Pine Ridge
Secora’s face creased with concern almost instantly. She ended the call with, “Be careful, Gideon, I love you.” She shared the disturbing news that Jimmy was in a hospital after being stabbed by gang members up at the Porcupine Desert development. At first, Destiny was in shock. “What in Sam Hill was he doing out there?”
Secora whispered, “I think he was offering a funeral for a veteran buddy, but when he left, he tried to stop some gang members from beating a woman to death across the street. He was stabbed in the attempt. Gideon is nearing Pine Ridge now.” Destiny came undone. “What do you mean? Who’s watching our children?”
After she got a grip, Secora said, “We need to get to Pine Ridge A.S.A.P.!” Her eyes fixed on their two enigmatic guests, “So sorry to leave you both, after having barely met.” Destiny suggested, “You could ride double with us back to the ranch, where we will return the horses.” The weaver said, “Marcus Aurelius told us, ‘We live only now. Everything else is either passed or unknown.” He noted the quizzical looks on Secora and Destiny’s faces and said, “Do not worry. We must take different paths.” Secora put on her backpack and gathered the reins.
Before she climbed aboard, she said, “I hope you find your cousin before trouble does.” Princess looked to the earth, then back to Secora. “We will see each other again – soon. ”The anxious women reached out to exchange handshakes with the weaver, and big hugs with the tall, careworn princess. The sacred reverie broken, the women mounted and quickly departed.
Secora felt desperate worry for Jimmy growing inside as she and Destiny urged the ponies into a lope whenever the terrain allowed. Their hooves raised puffs of dust until, at last, they entered the corral. After hastily unsaddling and brushing the animals, they thanked Pepita and paid her a generous tip. They told her about their mishap with the chollas and meeting the mysterious people, before heading to their vehicle.
The woman smiled and nodded knowingly, then watched them maneuver their vehicle through the rutted road toward the highway.
********
Secora was deep into the Long Healing Prayer when evening visiting hours brought Gideon and his police friend, Clive, back to Jimmy’s side. He looked both better and worse. Destiny was mopping sweat from his forehead.
“He isn’t eating or drinking. He’s on an IV.” Jimmy half-smiled at the guys and said, “Guess the infection came back?”
”Destiny countered, “I doubt it ever left. They added another antibiotic and hope he will be much better tomorrow.” “So sorry, Jimmy,” Gideon said, touching his arm.
Suddenly, two heads peeked around the doorway. The short man grinned and said, “Hiya cuz,” startling everyone. He and a tall woman entered the room. “Hopituh Shi-nu-mu, you remember me?” Jimmy faintly laughed. “How could I ever forget you, weaver buddy?” He tried to lift an arm in greeting, explaining, “We used to hang out around Supai Village in the Grand Canyon.” “How on earth did you two get here – and so quickly?” Secora was astonished.
Policeman Clive Bullbear, Jimmy and Gideon’s close friend, interceded. “These guys? They’re okay. They showed up at Buzzards Roost today, when Gideon was talking to the juvenile detainees from the gang that stabbed Jimmy, about their life choices. We gave these guys a ride.” Destiny stood and mumbled, “No, no, no.” She almost shouted, “Unfreaking believable. That can’t be! They were just with us, wandering in Baja Mexico, when we got the news that Jimmy was stabbed, and we immediately flew up here.”
Princess said in a calming voice, “People move from place to place.” Weaver smiled and walked straight up to Jimmy’s bedside. “Hey, cuz, this is my friend, the princess.” Jimmy smiled weakly, sweat dripping, eyes almost closed, “I brought the medicine you need.” He lifted the blanket away. “Let me see that wound.” It was then that the princess spoke to Destiny. “When you left, I told you we would meet again soon.” Secora shook her head. “But…”
The princess cut her question off. You knew the weaver was looking for his cousin, because something bad was about to happen, right?” Destiny wagged her head in confusion. “But we even invited you to ride back to the ranch with us.” “Like I said, we took a different path. It was important to find Buzzard’s Roost first. Secora sat back and stared as she drew a deep breath.
Destiny asked, “What is Buzzard’s Roost?” The question went unanswered, and women had to deal with their puzzlement silently, because the subtle, but enigmatic chanting they’d heard and felt at the bottom of the rocky canyon was beginning to emanate from deep within the weaver and the princess. It had the effect of lulling all others in the room into a pleasant – and necessary sleep.
Painted Murals
In early September, Secora and Destiny returned to Baja, but this time with Gideon and Jimmy. Their children stayed with their grandparents, and Uncle Kyah and his fiancée, Ti’i. This time, their guide, Alfonso, was feeling better and personally took them into the Sierra de San Francisco, a World Heritage site known for its “Great Murals,” which were created by Paleoindians.
(Photo Courtesy ~ scene depicting a Paleoindian family dressing caribou hides at their camp nps/gov parks)
They were famous for larger-than-life depictions of humans and animals who once inhabited the central part of the Baja California peninsula from El Rosario in the north to San Javier in the south. Many paleo sites were small, but Alfonso knew where he was taking his guests, and his wife, Pepita, brought their two children. It would only be a two-hour journey. Pepita said, “most of the illustrations were larger than life size, some as much as fifteen meters above the shelter floor.” She thought they might have been painted by giants.
“Many of the reddish outlines of some of the human figures, called ‘monos’, are with red and black paint. They were drawn facing the artists, but the animals were often painted from the side.” Destiny said, “I remember reading that a Jesuit Padre at San Ignacio thought the male monos had loose shirts with a greatcoat and breeches but no shoes.” Pepita responded, “Yeah, well… can’t say I see all that.
But, it does seem like there is often a robe or blanket of sorts.” Unusual because the people wore almost no clothing due to the heat. Secora recalled, “The Navajos I remember from my youth wore wool blankets to protect their skin from the sun. They also used the blankets to protect themselves from wildfires. They would run to the middle of a pond or river. Soak the blankets and huddle inside the wet cocoon to keep away the smoke and flames.”
The banter stopped as they came to a particularly treacherous trail made of broken rock. When they had all passed that danger, the riders stopped to eat a picnic lunch of pupusas and burritos, which were warmed over a small fire, and washed down with coffee and water.
After lunch, Secora noticed that even the horses were snoozing with droopy eyelids, swishing their tails at flies, and lazing in the thin shade of a large boojum. Alfonso whispered to Secora that she should get her camera. She snapped a couple of shots of the children who were constructing a miniature fort in the sand with driftwood and dried mesquite.
Gideon had lifted Graham crackers and marshmallows from his backpack, while Destiny liberated a few chocolate bars from a waterproof container in the small cooler. Jimmy winked and found a few driftwood branch stubs that he whittled to an appropriate thickness, then gave them to Pepita to skewer the marshmallows, roasting them. A few of the perfectly seared treats fell among the fire coals. As everyone finished eating the gooey S’mores, the children’s hands and faces were wiped clean. It was time to climb back on the horses to finish the journey.
They passed the rocky area the women had found before and were maneuvering through the rising cliffs that pushed upward from the surrounding flat valley bottom. As they picked their way through the rocks and twists deep within the rugged formation, they descended only a few hundred yards into a very narrow side canyon where the trail turned a corner and dropped so steeply that it was difficult to proceed with or without the horses.
The path became more unstable, and the side walls were closed in. No horse could fit between the boulders, so the riders dismounted, leaving the animals to rest in the splotchy shade provided by the surrounding boulders, and a single tormented juniper with ancient arms of split, gray wood spread towards the sun. As the adults gingerly moved forward, they kept their hands and watchful eyes on the children, who were protectively kept between them.
Secora was surprised to find herself looking almost straight down into a small box canyon to the left, about a hundred feet below them. It must have had a water source because there was more vegetation there than in the big valley. They paid strict attention now. There was barely room for them to stand on the irregular stony path. Secora was beginning to wonder why they were even there.
Alfonso pointed to the right, then climbed over a large flat boulder and onto a broad ledge, under a narrow rock alcove. Pepita carefully handed him the children, one by one. When it was Secora’s turn to make that leap of faith, she held her breath with awe and respect. From their vantage, they heard a voice, “Helloooo,” from below their position. At first, no one was able to discern where the hailing voice originated. Then, slowly, Secora’s eyes picked up two figures resting about a hundred feet beneath her, on another sandstone ledge. Alonso answered, “Buenos dias, amigos. Hey, cuz.”
They were soon joined by the weaver and the princess, which surprised no one by this point. As the adults moved along the shelf looking upward, the children seized the opportunity to scurry towards the back wall of the overhang, where they huddled and pretended that they were building their new home with a few pieces from an abandoned stack of old driftwood.
After an exchange of warm greetings, the adults returned their gazes to the painted overhang above the cavern. Photos recorded the moment as they caught their breaths and admired the stunning red and black figures thirty feet above their heads. In the yawning maw of the cliff overhang, there was a vast array of red, black, and white painted murals of animals and humans from long ago.
It was a pristine display of mountain sheep, several large birds, and an array of monos, human figures with arms mostly upraised as if in greeting or prayer. Some had bent legs as if they were dancing. There were lines of white dots, perhaps referencing raindrops. Secora moved closer. Destiny exclaimed, “Oh-ho, would you look at that! I was beginning to think we would never see something this awesome!” Amazed, Jimmy Lizardeye said, “This was definitely a place for painting ladders to be used.” “Or, for the long arms of giants,” snickered Pepita.
(Sample of Great Mural Rock Art ~ San Ignacio Museum.)
Jimmy noted, “Look, deer of all ages, and large flying birds. Just amazing!” Secora stood back to observe and record the panel of figures in its entirety. The princess pointed. “There’s an owl, and some smaller lizards. Oh, and two mountain sheep.” Gideon pointed to the left portion. “Look in the corner, you can see snakes, goats, dogs, and pronghorns. Do you think some of these were done at a different time?” Destiny mumbled, “Probably… oh wait. I’ll be darned; I think I see images of a string of piglet-like creatures.
Hey, look, Secora! They have whitish dots and stripes across their bodies, and see their extended noses – they’re tapirs!” Secora joined her. “Wow, I remember that Diegoaelurus may have fed on smaller Eocene tapirs and rhinos that lived here when it was lush and tropical.”
Pepita said, “What the heck is a Diego… Lars?
Secora laughed. Her heart was full of joy as she filmed everything, and took stills from every angle, some of which included the visitors, capturing their joy as Destiny, who was actually crying silently. Secora smiled at her boss. “Our dreams came true.” Destiny sniffed and said she couldn’t wait to share this experience with her new class. Suddenly, the children pointed into a corner, shouting, “Mira, Mira, Look, un gato! Over there is an ugly cat!”
Secora and the others squatted near the children’s wood stack and saw an animal about the size of a thirty-pound house cat curled up in an inset crevice. The strange saber-toothed face blinked at them from a distance. A croak of wonder escaped Destiny’s lips as she recognized something similar to the sketch of a Diegoaelurus she had seen on Secora’s desk. The weaver laughed and said, “He’s probably wondering if we are good to eat.”
Secora wagged her head. “This can’t be right. They shouldn’t be around; they should have died out around 13,000 years ago.” Gideon snarked, “Are you really that surprised, considering your track record? You’re always finding one cryptid or another. Remember the giant sloth?” “Or, the Thunderbird,” Jimmy proposed.
Secora wagged her head. “This one is on Destiny. She came out here specifically for this possibility, and darn it, here it is.” Destiny was still in shock. “Did we just find another ‘extinct’ creature living past its expiration date?” “I guess weird things happen if you hang out with Secora too long,” laughed Jimmy.
“Hallelujah, I’ve arrived!” Destiny seemed to be in ecstasy.
Alonso said as he gathered the children. “He may not be dangerous to adults, but they are carnivores.
Let’s get these kids home, friends.”
**********
I hope you have enjoyed reading this three-part short story and preview of the seventh book, which has not yet been published, in my “Rising Wind” series of novels! If you’re a reader or a movie enthusiast who loves the “Indiana Jones” saga and enjoys mystery, action, and adventure, you’ll find all seven books in the thrilling and gripping “Rising Wind” series to be captivating.
Books are available from Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats.
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https://www.amazon.com/Rising-Wind-3-book-series/dp/B093PRX88L/
Diane Olsen Author, Books, & Stories 