by Ann Patty
Each rock was intricately painted with a symbol. Choline chose three rounds especially for Terra. One was the face of the sun and moon intertwined. She stated it was for the seasons, the passage of time, and if one looked to these, never would that person be disconnected from their mate. For we were all star seeds destined to go home when the time was proper. The next was a mountain scene with a forest, flowers, clouds, and a rainbow. So much detail in such a tiny spot. This symbol represented Terra … of the earth and all her abundance. The last was a soaring eagle. For perspective. Vision. For Atsa. Terra listened to Choline and her intellectualisms. Terra was touched. This neck piece was perfect. Terra bent close, kissed Choline on her cheek, and hugged her for a long while. It was then that Terra realized how much she missed her own mother. A minute later, one of the children came running in with news. The food celebration would start in a half hour.
Fire Dance
Back in her own camp spot, Terra fit the sundress on her body that Jamal had lent her. It was a sleeveless, mid-calf, loose fitting, beige dress. Lace ran around the bodice. Carefully sewn ribbons were attached to it. The ribbons flowed long in every color of the rainbow. Terra smiled. She felt like a little girl twirling around and around. Needing to accompany her new neck piece, Terra rummaged through her pack for her bracelet given to her by her mother. It was nowhere to be found! She dumped the contents of every pocket out. Still no bracelet.
Atsa entered their garden room and asked what was going on. Terra, frustrated, told him. Atsa began searching. A half hour later, still no bracelet. Terra stood up and told Atsa that it would show up, somewhere. She was not going to let it stop them from a grand evening. Atsa, still on his hands and knees searching, looked up at Terra and swooned. “You are HOT.” Atsa smiled. “I mean absolutely good enough to eat, HOT.” Atsa grabbed her ankle then licked it. Terra threw her head back and laughed at his little boy charm.
The table was topped with more food than before. If that was even possible. Flowers adorned all the places that plates did not fit. More tiny lights strung the distances between every tree available. Votive lights placed in cut out paper sacks, and filled with sand bordered the water basin. Each reflected an oddly interesting silhouette into the water. This magical forest, sprinkled with lights that created diamond sparks from the waterfall spray, was one out of the story books. Atsa escorted Terra hand in hand. Atsa had changed for dinner, which meant he switched shorts. For effect, he hung a tie around his neck sans a shirt. Once again everyone devoured the food. There was no proper line to wait in. Wherever you could, just fit yourself up to the table to get some nutrition. No one pushed or fumed and everyone yielded to each other. There was plenty and the table would be refilled all night long.
Jamal and Stacy pushed up beside Terra. They all smiled, nodded, and dug in for more food. Stacy reached across the table to spoon some salad. Her wrist caught Terra's eye. Oh my gosh. OH MY GOSH!! Unmistakably, Stacy was wearing Terra's missing bracelet!!! Unbelievable. There must be some good reason. Terra's cheeks flared red. Stacy had come right into her domain and taken her invaluable possession. Was she a klepto? Terra was protective of very few things that she owned and this was at the top of the list. Plus, there was one thing Terra had an issue with and that was liars, cheaters, and those who steal. Okay that was three things.
Take deep breaths and stay objective, Terra told herself. But really she could see no reason for Stacy to be wearing her wrist band. She stole it. Plain and simple. Take more breaths, Terra told herself. Atsa knew something was wrong with Terra. She had grown quiet, inanimate, and was picking through the foods at the banquet table as if her stomach was already full. Atsa just looked after her and quietly observed scanning the table. Then he saw it too. Terra's bracelet on Stacy's wrist. Oh boy. For as much as Atsa intimately knew Terra, he did not know what her reaction would be to such a trespass.
Terra made a choice. One that did not cause a stinking outburst, although she certainly felt like yanking Stacy's hair back until it ripped off and she fell over. No, that might not be too good. Instead, Terra reached over and kindly held up Stacy's arm, and twirled the bracelet around her wrist. Terra tapped on the good luck charm looking at it with love. She looked over her shoulder to Stacy at her side with raised eyebrows and a cock of the head. Everything that could be stated was said with her expression. Terra returned Stacy's arm to her. What would be, would be up to Stacy to resolve.
This thirty second near event did not go unnoticed. In a small group of this size, within the next few hours everyone knew what had happened. The elders nodded to Terra throughout the evening. Their way of appreciating how Terra conspicuously handled the confrontation. When Terra and Atsa left the buffet table, Atsa whispered, “Well done,” in Terra's ear. Terra felt like a hero of sorts, even though she herself was attempting to save face in the heat of a moment. Later Terra learned that Stacy had an impulsive theft problem. The tribe had addressed it with her family, but it was fruitless since they all had some form of self-entitlement. Well, Terra reasoned that her new necklace made way for the out going bracelet. One to replace one. However, Terra knew the bracelet would return to her, as sure as the sun would rise and set the very next day.
The festival began with the elders sitting around the fire. Chanting in lyrical verses their voices lulled all to join. Next the tenor drums took up a beat that complimented the elders' intonations. Then sweet voices of eight children hummed in sequence. Coupled with the backdrop of falling waters, the percussion in the canyon cavity reverberated vibrantly alive, yet therapeutic notes.
Choline had said that each year the celebration changed to reflect the new rebirth within the tribe. This year, for the first time, there was no set agenda. No agenda, except that all were free to express themselves in any way they desired. However, Choline was quick to point out that singing, chanting, and dance was an expected norm for all their special occasions. Therefore to the outsider or a newcomer all their festivities may look like the same vanilla flavor. But they were not.
What heaven did Terra drop into with this welcoming, magnetic band of Navahos? First finding Atsa and creating their own out-of-the-blue romance was ravishing. This basin was alive with enchantment and folklore. Just discovering three separate oasis carved into a barren desert was captivating. Then new insights from new friends. And, of course, the endless love filled Navaho nights were the essence of every romance novel. Where did Terra turn right? At what point did she start this bewitching journey? Or was she a part of it all along? The one thing Terra was certain of was that she deserved to live this dream, and in its entirety. She was devoted in the belief that those who can, will, manifest their own destiny. All happenstances in her life pointed to this incredible clip of time. Terra had asked for unconditional, unattached love. She had begged inside her dreams to meet someone that would fill her void inside, and complete her femininity. Adventure, fresh perspective, tropical warmth, and water so crystalline no depths were apparent. Terra had gotten all of her dream cognitions handed to her.
If every thought conceived was a piece of for-sure-future, wouldn't it be marvelous to think grand thoughts? This is what Terra did on a daily basis. She let her gracious thoughts float easily into the rich energy field surrounding herself. Upon her wishes she placed gratefulness for all that was. Terra held her visions close. Not tightly, but one that could yield to any circumstance. Manifesting was not for the rigid, rather the loose. Terra's visions had the thrust of an intentional boost. Meaning that she was sure of what she wanted, but how it was granted stayed with the universe until the time came to deliver back her yearnings. There was a pattern in which abundance materialized. Thoughts were things, could become things, and were the seeds to a journey. Believing this was so, desires started with a single focused vision setting the intention or the end goal. Next came clearing beliefs. Terra meditated every morning to clear her mind of outside distractions. This practice of her mind lent itself well. Terra could disassociate from the material worl
d and clear her beliefs of yesteryear. Of course, she realized what a person wanted did not drop in one's lap. Terra always took the first steps in completing her visions. Sometimes she made great efforts to acquire her goals. Other times, the easiest times, her visions came dancing across her path. Terra knew instinctively when the energy of the universe was handing her the gifts she sought. Terra was also keenly aware that no matter how large or small the goal, she still needed to take the first action.
Playful energy and using her moods, Terra discovered that positive vibrations uplifted and were essential for connecting into the stream of the cosmos. This unseen realm absorbed all energetic aspects, therefore visions launched from a higher level of consciousness were far more apt to be received and returned. Terra had played with this concept for many years. While she sent off many intentions, she did not cling to them. Having pliable freedom to receive was paramount. Abundance was an entity that graced us over years, or even by tomorrow. The universe did not have a timetable like we did. However, to hurry up a dream would take more concerted effort and action on the part of the participant. Terra spanned the Navaho colony in song and dance, and marveled. Mostly she thanked her spirit guides then looked to the heavens and smiled at the ever expanding universe.
Atsa's four cousins, close to his age, got up to pound dirt. The beat of the drumming had an edge now. For them. Bass drums chimed in and the rhythm rocked hard. Aboriginal. Native. The pulse crept inside to match one's heartbeat. The vibration soared upward. Fun. Wild. The cousins spewed out hoots in various octaves and danced around the fire. There was ample berm between the musicians and the fire. Their long hair waved out behind them. Arms, elbows up, bent, palms down as if pushing. In unison they would clap. Full arms would wave out front as if surfing, then to the back. Heads thrust forward preening, bobbing, and smiling. Their eyes danced with spirit. Bent over at the waist, their legs hit the dirt in barbarian rhythm. Animation extraordinaire was contagious. The cousins danced wildly in front of Atsa, beckoning him to join their childhood airplane dance. Yes, that was what they were emulating — airplanes in the sky. Atsa was pulled to his feet and the cousins pushed him into place. They loved Atsa and had him lead the dance. He was wild with his limbs and demanded the same of his brothers.
Elevated in vibration, five boys fell back into their past. Arms flying high, sometimes overhead, then swooping low as if crashing. Intermittently, they all took turns at the drama. Sometimes they twirled, in unison, or one by one. Around the fire the young hearted boys danced. Terra was placed in a trance. Swaying and taken with her lover's dance. Bobbing her chest and head to the Navaho soul beat. Mesmerized. The show went on for a long while. Terra could see perspiration on the boy-men's brow. The dance turned into a competition of sorts to see which would be the last airplane afloat. It was that obvious.
They danced harder and looked keenly at their cousin competitors. This childhood game was brought along with this kin throughout time. Each year they revisited their contest. Time became lost on this focal point of the competition. This year no one was giving in. The drummers were growing weary. The elders stopped chanting, but the men to be boys danced on and whopped larger. All the clan had gathered for this annual event. Many were in various states of wonder. Some pointed to which man would cave first. Others shook their heads in wonder of their stamina. The children jumped up and down laughing. The crowd's reaction turned into the show. The drums stopped. The five men danced away oblivious to the earthbound. Their spirits were lost into the folds of another dimension. Ten bare feet pounded the earth, clouding the dust of uprising dirt. Arms still animated flew overhead. Twirling, swirling, and dive bombing, enhanced the drama.
And then a silent pact was made somewhere inside their craziness. All five dive bombed and crashed into the dirt. It was over. Clapping and shouting kudos to the five were unrivaled. The men who were lost in youth were dirt balls like sweat caked filthy children. They were rolling in the paste they made, laughing wildly. Children ran to mimic them, but the elders held them back. This time was for the boys of yesteryear. Every person in the clan was laughing and clapping. The drama brought the kin out of themselves and back into what was real. How one elementary act could be so contagious was stupefying. Simple things often were the key to rediscovery of one's youth. Atsa and his cousins gave each other a hand up. Together they walked into the basin and disappeared under the curtain of the waterfall.
When they returned the women's dance was in progress. Unlike the five cousins, the women's extremities flowed upon airs of grace. Floating among young to old, the ladies slipped past each other sometimes with a tap or a nod, always smiling. Outstretched arms, pointed toes, uplifted chins, each ballerina found her own interpretation of beauty led by the music. Tenor drumming and softer tones echoed by the elders gave a soft impression of refinery. Swimming effortlessly, oblivious to Atsa's eyes, Terra was among the ladies who walked on air. Atsa folded his arms, bent his head off to the side, and smiled in amusement. This was a week abounded with discovery for his mate. Terra had not let him down. She certainly was not a wallflower. Atsa liked that Terra was a doer, mover, and let no moss grow under her feet. Much like him. The Navaho ladies' dance was just that. No rules. Be yourself. Enjoy.
Terra caught Atsa eying her from the peripheral edge of her vision. She did not let on that she saw him looking. It was way too fun to pretend and watch him secretly from afar. Terra saw Atsa's cousin standing next to him, elbowing Atsa with a nod to her direction. Most presumably a nod of approval, or perhaps, when are you going to make an honest woman of her talk. Atsa smiled and sealed his lips in response. Now several cousins were elbowing Atsa. Almost annoying, but he just kept staring at Terra. The fire circle moved the ladies around the path. Terra had to dance by Atsa and so she did, and when she passed she opened her eyes as if in surprise. Winking, lipping kisses to him, and then Terra floated on. The cousins jabbed annoyingly so, even more. Atsa parted their company and went back to their camp spot to change. It was warm outside, but at this event he would rather be dry. He returned in time to see the last half circle of Terra's performance which landed right in front of him. Atsa greeted her with a kiss on the forehead. Reaching for Terra's, hand he led her to the display of desserts resting on the fresh dressed table.
Atsa had worked up an appetite and devoured four helpings of different desserts. Terra smiled to herself as she ate a slice of boysenberry pie. The refreshment break gave everyone a chance to yak about the previous dances, particularly the brouhaha flights of airborne from the cousins' ingenuity. Normally celebrations would not stop for a feast, but children needed a diversion to keep their interest up. Food did the trick.
After Atsa returned to the table his fourth time he complained, like a little kid, that his stomach ached. Having anticipated that, Terra popped an antacid capsule into his hand. Atsa gave Terra a peculiar look and then swallowed the pill. This gesture caught Atsa by surprise for how did Terra know to carry around a stomach settlement, particularly at an event here off the beaten path. Just then he realized Terra had brought it along for herself. She was anticipating a tummy ache, but had not gotten one. Atsa did. All the same with soul twins.
The bass drums began a slow elongated beat. Drums only for this dance, a dance of sensuality and longing. Swaying inside your partner's arms without touching was the challenge. No body contact allowed; only suggestive movements that enticed your partner to follow was encouraged. Atsa led Terra to the rim of the fire circle. Atsa encircled Terra with his arms without touching. She complied by enclosing her body tightly inside his arms. Their first steps circling around the fire rim were awkward. No contact was difficult when making a dance with a partner look natural and fluid. Atsa broke the rule. His forefinger turned Terra's head to look straight at him. She did and got lost inside his deep set eyes. She followed him. Followed his scent. She rode along inside his arms and focused on his feet without looking. Dance thoughts serenaded Terra's body. Find your niche. Sway your hips. Swirl you
r waist around and again. Stay close inside him. Shake your breasts. Become a belly dancer. Taunt him. Seduce him. Touch him with your aura. Breathe his name quietly. No one hears, but he sees. Atsa sees all of me, and it drives him horny.
Atsa had the urge to quicken the dance, but Terra wouldn't let him. She kept the pace, slow, seductive, and encouraged teasing. Atsa was under Terra's spell. She was leading their dance from a submissive perch. Dancing oh so close, brushing his cheek with hers, and then retreating. Altering their direction with tiny cues. Expanding and contracting her torso towards Atsa's abdomen. Looking him up one side and down the other, she nodded her approval. This was Terra's performance — her seduction of Atsa for all to see. Others noticed, nodded, and smiled at how Terra had put Atsa under her spell. The drums beat on eternally so. Terra's dance turned alluring with a sense of eroticism. The slower the drum beat the more her extremities manipulated Atsa. Terra grew alive with femininity. The clan marveled at her daring moves. They were not completely sure if such creativity had ever been displayed before. Terra pressed on. Atsa clearly had a stiff cock outlining his dry shorts. He minded it none for this dance was his and Terra's testament to two soul twin lovers.