JC: Ed Biggers Part 6: Doyen Chapter 18 By Lazlo Zalezac Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2004 Lunch had been a quiet affair, the silence broken only by an occasional sniffle from one of the wives and the rattle of fork against plate. Kelly had been on the verge of tears ever since Chief Robert White Feather had picked up Beth and Little John to take them out to the reservation for their yearlong stay. Ling kept bursting out in angry tears since Ed had told her that she couldn't stay on the reservation to be close to the kids. She knew he was right, but that didn't make her feel any better. She kept hugging Betsy as if to keep her from suffering the same fate as Little John. The attention was at such a frequency that Betsy was beginning to get irritated by the constant interruption of her movements. Leroy sipped his iced tea wondering how he could rescue Betsy from her mother's arms. The poor girl looked like she wanted to run away. The food sat heavy in Ed's stomach despite the fact that it was Marguerite's cooking. She had prepared a great meal, but no one was in the frame of mind to enjoy it. He looked over at William and Dale as they toyed with their food. Every time Linda moved, William flinched afraid that she was going to grab him again. His clothes were messed up from dropping food off his fork as a result of his mother hugging him while he was eating. For the first time that Ed could remember, William actually looked his age. Sitting back in his chair, he said, "Okay. Someone has to say it." Looking over at Ed, Kelly put into words what all three women were thinking when she said, "They're gone. Our little babies are gone. They'll be coming back all grown up." "Beth will be fifteen when she gets out of college. Little John will be fourteen. I don't think that makes them all grown up," commented Leroy. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he knew he had said the wrong thing. All three of the women broke out in tears. His shoulders slumped in frustration. As tears flooded from her eyes, Linda hugged William to her chest as he was reaching for his glass of milk. Fortunately, he didn't spill the milk. She cried, "William's only five. He can't go away for seven years." Dale sat beside William feeling very uncomfortable around the emotional women. Chief Robert White Feather had dropped him off at the house so that Ed could take them to the airport after lunch. They were leaving for the Native American College in two hours and it seemed to him that time had slowed to the point where two hours was going to last forever. With his face pressed to her chest, it was difficult for William to breathe. He struggled out from his mother's grasp and took a deep breath. Weary, he said, "I'm going to suffocate if you keep doing that and you'll lose me forever." Realizing that she was holding him too tightly, Linda relaxed her hold on him. In a tearful voice, she said, "I'm sorry. I just don't want to lose you." "You are not losing me. I am going to the Native American College for two years. They hold classes according to the regular schedule, so I'll be home for summers. I'll only be gone for nine months," said William. "That's forever," cried Linda. "No, it's just long enough for me to return in time for Eddie to be born," William replied with a grin finding that he liked the idea of having a baby brother. "Eddie?" Ed asked surprised by the announcement. He turned to Linda and asked, "Are you pregnant?" "No," she replied. "Yes," William answered, dropping a bombshell at the table that effectively halted all conversation. He looked down at his clothes and then over at Dale. Shaking his head at the mess, he said, "I'm going to change my clothes and load our gear into the van. Dale, would you like to help me with our gear?" Happy to have a reason to leave the table, Dale said, "Sure." William and Dale left the table. Betsy, seeing her chance to escape and move around without restriction, followed them out of the room. The room was silent after their exit. Marguerite came out of the kitchen and looked at the group around the dinner table. Most of the meal remained in the serving dishes or uneaten on the plates. Frowning, she knew better than to ask about the quality of the meal. Stunned by William's news, Ed said, "I guess I'm going to be a father." "He might be wrong," said Linda, knowing she was wrong even as she said it. William was never wrong about things like that. She brightened and exclaimed, "I'm going to be a mother!" Kelly and Ling turned their attention to Linda and her good news. As they excitedly exchanged words, Ed slipped away from the table. As he passed the office, Cathy called, "Ed. I've got the envelope that you wanted for William." The reminder was timely since Ed had completely forgotten about it. He stopped and accepted the envelope from her and put it into the pocket of his robe. He passed the envelope onto William at the airport two hours later. He was very sad to watch the plane take off and carry William to his destiny. Six months after William had left for college; Ed stood on the roof of the house watching as a caravan of beat up trucks and older cars headed into town. He recognized the truck belonging to Awa Tsireh and, without turning to look at Nathan, said, "They are coming. Make sure that everything is set up in the tent." "Who are they?" Nathan asked. In the past, Ed would give him some information on which to work. This time Ed had told him nothing except that he expected over twenty visitors that day and he was to set up a hospitality tent with food catered by Maria's Cantina. "You don't need to know," answered Ed while watching the caravan turn onto the street leading to the house. Abruptly, he turned and headed towards the stairs to be in place to greet his visitors. His black robe flowed around him as he moved. Confused by the answer, Nathan followed Ed down the stairs before heading to the tent that had been set up in the back yard. Ed went out to stand in the driveway for the caravan while Nathan went out the back door. When the caravan came to a halt in the driveway, Ed fought his natural tendency to approach them. He waited for everyone to get out of their vehicles and approach him. Raising his right hand, he said, "Welcome friends to the house of Clan Carter." "Greetings, Ed Biggers," replied the men as they approached in a disorganized ramble. No one rushed or dawdled, but made their way to him at their own speed. Each man carried a carton of cigarettes as a gift for Ed. Nathan came out the front of the house to stand beside Ed. He watched as each man handed Ed a carton of cigarettes; introduced themselves along with the tribe to which they were a member to Ed; and then stood off to the side. The men represented tribes from all over the western portion of the country. When Ed had too many cartons of cigarettes to carry, he handed them to Nathan and said, "Take them in the house and then go next door. Tell Dan to come over to the tent and then I want you to leave." "Leave? You've sent everyone away. Someone has to handle security," countered Nathan feeling uneasy about getting sent away. He had no idea what was going on, but it appeared to be very important. Irritated that Nathan was interrupting the greetings, Awa Tsireh said, "Go away. Our business here does not concern you." "Leave, Nathan. The men with Chief Robert White Feather are members of the tribal police. They will handle security," said Ed in a tone of voice that suggested Nathan would have better luck arguing with a wall. Nathan looked at the group of six young men with Chief Robert White Feather and nodded his acceptance of Ed's orders. Turning, he went into the house. Ed returned to greeting the other men. When the last one had introduced himself, Ed said, "I have a tent in the back where we may eat and talk." "That is good to hear," said one of the men. Chief Robert White Feather gestured to the men with him as he said, "You three will guard the front of the house. You two will guard the far side of the house. You three will come with me to guard the near side and the tent." Gesturing for them to follow him, Ed led the way around the house to the tent in the back. The canvas tent was twenty feet by twenty feet and ten feet tall along the centerline. Nathan had rented it from a rental place, trying to match what Ed had requested with what they stocked. Ed opened the door to the tent and watched as his guests entered the tent. There were blankets arranged in a circle along the floor for the men to sit upon. The men entered and then took seats on the floor. Awa Tsireh, just before entering the tent, handed Ed a long package wrapped in a small quilt. Realizing what he had been handed, Ed said, "You have honored me." "You do not know what you have discovered," replied Awa Tsireh as he entered and took a seat in the circle. Ed waited the few minutes that it took for Dan to arrive. The engineer was confused by the invitation and became even more surprised when he glanced inside the tent. Nervous, he asked, "Are you sure that you want me here?" "Yes. You were specifically requested," answered Ed. In a low voice that wouldn't carry, he added, "Take the seat to my left and don't say anything until you are called upon." Once Dan entered, Ed gestured to Chief Robert White Feather to stand guard at the door of the tent. Seeing the man approach the tent, Ed went inside and took his seat. Sitting down tailor fashion, Ed looked around and said, "We are all here." Awa Tsireh said, "Ed Biggers, we thank you for your kind invitation to meet with you on this matter." "I thank you for coming," replied Ed. He unwrapped the quilt with great care and removed the ancient pipe from within its folds. Opening a small pouch of pipe tobacco, he filled the bowl. Using a cheap lighter, he lit the pipe sucking through the stem without inhaling. Once the pipe was lit, he took a single draw and blew the smoke up towards the center of the circle. He handed the pipe to the Awa Tsireh who was seated to his right. It took a few minutes for the pipe to make its way around the circle of men. When it was handed to Dan, he was tempted to pass it on, but seeing the look being given him he inhaled through the stem. Coughing and with tears coming out the corners of his eyes, he handed the pipe to Ed. Ed accepted the pipe and set it gently on the ground where it rested on the quilt. Although he knew the answer to his question, Ed asked, "What matter is it that you wish to discuss with me?" Eskieah, an Apache Medicine Man, said, "You sent a note to us through your son. We have come to discuss what you wrote in that note." "I thought that might be the case." Dan wondered what note Ed had sent. It seemed odd to him that he was invited to a meeting because Ed sent a note to Eskieah. He was about to ask, but a look from Ed kept him quiet. "It is an interesting note. You describe something that should not exist, but there is no way you should know about it," said Eskieah with a frown. The note about the hole in the desert had sent shock waves through the Medicine Men of many tribes. The description of the hole had immediately suggested that it was an ancient kiva, a ceremonial structure used by the Pueblos. The remainder of the text suggested something far more significant. Gi Ma To, a Sioux Medicine Man, asked, "Have you ever heard of the Ghost Dance?" Shaking his head, Ed answered, "No." "When Sitting Bull was a Chief of our people, a Paiute Medicine Man named Wovoka created the Ghost Dance. Dancers wore brightly colored shirts emblazoned with images of eagles and buffaloes. By dancing and wearing the shirts, the young braves believed that they would become invulnerable to bullets fired by white men," explained Gi Ma To shaking his head. The end result had been the death of a large number of Sioux in a massacre. Shrugging his shoulders, he said, "It didn't work and many braves died." "That was the last of the great dances intended to rid the world of the white men," commented one of the other men, "but it was not the first." Eskieah said, "Before the Ghost Dance, there was the dance created by Nochedelklinne. His teachings were a call to leave revenge to the almighty giver of life, Usen. He prophesied that whites would soon vanish and there would be a return of the great chiefs. It united our tribe at a time when there were many different factions. When he was killed, Juh, Geronimo and a group of Chiricahuas escaped from the reservation and fought the whites." Recalling one of the few facts about Geronimo that he knew, Ed said, "Geronimo wasn't a Chief. He was a Medicine Man." "Yes, he was. I admit I'm surprised that you knew he wasn't a Chief. Few whites even know he was an Apache rather than something you scream when you jump out of a plane," said Eskieah while chuckling. "So Geronimo came up with a new dance?" asked Ed. A look of real surprise came over Eskieah as he considered the question. It was a question he had never considered, but he was sure that wasn't an explanation. Shaking his head, he answered, "I don't think so. I think the explanation points to an even earlier dance." A Pueblo Medicine Man by the name of Kotyit said, "Early in the invasion of the white man into the land of our tribe, there was a revolt that drove the Spanish from our territory. No other tribe in the southwest succeeded in doing this and we were not reconquered for many years. Although we were under the Spanish, then Mexicans, and finally the U.S., we preserved our traditional culture far better than many other tribes." Curious as to when that occurred, Ed asked, "When was that?" "1680. They resisted the Spanish for twelve years until they were reconquered in 1692." "What has this to do with dances?" asked Ed not seeing the connection. Kotyit answered, "We believe that a Medicine Man found a dance." Puzzled, Ed tried to put all of the pieces together and was coming up several pieces short. Giving in, he guessed, "Are you telling me that the dance worked for twelve years?" "No. We believe the dance has worked for over four hundred years and is still working," said Kotyit. Awa Tsireh explained, "The signs that you included in your note was a major clue. Our people didn't use signs, preferring to keep an oral history. However, Aztecs in Mexico did use signs to record events and they also practiced human sacrifice." "So are you telling me that back in 1680, a Medicine Man of your tribe had gone to Mexico and then returned to create a dance?" asked Ed. "We think that is exactly what happened. From what we were able to make out from the symbols, five members of our tribe and four Spaniards were sacrificed into that hole. According to the message, so long as the number of our people was greater than the number of Spanish in that hole, our people would be victorious," answered Kotyit. Although that was the explanation they had found, the only problem was that there wasn't any oral history on which to base it. He added, "If it happened, then the Medicine Man and all those involved must have died before they ever told anyone what they had done." There was a sound of truth to that explanation, but the results suggested the contrary. Ed asked, "So why did your people fail after twelve years?" Awa Tsireh answered, "We think that in 1692, a white man fell into the hole and died. That created a balance in which neither group could claim full victory. Although we were conquered, we retained our culture far longer and better than other tribes in the area. We also think that another white man fell into the hole much later. Our tribe has suffered much over the past seventy years." "Interesting. So what are you going to do about it?" Ed asked. Eskieah said, "In your letter, you told us what you observed. We want to hear from Dan what he observed." Surprised to be mentioned, Dan looked around for a second as all eyes turned to him. Ever since seeing the Two-Sided One, every attempt to talk about that afternoon when Ed and he had found the hole in the desert had ended with him unable to speak. Swallowing, he said, "I saw a hole in the ground. Nothing more." "You saw nothing?" "That's right. I drove up to the hole and tried to look in, but Ed called me back." "What did you see when you tried to look in?" "Nothing. It was just dark in there," answered Dan realizing that he was able to talk about the experience. Surprised, he said, "Hey, I can talk about it." Eskieah asked, "What do you mean, you can talk about it?" Holding onto his medallion, Ed answered, "The Two-Sided One assured his silence by preventing him from being able to talk about it with anyone but the proper individuals." The answer caused a significant reaction among the men gathered in the tent. One of the men asked, "Why would your God care?" "The Two-Sided One is both a God and a Goddess," explained Ed patiently. He paused to think about how to answer the question. "One of our rules is to protect the weak from the strong. That hole appears to violate our rule and I think the Two-Side One is giving you a chance to correct the situation. I don't know what would happen if another white man were to explore that hole and die. Perhaps the Native American College would fail and your culture might be destroyed." Ed's answer created a lot of excitement among the men gathered in the tent. It was a scenario that none of them had considered. Dan thought about it in light of what William had said about the political power that would result from uniting the tribes under a single identity. Surprised at the direction his thoughts had taken, he said, "Your culture is under serious attack already. Television, music, and gambling casinos must be eating away at it like crazy. I'm surprised it has survived this long. I'd suggest that the Native American College is the last battle in a war that has been waged since before 1680." His announcement brought stunned silence to all of the men gathered there. Gi Ma To said, "We need to consider your words. They suggest much about things that we have not understood for a long time." "I agree," said most of the men. One of the men said, "We must send someone to the site to observe it." "I will go there with Kotyit," Eskieah said to the nods of everyone gathered there. Ed said, "I will take you there when you are ready." Eskieah announced, "I think that our business is done for now." Carefully picking up the pipe, Ed lit it and took a puff from it. Blowing the smoke to the sky, he passed the pipe to his right. After the pipe had made the circuit around the tent, Ed carefully removed the hot plug and wrapped the pipe in the quilt. Once that was done, he announced, "We have food on the tables at the far end of the tent. Please help yourself." It was a subdued group that met at the tables. After Ed had handed the pipe to Awa Tsireh, he went to join the others. Once there, he asked, "Are any of you instructors at the Native American College?" Eskieah and Gi Ma To both answered, "I am." Going over to the two men, Ed asked, "How's my son doing?" Gi Ma To paused for a moment before he answered, "It was a little rough at the beginning until William demonstrated he had the skills to take care of himself. I would like to meet the person who trained him to fight. He's very good." Eskieah said, "All of his instructors are impressed by him. It's hard to believe that a six year old is so knowledgeable and wise." Although William had predicted that he would have a difficult time at first, it bothered Ed to know that the prediction was right. He asked, "How bad was it in the beginning?" "Well, no one took him seriously. In many of the physical activities, he was considered a liability on teams. It wasn't until the students participated in mock raids that his real value was demonstrated. Somehow, he kept showing up in the right places at that right time," Gi Ma To answered. He had found it almost eerie how the young man was always where he was needed. If William hadn't been so strongly tied to the Great Spirit, he would be the ideal warrior when he grew into his full strength. "Academically, he is holding his own," Eskieah said. The young man was not used to relying upon oral renditions of history. "Holding his own?" asked Ed surprised by that characterization of William's ability to learn. "He was used to learning through books rather than storytelling. He was very uncomfortable in classes when everyone gathered around the storyteller. I think that for a long time he relied upon the books that his mother wrote, but he has adjusted to the differences in teaching styles," explained Eskieah. The reliance upon the written word had surprised the instructor since children of William's age normally didn't read and were avid fans of oral stories. "I hadn't thought of that. William has always turned to books to learn everything. I doubt he's asked more than a dozen questions in his entire life," Ed mused as he considered the basic character of his son. After eating, Ed went outside to talk to Chief Robert White Feather. He asked, "Robert, how are the kids doing?" "They are doing fine," answered Robert with a grin. He had been wondering how long it would take Ed to come ask about his family. "That's good to hear. What are they doing?" "John has joined one of the tribal baseball teams and plays right field. He's not too bad for his age. I thought because of how smart the kids are that they wouldn't fit in with the other kids. When it comes to playing though, they are just your normal kind of kids," said Robert. He had been very worried that the other kids on the reservation would label them nerds or palefaces and have nothing to do with them. "Yeah. I've always enjoyed playing with the kids. Are they playing Hunt The Bug-Eyed Monsters?" "Seems to be the new craze on the reservation," Robert answered with a chortle. In his day, it had been Cowboys and Indians and no one wanted to be the Indian. Now, no one wanted to be the Bug- Eyed Monster and that was okay because you didn't really need anyone to play that part. He recalled the day when he'd come into the recreation center to check up on John and Beth. Much to his surprise, he had found a bunch of kids yelling and shouting as their pretend spaceships chased after the monsters. "It's a good activity for those days when the weather keeps the kids indoors. I really enjoy playing it," said Ed wishing he were with the kids. Laughing at the unexpected statement, Robert asked, "You play?" "You bet. John and I played that with the kids all of the time," answered Ed recalling the wonderful afternoons spent with the children. "Beth donated a bunch of radio controlled cars to the activity center. The rest of the kids built an obstacle course behind the activity center. Half the time, you find them out there racing their cars through the obstacle course. It's much better than the video games the kids used to play," commented Robert. The kids had spent almost a week making the course and every week they added changes to it. Ed relaxed and said, "It sounds to me like the kids are having a good time there. You don't know how much that means to me." It was the next day when Kotyit, Eskieah, and Ed saddled their horses to ride out to the pit Ed had found. The horses for his guests had been borrowed from the Auction House and he hoped the two men were pleased with the animals. Ed tightened the chinches on the saddle and turned to watch the other two men at work. He commented, "I hope the horses are okay." "They are fine. This one reminds me of my workhorse that I keep up at my ranch. Mine is a palomino, but has the same spirit as this horse," replied Kotyit. Eskieah looked over at Ed noting that the man was now dressed in blue jeans, work shirt, and cowboy hat. As he worked with the horse, it was easy to tell that Ed was comfortable around the animals and had once made his living on a horse. Although Eskieah had stayed in the house overnight, he found it hard to believe how wealthy the family was based on Ed's behavior. There wasn't any pretence of wealth in any word or action by any member of the family. Even the staff was treated as members of the family. More often than not, the family did things that most people with their kind of money allowed others to do for them. "What are you doing for William's financial future?" asked Eskieah curious about his student. Based on the wealthy background, he had expected the boy to behave like a spoiled rich kid. William had surprised him when, like many of the other students, the boy had taken a part-time job to get spending money. It was clear that there was no need for him to work based on his family's wealth. Surprised by the blunt question about money, Ed turned to look at Eskieah. Deciding that the man meant no harm, he answered, "William is already a millionaire and will receive more money when he turns eighteen and the rest of his inheritance when he turns twenty-one. He will never need to worry about money." "He works part-time in the library for spending money," said Eskieah wondering why William would rather live off the thirty- dollars a week that he earned at the school rather than his money. "Excellent," replied Ed with a smile and more than a little pride that his son was willing to work. "You are proud of him for working," commented Kotyit. "There's nothing wrong with working and I'm pleased that our work ethic has carried onto the children," said Ed although he had no idea how that had happened. Eskieah said, "There is one thing that I'm curious about. There are five books that your son seems to read over and over. They are science fiction books." "I know what you mean. He's always reading Foundation, Second Foundation, Foundation and Earth, Dune, and Dune Messiah. I'll admit that none of us understand his fascination with them," replied Ed. He kept telling himself that he was going to have to read them, but he had never gotten around to doing it. They mounted up and rode out to the far end of the property. The ride was uneventful although the men took their time and talked as they rode. It was a pleasant trip to the pit. When they reached it, the tension suddenly increased to nearly unbearable levels. Kotyit looked at the pit and shook his head. In a quiet voice, he said, "There is something horribly wrong here." Climbing off his horse, Eskieah approached the pit on foot. He nodded his agreement as he walked around it. Ed noticed that the man kept outside the transparent dome of power that he could see over the hole in the ground. Eskieah said, "It is far worse than I thought. It does not have the feel of anything done by any tribe I know." Kotyit climbed off his horse and joined the other by the edge of the pit. Squatting beside the other man, he commented, "It feels old, very old." "I agree," said Eskieah as he picked up some dirt and rolled it between his fingers. He smelled the soil and frowned as his thoughts turned inwards. His stomach twisted from close proximity to the site. "Do you feel it pulling you into it?" asked Kotyit. An injured man or one suffering from the heat would be unlikely able to resist its call. "Yes," answered the other. Ed sat on his horse a good distance from the pit watching the two men. There was no way that he was going to approach any closer. He could feel the wrongness of the place radiating out from the center and felt uneasy. Having heard their theories about the place, he could feel they were close to the truth. It was clear to him that there was more to the story than had been guessed. "This is a source of ill for all of our peoples," Eskieah said in anger. He stood and returned to his horse followed by Kotyit. When they both had mounted, Kotyit said, "It was not done by any of our people although I sense that the spirits trapped inside are of our people." Ed was silent for a moment while he considered all that he had learned. As his horse shuddered, he said, "The Inca and Aztec disappeared. I wonder if this was the only place where such a dance was done."