Secrets of the Anasazi

by Sky Whitehorse

  "It's ok, Maya," Warren said. "There is plenty more water."

  "No!" she cried out, removing her hand from his leg and putting it over her mouth. "No, no..."

  Warren slid toward her and fell off the saddle, hitting the ground by her feet. He groaned.

  She leaned over him, bringing the water bottle to his lips and making sure the last drops made it into his mouth. She watched him in anticipation, brushing her hand over his forehead as their eyes met.

  His coloring returned to his cheeks, and a smile spread over his lips as his muscles came back to life. He lifted his head and sat up effortlessly. "Wow," he said, putting his hand on his forehead. "I feel... energized.” He blinked hard a few times, then stood up.

  Maya could feel her heart bursting with joy.

  “I'm starved. Let's eat." He lifted Maya off her feet. She folded her legs around his waist, giggling. Their eyelashes fluttered flirtatious lyrics at each other and he pecked her on the lips. She clung to his chest as he carried her through the front doors into the lobby.

  "That isn't appropriate, wrapping your legs around him like a pretzel!" Aunt Roz snapped from behind the front desk.

  They ignored her, walking through the crowded lobby. As far as Maya was concerned no one else existed at the moment, and they continued up the stairs to the Dining Hall.

  ⭐⭐⭐

  The following evening Maya’s family prepared for a pow wow in honor of Fearless Legend. They wore regalia—native clothing with vibrant colors and intricate beadwork.

  “Here, this should fit you.” Chantal handed Maya an outfit from her closet that was like a dress. It was blue with a white belt and had red and orange suns on each of the sleeves which gave the illusion of a blanket being draped over the shoulders. Fringed beads hung from the skirt. “This seashell necklace looks nice with it,” she said, holding it up to Maya’s neck.

  Maya’s lips parted as she laid eyes on it. “Thanks so much.” She bounced from foot to foot as she could hardly contain her excitement getting dressed. The head wrap Warren had given her matched perfectly with the belt, and the boots were cute, similar in style to Uggs, but handmade.

  Seeing herself in the clothes gave her a nostalgic energy. It was like being given a glimpse into her native past. If the explorers had never come to the Americas everyone she knew would still be dressing this way. She put her hands on her cheeks and looked at her face in the mirror. Her inner tribal soul stared back at her.

  Chantal copied Maya as she stood behind her wearing regalia with embroidered designs. Maya laughed, shoving her cousin playfully. Chantal grabbed Maya by the arm and pulled her out the door. Chantal practiced her dancing footwork as they went down the quiet hallway, and Maya tried to imitate it.

  “Not like that,” Chantal said. “Like this.”

  Maya tried to keep to the rhythm as they linked arms. They rounded the corner into the lobby where Grandma Oriel was headed out the front doors. She was also in traditional clothing, decorated with ribbons and beads. It looked like a collective of many things she had gathered over her years. They each took grandma’s arms as they walked her out the double doors.

  She turned her head to either side of her, kissing their cheeks. “I’m so happy I get to spend this event with both of you. I’m proud of what you’ve done this summer.” She beamed at them with the side of her face that could manage a smile.

  They kissed her back.

  Maya felt tingling in her hands. “I’m so lucky to have my first pow wow with you, Grandma.” Knowing Grandma had come close to a brush with death, she meant every word of it. She had more respect for her than ever. There was so much she could learn from someone that had lived through the past eighty-five years.

  The beat of the eagle drum felt like the heartbeat of the Earth Mother as they came outside. Grandma Oriel began to chant to the music. There was a crowd of visitors gathered around the bonfire by Ahote’s hut, dancing and chanting.

  Over the bonfire was a pot with flames licking up the sides. Maya was curious what could be in it, but quickly forgot about it as they looked up at the billions of stars that sparkled in the night sky, reminding Maya how small she was in the universe.

  Her eyes settled back onto Ahote. He wore a bustle of hawk feathers on his back and a roach warriors headpiece, just like many of the other men in the circle. His three brothers sat in the middle of the pow wow drumming. The broken stone tablet that Dr. Parker had stolen from them sat by their feet.

  Maya felt satisfied at the sight of it being with her tribal family.

  Ahote spoke over the drumming. "It isn't often in life we have the pleasure of knowing someone responsible for changing our lives. They often disappear before their time, like a wisp of steam... You can't grasp them fast enough before they are gone. We live on borrowed time. Fearless Legend was my confidante, my friend, my rock. He was my wife’s horse, and then my son’s. We celebrate his memory and thank him for paying with his life in order for Warren to keep his."

  Warren sat on a log drinking tea. His shirt and pants were black and had colorful armbands, a breastplate, a bustle with feathers, and a roach warriors headpiece. He was stunning with his broad chest, his square jaw, and the fire shed light over his face like copper.

  Ahote began a dance with steps that looked like the running man and his head bobbed back while he turned in circles. The rest of the people in the crowd shuffled in a circle around the drummers. Chantal and Maya brought grandma into the mix of the tribe.

  "This dance is the tribal chicken dance," Chantal explained as she showed her how to do the steps.

  Maya nodded, trying to copy.

  “I’d like to sit,” Grandma said, trying to catch her breath after the walk down.

  “Absolutely, Grandma,” Maya said.

  They brought her to a log where she took a seat and gave her hugs.

  An elder began to chant to the rhythm. Maya and Chantal followed along with the steps of the crowd as they danced around the bonfire that spit sparks over their heads. Maya closed her eyes as she learned the steps, feeling the presence of tribal members as if in a dream. As she shuffled her feet around the fire she could see the auras of the Kachinas outside the circle in their animal forms, dancing. An overwhelming joy swept through her and she smiled.

  Minutes later, someone tickled Maya on each of her sides. She jolted with laughter and looked back to find Warren smiling down on her. He shuffled along with her as they kept to the beat which began to quicken.

  A woman came out with hoops made from tree branches. She used them to do tricks while dancing, intertwining them on her arms and spinning.

  The dance continued for hours. Maya learned new steps and barely noticed while guests from the hotel gawked at them. She ignored their pointing and picture taking.

  The evening’s festivities came to an end as the drummers played their final beat. The bonfire smoldered out into a cloud of smoke.

  Warren held Maya's hand and guided her behind the stables where they were out of the view of prying eyes. She longed to be in his arms, and he enveloped her, giving her a long kiss. She ran her fingers around his back, feeling his muscular shape through their thin cotton clothes.

  "I love you," he said tenderly. He pulled her closer, leaning against the wooden boards.

  "I love you too.” She lowered her eyelids and leaned in for more. But he pulled away.

  "No... you don't understand. In my brush with death, you were the last thought I held onto before going to the afterlife.” He gave her a hard stare. “I thought if there was one thing I would do differently, I would give everything I had to be with you."

  Her breath caught in her throat, leaving her speechless.

  His hand rested in the small of her back, pulling her closer. "I will love you always. Not only is your beauty worth thousands of compliments, so is your way with the horses, and your paintings… I feel this longing to be with you every time you’re near."

  She felt an ache in her chest, sharing the same
feeling. "You know, this is my last night here.” She looked down at her feet, then back up. “Roy and I are leaving in the morning."

  He pulled her closer. "I will wait an eternity for you." His eyes bored into hers, like reaching to the depths of her soul. "The sun and the moon are so in love, yet they can never touch. When one rises, the other goes down. They're separated by a sea of shining stars but their love never dies. What will separate us? Only the road to your house. As time goes by, we'll grow older... I'll wait for you."

  She wanted to believe him, but graduation was a long way away. He was handsome through and through. Surely someone would come along and steal his heart before then. Time would pass and she would be a distant memory. She looked away. "Three more years?"

  He put his finger on her chin and turned her head back up. "I don't care how long I have to wait.”

  "Another love will cross your path.”

  "Never!" The intensity of his gaze left no mistake of his sincerity. "I will call you before I go to bed every night... and you can visit again."

  She put her lips on his, hungry to taste him.

  "Ahem," a deep voice grunted.

  They turned to see Ahote. Warren loosened his grip around her.

  She was nervous about his reaction, but overall it didn't matter. She wasn’t going to hide her feelings any longer.

  "Warren, it's late. Get to bed," he said.

  "Dad, just let me... Leave us–"

  "Warren!" his voice deepened.

  Warren’s arms dropped and his eyes darted back to Maya. His head bowed as he walked back to the hotel. His feathers rustled in the breeze as he walked away. She felt as though her heart was being taken with him as she rested her head against the stables.

  "Maya," Ahote said.

  She turned on her heal.

  "I have something for you." He lifted the blackened clay pot from over the bonfire and went into his hut.

  As she followed him into the hut she noticed the paraphernalia for the pow wow littered the room. He pulled an empty vile from his medicine cabinet, took a dropper and sucked up water from the pot, then emptied it into the vile and put a cork in it. He handed it to her. It warmed her fingertips.

  "The serum will take care of the curse on your mother," he said, looking her directly in the eye.

  A smile spread over her face like wildfire.

  "But... there is a cost.” His eyebrow arched.

  She looked at him blankly.

  His forehead wrinkled. "When the curse is lifted, something will be taken from her."

  His words were abstract and foreign. "Like what?"

  "There is no telling. It could be something small or something major. What it boils down to is how important it is to you to lift the curse?" He lifted the headpiece from his head and laid it on the table.

  "Well... it's a matter of life or death…" She looked at the liquid in the clear vile and noticed particles floating in it. "It's my only option."

  "Oh no, there is always another option," he said, putting his fingertips together to form a steeple, "but it seems you know what you want."

  His tone made her question herself, but how could she make any other decision? The choice seemed obvious.

  He reached for a paper bag in the cabinet and handed it to her. “This has everything you need to restore the balance back home. When you open it you’ll know what to do.”

  She took it. "Thank you.” She looked at him feeling sad that this would be the last time she would see him for a while. “I'll be leaving early tomorrow, so give me hugs just in case I don't see you."

  He wrapped his arms around her. "Take care, young one."

  She smiled.

  42. Forgotten

  A loud rapping on the door woke Maya from her sleep. Chantal groaned and rolled around while Maya tried to ignore it. Neither of them made a move towards the door.

  It was the inevitable day Maya dreaded. The one that entailed goodbyes and a long car ride. She entertained the thought that maybe, if she laid in bed all day it would pass, and everyone would forget about her leaving, even Roy and Aunt Roslyn.

  Her visit had been a relief from the reality of her life back home. Her vacation at the Bed and Breakfast Escape had been like living on a reality television show, only without the cameras. She had exchanged her real life to discover a new reality. She had been raised in ignorance, away from her heritage, and now she was wiser.

  After a few moments, there was more pounding.

  Chantal rolled over and hurled her pillow at Maya, hitting her in the face. "It's for you.”

  "Maya, let's go!" Roy’s muffled yell came from outside the door.

  She let out a sigh, pushing herself out of bed. "I'm coming.” Her things were packed into a suitcase Chantal had insisted she take. She pulled on her clothes and looked back at Chantal whose face was halfway covered by the sheet. Maya took a running leap and jumped onto her, landing in a straddle on Chantal’s side.

  "Ugh! Get off!" She tried to push her, unsuccessfully.

  Maya flung her arms around her shoulders. "Oh, I'm going to miss your cheerful and vivacious personality in the mornings,” she joked.

  Chantal rolled onto her back and looked up at her with a smile.

  Maya bounced on her, giving her a jolt. “Say it back!"

  "Fine,” she sighed, blowing at a lock of hair that draped over her face. It flailed up and fell back on her mouth. Maya gently tucked it behind her ear. “I'm going to miss you too," she admitted, looking her in the eye. “You’re like the sister I never had. Sometimes annoying-” they flashed smiles at each other, “but we always have each other’s backs.”

  Maya snickered. “I’m the annoying one? You have no idea what your snoring is like, not to mention how sassy you are-“

  “Oh, really? Sassy?” She sneered. “You should listen to yourself sometime.”

  Maya rolled her eyes, jumped up from the bed, and headed to the closet. Chantal sat up as Maya pulled out the latest painting she had done. She held it next to her chest. “I hope you like. Something to cover your bare walls and remind you of our summer spent together.” She flipped the canvas over, feeling nervous about how she would like it.

  Her eyes widened. She flung the covers off herself and came to get a closer look. “It’s perfect,” she whispered. “Warren and Roy with their pitchforks, you, me, Ahote, and Lance on the horses in front of the stables-“ Her eyes combed over the canvas. “I’m surprised you didn’t paint yourself on Fearless-“

  “Look harder.”

  She covered her mouth with her hand. “He’s in the clouds watching over us next to Warren’s mom!” She heard a hitch in her voice.

  Maya gave a shy smile, placing it on the easel. Chantal flung her arms around Maya’s neck. “This has been the best summer ever, even though there were losses.”

  Maya felt a heaviness in her chest. She hadn’t realized until now how close she had become to her cousin, waking up beside her every morning at first had felt intrusive, but she had grown comforted with her by her side. She would miss their bantering. Chantal pulled away and Maya knew she had better get going before she became too sentimental. She grabbed her suitcase and headed for the door, taking one last look around room 111.

  “Bye,” Chantal said.

  She tried to smile but couldn’t. “Bye.”