Awinita
Chapter 1:
Seven Years Later
The fire snapped and sparked one evening, seven years later. Chogan watched the members of his small tribe; the Algonquins. The tents were all arranged in a circle; they were long, tall, brown deer hide, with long and strong sticks criss-crossing horizontally and vertically on at least one wall. In the middle was a huge fire pit, where all the villages congregated together at Sun-appearing, Sun-high, and Sun-down for their meals.
There was Enkoodabaoo, a man who lived slightly down the track. Ever since the mysterious disaperance of his little daughter seven years ago, he had kept to himself, and, though he had another wife for six years, she had not borne him any sons or daughters yet. Local talk was going around that she was unable to bare any children, something which was a grave problem for a woman.
There was Huritt, a young and arrogant boy just entering his prime; the Elders were choosing a bride for him, and he was hoping that it would be young Kanti, easily the most pretty girl there, with her round, aristocratic face, and midnight-black hair, which fluttered around her waist at any movement of the wind. Her voice was charming, too- that of an angel. Chogan shook his head to himself. He was only ten, not yet a man.
The Elders gathered everyone around the fire after Sun-down eating, and told them one of the stories. This one, however, though told many times, was more recent than the others. It had happened just seven years ago. Elder Etlelooaat began, as he was the loudest. He called for quiet.
"This is the story of the Missing Girl." He announced. "Once upon a time," he began, "eight summers ago, there lived the most beautiful girl around." He glanced around the camp, at the attentive brown faces of the people around him. His many wrinkles creased as he said the next bit. "Her name was Chepi. She had sleek black hair, the envy of every girl around, with short bits of black hair over her forehead." he glanced around, conveying meaning in his voice, and the way he gestured. "She married Enkoodabaoo-" everyone looked to where the man sat, wrinkled before his time, with his pretty wife sitting next to him. He had narry a tear, even though he probably wished he could, as grown men did not cry, especially for their dead wife who died seven years ago. "- and together they were very happy. Then, one day while the leaves were blowing around in the latter part of the year, she told her husband that they were expecting a baby." His wrinkles creased as he sighed. "Never was there known a more happy couple than those two. But when Chepi's time came, there was trouble. The little girl, though pretty, had something wrong with her. Her left hand had no fingers on them, and her legs were short and spindly." An audible gasp ran around the camp, though they had heard the story many times.
"The birth had been hard on the beautiful girl, Chepi, but, when her little daughter was laid in her arms, she rejoiced. "The gods have given me a beautiiful baby girl!" she rejoiced. Those were her last words. No soon than the last word had left her mouth than the spirits took away her soul to the Other World." The reaction was not disappointing.
"Later that day, the Spirit Man announced that the baby girl was voodoo. He told the congregation that she had killed her mother by her deformations. If it wasn't for she, her mother, the most beautiful girl, would be free to bare other babies and make Enkoodabaoo happy. She was to be killed on the morrow, her soul given to the god of sacrifices. She would not enter the Other World, that place people go when they die." He told of the Spirit Man's evil doings as a matter-of-fact thing. The Spirit Man's word was law. If he said the gods had said to kill someone for sacrifices, it was done, whenever he said. The Spirit Man was the evil one who interpreted the god's wishes. He was the one identified by the live snakes in his ears, the strange and scary markings on his body, his un-loving demeanor, and his infamy and aloofness associated with the witchcraft he practised.
"And it would have been done, but for the fact that, at Sun-appearing the next day, the little girl was nowhere to be seen. Nobody knew what happened. People made up stories. Most said that a wild cat had taken her off in the night in accordance with the gods' wishes; indeed, that is what the Spirit Man himself said. Others, though, whispered that the spirits must have taken her body up with her soul in the night. Such talk was soon silenced," said the Elder with a dissmissive swipe of his hand. "And so, the mystery of the Missing Girl still remains. Though some talk of a pretty Indian girl, who looks exactly the same as young Chepi, who lives with the wolves, wild and free for evermore."
The story was over. A few people cried out for more; but Chogan was silenced. He had heard every word of this story before, of course; every word was exactly the same as every other time the story had been told. Chogan didn't listen for the rest of the night. He was too busy thinking of the Missing Girl. He looked up into the stars and vowed to himself that he would find her and tame her.
The fire snapped and sparked one evening, seven years later. Chogan watched the members of his small tribe; the Algonquins. The tents were all arranged in a circle; they were long, tall, brown deer hide, with long and strong sticks criss-crossing horizontally and vertically on at least one wall. In the middle was a huge fire pit, where all the villages congregated together at Sun-appearing, Sun-high, and Sun-down for their meals.
There was Enkoodabaoo, a man who lived slightly down the track. Ever since the mysterious disaperance of his little daughter seven years ago, he had kept to himself, and, though he had another wife for six years, she had not borne him any sons or daughters yet. Local talk was going around that she was unable to bare any children, something which was a grave problem for a woman.
There was Huritt, a young and arrogant boy just entering his prime; the Elders were choosing a bride for him, and he was hoping that it would be young Kanti, easily the most pretty girl there, with her round, aristocratic face, and midnight-black hair, which fluttered around her waist at any movement of the wind. Her voice was charming, too- that of an angel. Chogan shook his head to himself. He was only ten, not yet a man.
The Elders gathered everyone around the fire after Sun-down eating, and told them one of the stories. This one, however, though told many times, was more recent than the others. It had happened just seven years ago. Elder Etlelooaat began, as he was the loudest. He called for quiet.
"This is the story of the Missing Girl." He announced. "Once upon a time," he began, "eight summers ago, there lived the most beautiful girl around." He glanced around the camp, at the attentive brown faces of the people around him. His many wrinkles creased as he said the next bit. "Her name was Chepi. She had sleek black hair, the envy of every girl around, with short bits of black hair over her forehead." he glanced around, conveying meaning in his voice, and the way he gestured. "She married Enkoodabaoo-" everyone looked to where the man sat, wrinkled before his time, with his pretty wife sitting next to him. He had narry a tear, even though he probably wished he could, as grown men did not cry, especially for their dead wife who died seven years ago. "- and together they were very happy. Then, one day while the leaves were blowing around in the latter part of the year, she told her husband that they were expecting a baby." His wrinkles creased as he sighed. "Never was there known a more happy couple than those two. But when Chepi's time came, there was trouble. The little girl, though pretty, had something wrong with her. Her left hand had no fingers on them, and her legs were short and spindly." An audible gasp ran around the camp, though they had heard the story many times.
"The birth had been hard on the beautiful girl, Chepi, but, when her little daughter was laid in her arms, she rejoiced. "The gods have given me a beautiiful baby girl!" she rejoiced. Those were her last words. No soon than the last word had left her mouth than the spirits took away her soul to the Other World." The reaction was not disappointing.
"Later that day, the Spirit Man announced that the baby girl was voodoo. He told the congregation that she had killed her mother by her deformations. If it wasn't for she, her mother, the most beautiful girl, would be free to bare other babies and make Enkoodabaoo happy. She was to be killed on the morrow, her soul given to the god of sacrifices. She would not enter the Other World, that place people go when they die." He told of the Spirit Man's evil doings as a matter-of-fact thing. The Spirit Man's word was law. If he said the gods had said to kill someone for sacrifices, it was done, whenever he said. The Spirit Man was the evil one who interpreted the god's wishes. He was the one identified by the live snakes in his ears, the strange and scary markings on his body, his un-loving demeanor, and his infamy and aloofness associated with the witchcraft he practised.
"And it would have been done, but for the fact that, at Sun-appearing the next day, the little girl was nowhere to be seen. Nobody knew what happened. People made up stories. Most said that a wild cat had taken her off in the night in accordance with the gods' wishes; indeed, that is what the Spirit Man himself said. Others, though, whispered that the spirits must have taken her body up with her soul in the night. Such talk was soon silenced," said the Elder with a dissmissive swipe of his hand. "And so, the mystery of the Missing Girl still remains. Though some talk of a pretty Indian girl, who looks exactly the same as young Chepi, who lives with the wolves, wild and free for evermore."
The story was over. A few people cried out for more; but Chogan was silenced. He had heard every word of this story before, of course; every word was exactly the same as every other time the story had been told. Chogan didn't listen for the rest of the night. He was too busy thinking of the Missing Girl. He looked up into the stars and vowed to himself that he would find her and tame her.
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This is on WEbook too.