[Kätzchen]

An eerie silence filled the air as shifting winds ravaged the night and darkness crept in. Flurries of what seemed to be avalanches of white light, sheared off by zillions of triangular prisms, rent the motionless dreamy state from the heavens above.

Breathing, yet feeling suffocated, she felt filled with frightening memories; as if she was in a time warp where everything stood still: not quite moving forward, mountains of memories of lived experiences floated in and out of her consciousness. Her wounded soul lie in the seat suspended by the over-extended seat belt holding her limp body, gently toggling her position from the crash.

Not one thing made sense to her except the small pinging Jezebel’s motor, trying to disengage from the free-fall flight into mid-air over the embankment.

Trying to become alert, yet not quite able to make any distinction about what had just happened, blood slowly oozed from a wound on her head from the impact of crashing into the windshield. Slowly her blood made its way down the bridge of her nose, silently ebbing over her eye which dried in the cold frigid air and nudged her senses into overcharged adrenaline gone haywire.

*ufffffffzzzzz,* she moaned with half conscious emotion.

“What happened? Why can't I breathe? Why is it so cold? Heaven help me” she moaned, as she managed to come a bit more alert to her present reality.

“Yes, oh yesssss .....Jezebel’s brakes,” as she opened her purse in slow motion, looking for the mini flashlight attached to a mirror that was in her purse. Too weak to move and assessing her perilous situation, she realized she was cocooned in Jezebel. Buried in snow, she remembered that somehow it would have to be okay. Managing to release the seatbelt and moving carefully to ease the pain in her side, she found her way to the back seat of the car and curled under the blanket she kept there for emergencies… letting the flashlight fall from her fingers and drifted into unconsciousness.

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“Dayle, we better get this wrapped up and get your stuff back to your car. I have to get the horse back up to the barn and get back to town. It looks like another storm is moving in and I promised her that I would drop in again tonight and check up on her and tell her that everything will be worked out in due time” CC said, with a sense of urgency. Oddly enough the darkness was settling in fast, as the huge clouds descended from above and threatened dense, foggy conditions. The cattle were getting ancy: which, one could usually rely on the signals of animal behavior to know that a change in weather (or something of some sort) was going to happen soon. Dayle concurred that something in the air didn't feel right and hurried to pack up all the fishing gear and tackle box supplies and looked up at CC with a worried look on hir mind.

“Do you think that everything will really be okay, given the timing of how everything happened,” she asked thoughtfully? After all, the tidbits of benign information that CC had shared in private with Dayle, left Daye feeling that something also wasn't quite right with the whole situation either.

First, that afternoon, CC had learned that the quiet valley resident had a lot of experience in anthropological work. Dayle was working on a project out in the digs past the reservation. The surrounding valley, at one time, had been inhabited by a little known tribe of Indians (the Klamath). Just above Grizzly Mountain were ancient burial grounds that were considered sacred by members of the Tribe of the Klamath. At one time, in Dayle's discoveries, s/he learned that Coyote had come to visit the chief of the tribe back in the late 1800's. Coyote asked the medicine man where the chief was. Medicine Man told Coyote that he could ask the Blind woman down at the shore of the lake who was fishing for her meal that day. Once Coyote found the Blind Woman, he asked where he could find the chief of the Tribe - for he had a message to be told with urgency. The Blind Woman said that the Chief was busy saying prayers for the elders and sick of the Tribe and that she would see him, the Chief, at the edge of Grizzly Mountain. Grizzly were a revered mountain bears that governed the strength of the mountain, so off went Coyote to find the Chief. Coyote, shifting off into the mountain, manifesting before the Great Chief of the Klamath, told her that White man was coming and that life as the Tribe knew it, would exist no more. Things were to be forever changed. Coyote told her that he would keep her safe always until the Day of the Klamath way of life was restored, and beings could once inhabit the earth as meant to. Coyote then changed the Chief of the Klamath into an Hieroglyph on the top most Rock of Grizzly Mountain, where the Grizzly would roar to life in battle for earth. And there she remains to this day, at the top of Mt. Grizzly.

CC was amazed at all the information s/he learned about the surrounding area of the Green Springs and how at one time is was part of the Trail of Tears for the Klamath. Dayle found many rare finds in hir adventures, supervising the archaeological digs for the Tribal Council. It was like having a new friend who might be able to shed light on the shady events that transpired out at the secret park, off of the old hwy southwest of town, toward the settlement where the earth was used build homes of material local to the environment.

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“Dayle, do you need my help to get your things up to your vehicle,” CC asked during this reverie of recounting what s/he had learned that afternoon, as they fished and killed tie together.

“I would certainly welcome that CC,” and as if in one swift movement off the horse, CC jumped down and loaded what s/he could of Dayle’s fishing gear and then helped Dayle up onto the horse.

“Hang on Dayle, this is faster and with those clouds moving in, we need to get a move on it before it tears loose in the sky!”

With the same force of magnitude that CC used to help Dayle up onto the horse, CC mounted the huge steed and with a flip of the reins, they galloped at full speed for the road across the meadow. As soon as they got to the vehicle, it started to spit snow. The steed upon which they rode was burning with heat from the fast paced jaunt - not to mention the extra weight of another rider. Sliding off the saddle and unloading some of the fishing cargo, CC instructed Dayle to let the reins drop and to follow hir lead. As fast as CC had heaved Dayle up onto hir mount, Dayle dismounted with relative ease.

“Thanks for the lift,” Dayle roared. “Call me when you get back to her place, so I know you made it safely and we'll arrange to meet tomorrow – if that is still the plan” Dayle rambled, in a hurried way due to the snow starting to pick up a faster and more furious pace of downfall. The steed stood there obediently waiting for CC’s cue to take hir back to the barn, snorting with ferocious attitude.

Just as soon as the steed snorted, CC’s attention came to full alert. S/he knew what that snort meant and the steed wasn't kidding. With swift motion s/he remounted the steed, and as s/he was getting ready to take off toward the barn, CC yelled over the silent snow fall to Dayle: “It could be late before I get back to you tonight Dayle. I'll use a secret signal: two rings, to call back right away; or three rings to meet up tomorrow at first light for coffee in town.”

And with the steed galloping off toward the barn with CC, Dayle hurried to load the fishing tackle into hys vehicle and got out a warm coat and gloves before getting ready to start the 4 door truck to high tail it back to town.




Dearest Diary,

It’s not often you are wrong and it's not all that often you are right. It's kind of like a jagged path wandering the hillside of the Mountain and the spirit calls out in a low voice to direct my path. I am glad I did what was needed to do for my classes; was happy to make a new friend; and am soulfully humble, as an observer of peril among those of us who are challenged by changes in life. Thank you for always being here: A place where I can write, think or listen silently to the wind. And, Dearest Diary, I know with every ounce of wisdom that has been bestowed on me, that friendship is more important now than ever before. Thank you for the gentle nudge from the universe and thank you for being you - Dearest Diary - always a heart beat so close and warm.