Paris's face fell as Maya trotted around the outside of the fence.
Ahote came from the hut and said, "Everyone gather around."
Maya had forgotten how to command Fearless to move. "Forward," she said. He turned his head to look at her. He blew his lips and made a raspberry, shook his head, and twitched his ears.
"Go," she said, wriggling on his back.
He snorted.
"Move."
"Hup," another rider called to his horse. They trotted to the circle.
"Hup," Maya said. Fearless unexpectedly lurched forward and Maya slid off the saddle onto his rump but quickly pulled herself back in. no one had seen, thankfully.
Fearless trotted into the semicircle of nineteen riders. Her steering was unrefined. She pulled hard to the right. Fearless turned quickly and bumped his rump into a tan horse, almost knocking the rider—James—off. James opened his eyes wide, fiercely holding onto the saddle of his jittery horse who neighed softly, shifting his hooves.
"What are you trying to do?" James’ body jarred around on the skittish appaloosa as she sidestepped away from Fearless.
"Sorry. It's my first time riding alone," she whispered so Paris wouldn’t hear.
Ahote faced the semicircle and took his flute from around his neck. He played five notes and within seconds the sound of clomping hooves came from behind the stables. The riders in the circle were quiet as Hototo made his grand entrance, galloping around the other horses. He completed his round and came to rest by Ahote's side. Maya was inspired by the close relationship he had with the horse.
Ahote mounted him. They were natural together, like wind and waves. "We will be riding into the Valley of Hoodoos this morning. These Hoodoos are surrounded by plateaus which shade the area, creating a cooler place. The towering rock formations have many different plates of rock stacked on top of one another. Some places have eroded over time." Ahote stopped abruptly as his eyes came to rest on Maya. He seemed to be staring at the head wrap Warren had tied around her head. He looked away and continued. "I hope you will appreciate the mystique the Great Spirit has created. We will ride two by two. Find a partner." He headed south, leading the way.
Maya trailed behind the rest of the riders without a partner. Chantal and Paris rode side by side in front of her having conversation about people they knew from school.
Maya focused on enjoying her surroundings. The horses gaited away from the stables, past the hotel, and up the road until they came to a well-traveled trail. There were dry bushes to each side of them, stretching across a prairie that led to a tall plateau with a break in the middle. A twisted rust-colored sandstone arch twisted over the trail like a palatial doorway to something grander.
She looked up as Fearless trotted under it. They entered the valley. Monstrous Hoodoos loomed over them, spread spontaneously throughout the sandy desert floor. The layers of sandstone in the Hoodoos looked like different colored dishes stacked on top of each other, with amber, auburn, and rust. She took time to reflect on how peaceful she felt with nature. What knowledge did the hoodoos have after centuries of man wandering these parts?
The sun peeked over the plateau, barely touching the tips of the Hoodoos—like torches with golden fire atop. Maya felt awe-inspired by how beautiful it was. The riders separated to explore the valley on their own.
Chantal and Paris were taking selfies together when James stopped.
“I’ll take your picture,” James said, riding up next to Chantal.
“You will?” Chantal had a stupid look in her eye.
“Sure, the three of you. Get in there, Maya,” He tossed his head to the side to throw his hair from his eyes, backing up.
Maya managed to get Fearless to trot up beside Chantal.
“Awe, that’s great.” He held up her phone to snap the photos. As a breeze kicked up his hat blew off his head in front of his horse. He started to get down.
“Wait,” Chantal said, “Don’t get down. Ancient Orange, get the hat, boy!”
Her horse walked over to the hat and picked it up with his teeth, turning his head back to her.
“That’s a good boy!” She said, petting him and taking the hat. She put it on her head.
James cracked a smile. “You look cute in it.”
Chantal beamed. “Maybe I’ll keep it.”
The smile faded from his face.
“Only kidding, James. Ancient Orange, be a good boy and give the hat to James.” The horse looked back at Chantal and clenched the hat in his teeth. He tried to hand it to Paris, but Paris waved her hands away at him. Chantal pointed to James. “Right there, boy.”
Ancient Orange edged toward James, but the appaloosa backed away. James tried to stretch toward his hat, leaning to the side with his arm outstretched. It was inches from his fingers as he swatted at it. The three girls laughed. The saddle slid to the side and James tumbled to the ground just as he reached his hat.
He laughed, putting the hat on his head, and Chantal got down to help him up.
“Ancient Orange,” Chantal said, “give him kisses.” The horse stuck out his upper lip, flapping it and showing his teeth.
James had a goofy grin as the horse tried to put his lips on him. He leaned back.
“Don’t be shy, James.”
Chantal planted a kiss on the horse’s nose. James leaned in, gave him a peck, and pulled away.
“It’s liberating, isn’t it?” She joked. She hugged the horse’s neck, and he wrapped his neck around her back. “I love you, too.”
“Guys,” Paris said, “let’s race through the Hoodoos to the other side.”
James nodded. “I’m up for it.”
Chantal got on Ancient Orange. “Maya, you in?”
Maya knew she wouldn’t win, but decided it didn’t matter. She nodded.
“Everyone, line up,” Paris directed.
Paris, Chantal, and James had no trouble getting their horses in line. They sat forward on their horses like jockeys while Maya struggled to remember how to get Fearless to do what he needed to do. He pranced his way around, then hit his rump against James’s appaloosa again.
The Appaloosa showed her disapproval by neighing at Fearless. James petted her neck.
“On your mark, get set… GO!” Paris said.
The three of them were off to a gallop from the get-go while Fearless started at a trot.
Maya kept repeating, “hup,” until they were up to a gallop. Her bottom was flying off the saddle, then hitting it again. She was going to be sore after this, but she didn’t care. The wind sifted through her hair as Fearless wove through the Hoodoos.
The others were so far ahead she couldn’t see them, only the settling dust the hooves had disturbed. She gave Fearless a light kick like she had seen other riders do, and Fearless sped to his top speed. Maya was afraid she might fall off, but she didn’t want to be the laughing stock for being unable to keep up.
The appaloosa’s bottom became clear again. She focused on catching up. The reins slipped from her fingers. She reached for them. When she looked up they were headed straight for a spire.
"Stop!" she shouted.
Fearless veered sharply away from the spire, colliding with James’s horse.
James was knocked sideways on his saddle. One of his hands went up as he tried to keep his balance. "Ahhh!" He looked at Maya, his eyes flashing. “I thought Yanks knew how to ride ponies!”
14. Vaping in the Girl’s Room
The Appaloosa was wild after the spook she had gotten. Her ears stood at attention, and her eyes were so wide the whites were visible. Somehow, James had managed to stay in the saddle while his horse reared up after the impact of Fearless. She bucked fiercely as James held on.
Maya and Fearless were headed for another spire. She grabbed the reins and pulled firmly. Fearless's back hooves skidded in the dirt, causing clouds of sand to churn around them. His rump hit the sand as they came to a stop. He stood back up like nothing had happened. Maya coughed uncontrollably. As th
e sand settled, she could see Fearless's nose inches from the massive red rock spire they had nearly crashed into.
Chantal dismounted by her side. "You okay?"
Maya nodded.
"That's Troubled Spirit," Chantal said, referring to James's horse. "You need to watch where you're going. You almost made Fearless gallop right into the rock and you both could have been hurt if it toppled down on you."
Maya felt guilty for putting them at risk, and all because she wanted to fit in. Paris narrowed her eyes at her, her lips parted as if she were trying to understand what had possessed Maya to steer Fearless into Troubled Spirit and the spire. "Sorry," was all she could manage to say. She hung her head.
"You're lucky, any other horse would have bucked its rider, but Fearless is, well, fearless. He protected you. You okay, boy?" she asked, stroking his nose.
James was holding tight to Troubled Spirit as she bucked. He was close to being tossed, his bottom rising off the saddle two feet at a time as her back hooves reared up while she galloped onward.
Ahote tore around the corner of a spire riding his horse at full speed and catching up to Troubled Spirit until he was side by side with them.
"Yah!" Ahote shouted to Hototo as he kicked his flank.
The spooked horse continued to gallop aimlessly, as if trying to escape a swarm of angry bees.
Ahote stood onto Hototo's saddle and quickly leapt onto Troubled Spirit's saddle, then slid into a sitting straddle in front of James. James was stiff as an uncooked noodle.
Ahote tilted forward onto Troubled Spirit's neck and tied his bandana over the horse's eyes. He looked back at James, pointing to Hototo galloping beside them.
James shook his head with vigor.
Maya placed her hands over her mouth, worried that James would fall between the horses if he tried to swap.
Ahote nodded, grabbed James by his arm, and tried to push him toward Hototo. James reluctantly crawled over the moving target. The transfer went smoothly and Hototo slowed to a canter as Ahote and Troubled Spirit galloped onward.
"I can't believe it worked!" Maya gained even more respect for Ahote. It seemed there was nothing he couldn’t do.
"Yeah, he's done that loads of times," Chantal said as if bored of what was transpiring. "Oh, look, Fearless threw a shoe." She picked up the glistening horseshoe from the dirt. "I'd better let Ahote know." She stepped into Ancient Oranges’s stirrup and hoisted herself onto him.
"Isn't he busy with Troubled Spirit?" Maya peered through the hoodoos where she could see them. The horse wasn’t bucking as much, only an occasional back kick.
"He'll calm her. He understands her spirit. He guides the horses to live in harmony with the universe." She winked at Maya and took off with Paris beside her.
Maya understood the wink was her way of telling her it was their secret-- the way of the shaman. Ahote understood the way of the horse.
Maya could see him pulling back on the reins and Troubled Spirit began to slow.
James turned Hototo around and trotted past Maya.
She blushed. "I’m sorry."
He looked her up and down with scrutiny and continued on.
Dr. Parker came to a stop between two hoodoos and dismounted by his nephew. "You all right?"
"I'm fine," James replied, rubbing his hands over his face.
"I can't believe that stunt the witch doctor pulled, jumping onto a bucking horse and pushing you onto Hototo. You could've been trampled if you’d fallen."
Maya jerked her head to look at Dr. Parker. She was shocked at the use of the word witch doctor. Is that how the world sees us? Her stomach churned at the thought.
"Actually I thought he was pretty sensational," James replied. “I’d no idea what to do. I was scared out of my mind, and then he came out of nowhere, knowing exactly what to do.”
Maya turned to watch as Ahote turned Troubled Spirit around. Chantal caught up to Ahote, holding out the horseshoe. They stopped their horses side by side and Chantal leaned over to give him a hug.
Maya felt ashamed to show her face around James, deciding to go off alone for the rest of the tour to clear her mind of all that had happened and explore more of the valley.
The quiet open space was relaxing. She admired the statuesque hoodoos. Each one had its own unique position, as if they took on a personality. Some were thick and strong, while others connected at a thin spot, looking as if they would topple over at the slightest touch. This was a sacred place. Even the rocks taught her something about life. She thought of the Great Spirit, carving the hoodoos over years through the freezing, then thawing of water, chiseling the hoodoos into what they were now- a mystery in the middle of a dessert. She closed her eyes, drinking in the spiritual air. If there was a place in the world where inner peace could be found, it was here.
She meditated while riding Fearless. It was like being on top of the world, the way Fearless took each step with grace. He pranced and flicked his tail. She rocked in the saddle to the motion of his rhythmic trot, imagining being at the center of the universe together.
Fearless trotted further in when they came across a dried-up channel about four yards wide. It headed downhill, northbound, and after about twenty yards, twisted sharply to the west. It was steep, and loose pebbles of sand eroded down the path. A metal sign hung over the opening by chains that said Danger in bold red letters, but the path appeared to be harmless. Maya peered into it with curiosity.
She tried to steer Fearless into it. "Hup." Fearless bobbed his head back in protest. "Hup," she said, louder this time. Fearless paced back and forth in front of the passage without stepping in. "Hup!" she yelled a third time and kicked his flank.
Fearless neighed in protest. Maya gave up. It wasn’t worth causing him distress. She dismounted, and walked toward the opening, rubbing her hand onto the dimpled rock wall where the passage was lined with natural layers of various rock. Toward the curve, she could see what appeared to be petroglyphs carved into the walls. She was drawn to it, taking a step in. Fearless followed her, wrapping his neck around her in a hug, and pushing her back out.
She laughed. "What are you doing?" She gave him a hug, rubbing his bristly hair. He snorted. She pulled away, looking into his big brown eyes. He rubbed his soft muzzle across her cheek. She had never had a pet so in tune with her. She felt her love for him growing three-fold. She kissed him, then turned again to get a glimpse into the passage, but Fearless thwarted her attempt again, nudging her out, and blocking the way with his torso.
“You’re a character. What’s down there that you don’t want me to see?” she teased, ruffling his ears.
Fearless whinnied as if laughing.
In the distance, she heard Ahote's flute: the signal that it was time to head back. "Hmmm, next time we explore further, Fearless." Maya hopped back in the saddle, feeling more confident. She turned Fearless around and trotted back to the gathered riders near the entrance to the Valley of Hoodoos.
Maya could see Hototo galloping to Ahote's side at the sound of the flute, with James on his back. Hototo circled Ahote and came to a stop.
James looked peeved that the horse was obeying Ahote's flute rather than him.
Ahote yelled, "It is time for us to depart from our journey. I hope you enjoyed the quiet solitude of the Great Spirit's backyard. Lunch will be ready when we return. Chantal?"
Secrets of the Anasazi Page 12
