian arrowhead approaching fast.
“Ooh! It’s coming this way!” Lilu-ye screamed.
The kayakers tread in place, transfixed by the whale’s sudden appearance. Orcas were beloved by the Salish people, but no one was accustomed to seeing a whale so close. Adili paddled in reverse, giving the whale room to maneuver. The orca’s black fin moved back and forth as if lapping the polo court. Pasha grabbed the seal-skin ball out of the water and Ooligan yelled over to Táan’s boat, “Let’s concede the game, shall we? This looks like an adult male sgáan—probably found some salmon near the bank.”
Asa started to turn the kayak toward shore, but Táan kept his paddle on his lap, calling out to Dot, “Hey! Would you tell Saka that he’s spoiling the game—we were winning!”
The people on shore turned and stared at Dot. Lilu-ye tugged on her sleeve. “What’s he talking about? Do you know this whale?” Dot smiled. She waded into the shallows and tapped Adili’s arm. He looked up at her as she extended her hand toward his paddle. “Do you want to take the boat out there—where the whale is hunting?” Adili asked.
Táan and Asa paddled toward shore as Pasha and Ooligan stepped out of their kayak and drug it onto the beach. Táan called to Adili, “Give her the boat—you’ll get a kick out of this.” Adili handed Dot the paddle and stepped out of his kayak. She climbed in and adjusted the seat and knocked the paddle against the kayak’s hull. As Dot shoved off from the shore, Ooligan yelled, “Be careful out there, kid—they can be pretty aggressive when they’re hunting.”
Dot pulled the kayak through the water with several long, smooth strokes. She passed Táan’s kayak and rapped the hull near his cockpit. “I’m glad to see you, Kij’,” he said as she went by. The onlookers moved to the water’s edge as Dot paddled her kayak directly toward the dorsal fin. The whale’s spray blew over the front end of her boat as she approached. “What is she thinking?” someone whispered.
Ooligan shot a look of concern toward Táan. He ignored her and leaned back in his seat, grinning as he watched Dot make contact with Saka. Ooligan muttered, “She’s bound to get capsized if she gets any closer, Táan.”
“Shhh—just watch.”
Dot placed the paddle lengthwise along the deck and held out her arm. The dorsal fin tilted backward as the whale’s enormous head appeared out of the water. Saka blew a huge spray from his blowhole, completely soaking Dot. She rubbed her hand to and fro along the whale’s head as Saka leaned into the kayak. Dot let the tip of the whale’s fin run between her fingers as Saka dipped below. She turned in her cockpit and waved. Táan nodded and called behind to Asa, “Come on, let’s go make some more goals!”
Saka emerged a few feet away, rolled onto his side and slapped the water with his pectoral fin. Ooligan, Adili and Pasha stood on the beach, their hands hanging by their sides, watching Táan and Asa’s kayak sidle alongside the whale. Táan called to the shore, “Hey Pasha—throw us the ball!”
Pasha heaved the ball as hard as he could and it landed with a splash. The whale dove again and resurfaced—underneath the ball. Saka nosed the ball out of reach. Táan urged Asa to move the boat closer, but his teammate seemed reluctant to get any closer to the twenty-foot orca. Dot back-paddled, placing her kayak between the whale and Táan’s boat. She scooped the ball away from Saka, dribbling it alongside her hull towards the goal. Saka dove and then suddenly, his tail flukes appeared from under the ball. With a forceful slap of his tail, the whale sent the ball soaring into the air. It landed six-feet from the opposite goal. The crowd on shore roared with laughter and applause. Lilu-ye jumped up and down as Karl barked with exuberance. The polo match continued for almost an hour before Táan and Asa surrendered—cold and wet from their previous spill, they couldn’t keep up with Saka’s nautical acrobatics. As the pair paddled back to shore, Dot lingered in the deeper water and Saka rose beside her. Dot patted the whale’s head, then splashed the surface with her hand; the whale rolled sideways and fell back into the waves. Dot watched Saka sink deeper into the channel, his back arched in an upside-down swan dive. Smiling, she turned the kayak toward shore and paddled back to the beach.
The lengthy walk back to the Greenwood seemed to take no time at all. Monk flew ahead as Lilu-ye and the others peppered them with questions about Saka. Dot let Táan explain how Dot had discovered the orca calf near Old Massett eight years ago, stranded amid rocks by the ebbing tide. He told them how they had remained with the whale, soaking him with wet blankets and pouring buckets of sea water over his body, and how, after eight hours of tireless effort by the townsfolk, they had managed to lift the young calf back into the water as the tide returned. Táan described how Saka had swum back into Dixon Entrance, only to have been abandoned by his pod, returning days later, hungry and distressed…. How Dot spent weeks at Massett Bay, wading into the sea to comfort and communicate with the orphaned whale. Dot smiled nostalgically as Táan shared the story of teaching Saka to fetch by using hand signals—eventually moving onto more complex directions and incorporating sounds. He recounted Dot’s rescue of the scientist by sending Saka to find Táan. As the story unfolded, Dot noticed Ooligan looking at her with new respect and she felt as if she’d just passed some sort of unspoken test. The group hiked together, immersed in conversation until they reached the outskirts of the settlement
. Then one by one, the villagers said, “So long” and “We’ll see you later” as they turned into their homes. Lilu-ye proudly escorted Táan and Dot to the center of the township.
It was long past noon, and Dot could feel her empty stomach rumbling. It dawned on her that she’d had nothing but a cup of tea since they’d arrived the night before. She placed her hand over her belly. Táan smiled and whispered to her as they walked, “I’m so hungry—I wish I hadn’t polished off those snacks my mom and Marta gave us for the trip. I sure hope there’s something to eat at this council meeting.”
Lilu-ye guided them to the entrance of the Greenwood’s council house. She stopped at the archway and called for Karl. “I’ll leave you here. Skaukw and the elders are inside meeting with your scientist. Just follow the path through those arches.” She waved farewell and patted her hip for Karl to follow. Before turning to leave, she called out, “Don’t forget Dot—I want to sail with you soon!” She took off at a wild gallop after her dog.
“Wow, she doesn’t do anything in moderation, does she?” Táan commented. Dot grinned as she examined the entryway. The entrance to the council house was fashioned completely of vines. On each side of the opening were totem poles that stood twelve-feet high—smaller versions of the giant totems in Old Massett. Intricate faces were hewn into the wood—Dot identified Raven, Eagle, Wolf and Bear on one pole. The corresponding pole bore the likenesses of Otter, Whale, Beaver and Fox. She ran her fingertips lightly over the carvings. Táan nudged her elbow, “C’mon, let’s go.” The branches above them were alive, having been carefully trained into the arched shapes over many seasons. Small leaves shaped like elongated hearts hung overhead and lavender-tinted berries intermingled among the foliage. Dot reached up and touched a cluster of the berries as they walked. The scent was faint, and yet it reminded her of a fragrance from long ago. A memory flashed into her head—the smell of dogwoods… a melody; illusive but familiar … an image of a woman singing in front of yellow curtains wavering in a summer breeze… a voice saying, “Evie, come lick the frosting off the spoon for me.” … A smudge of lipstick on a child’s cheek… But the memory faded as quickly as it arrived. Dot shook her head and followed Táan into a large circular room.
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