Onwaachige the Dreamer Read online

  “No, I’m asking,” Mokwa said, as though he shouldn’t be expected to answer everything.

  “All I know is that it looks like it’s going to rain again any second,” Joshua said.

  “Bro, it’s not going to rain on us. The Little People are totally with us. You dreamt it!”

  A sudden flash of light shot across the sky, ripping it in two, unleashing a deluge on the increasingly skeptical boys below. The three pulled their shirts over their heads, despite already being drenched by the latest downpour. Another flash of light illuminated the dark sky, followed by a thunderous sound, which reverberated for miles throughout the forest.

  “Do you think this is a sign?” Mokwa asked.

  “Shut up,” Little Deer said.

  The three drifted by a large field, and Joshua thought it a good place to light a fire. Besides being freezing cold, Joshua didn’t feel safe being in the open waters in the middle of such a menacing thunderstorm.

  “Mokwa, let’s pull over. There is too much lightning,” Joshua suggested as he pointed to the open field.

  “Afraid of a little lightning?” Mokwa asked.

  “Let’s just say I’m not a fan,” Joshua said cryptically, not really wanting to get into it.

  “I’m cold too,” Little Deer said.

  Mokwa relented and the canoe came to a sudden halt as it slammed into the ground on the riverbank. Not wanting their canoe to dislodge, they pulled it up far on to the shore. They flipped it upside down so it wouldn’t fill up with water. Joshua could barely feel his fingers anymore, and he started to shiver uncontrollably. Mokwa led them over to the edge of the field to gather wood for a fire.

  “I can’t believe it’s August,” Mokwa said, shivering himself.

  They had plenty of emergency clothing shoved into their backpacks. But everything was soaked from the hours of rain. They needed to find a way to warm up soon or hypothermia would set in and place their lives in danger. Stupid Little People, he thought, no longer feeling very reverent.

  “We need to light a fire soon,” Little Deer said.

  The rain pounded the field before them, reducing visibility and making the task at hand almost impossible. “How do we build a fire in this weather?” Joshua asked hopelessly. He rubbed his hands together furiously, hoping friction would warm them up.

  “It’s easy,” Mokwa said, still being his bright and peppy self. “We just need some birchbark.” He pointed to all the birch trees that surrounded the open field.

  “I don’t understand,” Joshua asked. “Why is birchbark so special?”

  “Didn’t they teach you how to survive at Scout camp?” Mokwa asked, showing his first sign of impatience.

  “It wasn’t nature I had to fear at Scout camp!” Joshua yelled, angry at Mokwa for bringing up his experience at summer camp. He started to run off into the field, but he could barely see where he was going. He came to a sudden stop, overcome by hopelessness.

  “Too soon,” Little Deer said, shooting Mokwa a judgmental gaze.

  Mokwa looked surprised by Joshua’s reaction, as though not realizing he had gone too far. He immediately ran after him.

  Joshua felt Mokwa’s arm reach around his shoulders in a supportive hug. “Sorry,” Mokwa said, obviously feeling bad from his thoughtless comment. “I guess this is why Jenny keeps telling me I’m a jerk.”

  As they faced the dark field together, cloaked by the downpour and thick mist, Joshua started to cry. It wasn’t the rain that was bothering him. It was everything else. A flood of emotions surfaced. He missed his friends from camp, and he worried about their wellbeing. His friend Robby was so devastated by the tragic accident that had occurred there, and Cody as well. And even without Cody’s father knowing his secret, Cody had a real monster to deal with. But above all that, there was Levi, the coldhearted and ruthless bully who had so terrified him at camp. Ironically, he would give anything to bring Levi back to life. What Levi had done to him and his friends no longer seemed so unbearable. Mirroring the torrential downpour, a flood of tears poured from Joshua’s eyes, and he turned and embraced Mokwa.

  “He’s dead!” Joshua cried. “What have I done?”

  “Protected your friends,” Mokwa said, holding Joshua tighter. “There is no sin in that.” The rain relentlessly pounded the two, as though trying to drench any remaining dry spot.

  Joshua ignored the rain. He would have been content to stand there in Mokwa’s arms in the freezing cold for hours, but Joshua suddenly noticed Little Deer standing next to them. “The fire,” Little Deer reminded the two.

  Mokwa released Joshua and pointed to some fallen birch trees a few feet away. “That should do it,” he said, and he walked over to the trees with Joshua. Little Deer remained behind to prepare a spot for their campfire.

  “So why birchbark?” Joshua asked. “Preferably without the attitude this time.”

  As the two gathered the fallen wood and brought it over to Little Deer, Mokwa told Joshua the legend. “Long ago there was a boy named Wiigwaas,” Mokwa said. “And even from before he could speak, he was a very special boy.”

  “How so?” Joshua asked as he dropped a birch log next to Little Deer. Little Deer picked it up and arranged it into a pyramid formation.

  “He had been touched by the Creator in some way,” Mokwa said. “And this gave him an overwhelming desire to serve others. He helped his parents by doing not only his chores, but their chores as well. And he even helped others in his village when he was done with them. No matter how menial the task, Wiigwaas was always there to cheerfully help out his fellow man. And when he was done helping people in his village, and there was nothing else to do, he would then go to other villages and help them.”

  “What does this have to do with birchbark?” Joshua asked, handing another piece of birch over to Little Deer.

  “Be patient,” Little Deer said as he grabbed the wood from Joshua.

  “Yeah, dude, give me a second. Sheesh.” Mokwa paused for a moment to refocus. “Okay, so, while barely a young man,” he continued, “Wiigwaas was killed in battle while trying to protect his people. He was buried near his village, wrapped in white buckskin.”

  “I don’t think I’m in the mood for a sad story right now,” Joshua said.

  “It gets better,” Little Deer informed him, taking out a piece of flint and steel while Mokwa continued with the story.

  “One day, his father observed a white tree growing above his son’s grave, and in a dream, its amazing properties were revealed to him. His father learned that birchbark was resistant to water, so you could make waterproof baskets out of it, and, of course, canoes. And you could make warm, dry lodges from it.”

  Little Deer hit the flint and steel together, releasing several hot sparks that exploded in all directions. He caught one spark on a piece of charred cloth he had with him, and quickly but gently blew on it. A flame came to life, and Little Deer swiftly moved the embryonic flame to his birchbark campfire, gently placing it underneath the little pieces of wet birchbark that he had carefully prepared.

  “And finally and most importantly,” Mokwa finished, “it burns easily, even when wet, so you can always make a fire with it.”

  As he said it, the birchbark burst into flames, engulfing the entire pyramid formation.

  “And so even in death,” Mokwa concluded, “Wiigwaas found a way to continue to help his people. And to honor him, to this day we refer to birch trees as Wiigwaas.”

  The three rolled up some stumps and sat around the fire. Joshua held out his hands, still rubbing them together, and bathed in the fire’s warmth. After just a few seconds, the anxiety he had been feeling abated. He was with Mokwa and Little Deer, after all. And with them, he would always be safe.

  Mokwa put his arm around Joshua as they sat on a fallen log in front of the campfire. Joshua was freezing, and Mokwa hugged him closely as he shivered uncontrollably. But already Joshua was warming up.

  Little Deer knelt in front of them, attending to his fire
.

  “Come on, Little Deer, join us,” Mokwa said invitingly.

  “No, I’m not cold anymore,” Little Deer said, uninterested in the invitation.

  Joshua and Mokwa reached over and grabbed Little Deer, pulling him back to the log and sitting him down next to them. “Okay fine,” Little Deer said stoically, obviously having no choice in the matter.

  Joshua sat in between the two, hugging both of them tight with each arm.

  As a peaceful silence ensued, Joshua laid his head on Mokwa’s shoulder. The boys were still wet, but sitting in front of the raging fire, they were no longer cold. They gazed at the warm and life-giving flames, calmed by its hypnotic effect. The warmth and solace provided Joshua with a moment to reflect on Mokwa’s harsh and dismissive words concerning Levi. “You were right about him,” he said calmly. “Someone else would probably be dead right now if I hadn’t been around.” Joshua sniffed, but this time it was from the cold. He felt perfectly calm as he considered the situation. “I just know I don’t have to be happy about it,” he finally said.

  “You don’t have to be sad about it either,” Mokwa replied.

  “But I’m responsible!” Joshua yelled, immediately starting to lose it again.

  “Dude, if you were dead, do you think Levi would be crying about you right now?” Mokwa argued.

  Joshua considered that for a second, and it didn’t take him long to realize Mokwa was right. “No,” Joshua said. “He’d probably be laughing about it.”

  “You’re not him. It’s okay to cry,” Little Deer said.

  Little Deer won the argument with a minimal amount of words.

  His friends were right, but Joshua wasn’t ready to give up on his emotions regarding Levi’s death so quickly. Nevertheless, it was time to change the subject. “So do you really have Sasquatch out here?” he asked, intrigued by the many mysteries on the reservation.

  “Of course we have Sasquatch,” Mokwa said without hesitation. “I’ve seen him myself!”

  Joshua’s eyes lit up in excitement. “No way, you saw a Bigfoot!”

  Mokwa gazed intently at the fire. “Well, okay, I didn’t technically see him. More like heard him.”

  “It was a wolf,” Little Deer said.

  “Dude, everyone knows that Sasquatch sounds like a wolf!” Mokwa objected.

  “Well, if I saw one, or heard one, I’d be running pretty fast,” Joshua said.

  “You can’t run from a Bigfoot,” Little Deer informed him.

  Joshua continued to gaze at the fire.

  “So tell me about this hottie of yours,” Mokwa said, once again breaking the silence.

  “Who do you mean?” Joshua asked, confused as much by the sudden change in subject as anything else.

  “Cody, right? Is he cute?” Mokwa pressed.

  Joshua smiled. “Yeah, he’s totally cute.”

  Mokwa reached in front of Joshua over toward Little Deer. “High five, Little Deer,” Mokwa shouted as his hand clashed with Little Deer’s in front of Joshua’s face. Joshua smiled. But as he reflected, his demeanor changed. “It doesn’t matter, though,” he said sullenly. “I can never be with him.”

  “Because of his asshole father?” Mokwa asked.

  “Yeah, but even so, it’s not like we could get married and have kids. Not in this world at least.” Joshua knew full well that gay marriage would never be a reality in this country.

  “Yeah, that sucks, Pukawiss. You’d make an amazing father.”

  “Really?” Joshua asked, never having considered that before.

  “Yeah, I could totally see you reading bedtime stories to your kids,” Mokwa said. “And getting them all tired and ready for bed.” He paused for a moment as he ran the scenario through his mind. “And then telling them about your dreams and terrifying the shit out of them.”

  Joshua laughed. “Ha, very funny.” He looked at Little Deer. “So what about you, Little Deer? Do you want to get married and have kids some day?”

  “No,” Little Deer said softly.

  “How can you say that? Everyone wants kids,” Mokwa said.

  “Too many people already,” Little Deer said.

  “You can never have too many kids,” Mokwa replied.

  “I don’t like people.”

  Mokwa leaned forward and looked over to Little Deer. “Ouch, person here.”

  “No, I like you.”

  Next it was Joshua’s turn to lean forward and look at Little Deer.

  “And you,” Little Deer said to Joshua. “And also Gentle Eagle.” He paused. “That’s it, though.”

  “Sure you’re not forgetting anyone, Little Deer?” Mokwa pressed.

  “I don’t think so,” he said confidently.

  “Dude, my girlfriend. You may have heard of her. She’s your sister!”

  Little Deer paused as if considering it, but he remained silent. After about a minute of uninterrupted quiet he added, “Yeah, maybe.”

  “So there are some awesome people out there. You just got to give them a chance.”

  “That’s what Pywacky thought,” Little Deer said.

  “Dang, Little Deer. For someone who doesn’t talk, you sure know how to win an argument.”

  “Yeah.”

  A flash of lightning illuminated the sky. The rain had been unrelenting for hours now, as the night engulfed them. But the lightning had mostly been holding back, as if awaiting the right moment to unleash its violent energy. Suddenly, another burst shot from the sky, striking a tree a few hundred feet away from the boys. The sudden flash blinded them for a second, and they instinctively covered their eyes. The resulting thunder shook Joshua to his feet in a near panic, which quickly transformed into rage.

  Joshua didn’t like lightning. He had seen way too much of it in his dreams lately. Its presence reopened the barely healed wound that was summer camp. “This is stupid!” Joshua shouted to his friends, as he stood before the fire. “I got you all into this. I put you at risk. And for what? My stupid dreams? My stupid father! He didn’t even say good-bye to me!” Joshua took a few steps away from the fire and gazed into the dark, foreboding field. Between the darkness and the downpour, visibility was almost zero. He faced the blackness and released all his pent-up frustration and rage, shouting in a loud voice, “Fuck you, Father!” An intense silence followed.

  Mokwa got up and walked over to Joshua, sensing that he needed calming once again. Joshua felt Mokwa place his hand gently on his shoulder.

  “It’s okay, bro. The manitous are helping us.”

  Joshua broke away from Mokwa’s gentle touch. “There are no manitous!” Joshua screamed. “This is stupid. Fuck you, Dad!” he shouted again into the field.

  “Joshua?” a barely audible voice called back from the darkness, almost completely drowned out by another clash of thunder. “Is that you?”

  Joshua and Mokwa stared at each other in astonishment. Little Deer stood up and joined them.

  “Um, unless you’re dreaming again, I think maybe the Memegwesi are hiding out in that field,” Mokwa said, his voice slightly quivering.

  CALEB DIDN’T know how long he had been out there with Black Crow searching for the elusive cat. All he knew was that he was drenched all the way through to his boxers. His shoes mocked him with obnoxious squishy sounds with every step. And most of all, he was absolutely freezing! His fingers were cold, and a constant shiver quaked his chilled body. But the worse the weather got, the less it mattered to him. His own physical anguish only reminded him of how bad things must be for Pywacky, that poor abused creature who had dared to trust a human. Nothing mattered more than finding him. But as the hours passed, and the two had searched one site at the village after another with no luck, Caleb became increasingly despondent. After a while, even Black Crow’s taunts and insults, innocent though they were, no longer amused him. Defeated, the two finally took shelter in a wigwam next to the Wisdom Lodge, where they lit a small fire.

  “Thank God,” Caleb said as the crackling fire came to li
fe. “I’m freezing!”

  “I know. I haven’t been this cold since I went winter camping with my uncle.”

  Caleb was stunned by the statement. “Your uncle took you camping in the winter?” he asked incredulously.

  “Yeah, he never liked me very much.”

  Caleb snickered. “Don’t make me laugh. I’m not in the mood.”

  “Sorry,” Black Crow said, handing Caleb a hunk of the fry bread he had been carrying around with him to entice Pywacky with.

  Caleb took the slice and scarfed it down, only then realizing how hungry he was. And soon after eating the piece of fry bread, another urge presented itself. He was thirsty. “Unbelievable,” he said. “How could I possibly be thirsty?”

  “What do you mean?” Black Crow said.

  “I’m drenched. There isn’t so much as a centimeter of dryness on me, and somehow I’m thirsty.”

  Black Crow laughed as Caleb took off his shirt and dangled it in front of the fire. He placed the leftover fry bread in a bag on the ground and lay down on a comfortable Ojibwe blanket, one of the exhibits for the tourists.

  “Do you think he’s okay?” Black Crow asked, his eyes beginning to droop.

  “I’m not going to stop looking until I know,” Caleb answered, still determined to find the cat.

  “No, I mean Joshua, and the others,” Black Crow said.

  “I don’t know,” Caleb replied. “But they can’t be doing worse than we are.”

  Black Crow laughed as he started to drift off to sleep.

  PASTOR MARTIN was tired after a long, hard evening of acting as a mediator between Gentle Eagle and Catherine. For hours, he and Gentle Eagle had presented a reasonable and accommodating proposal, whereby Joshua could have occasional contact with reservation life. And for hours, she refused to give in on her insistence that Joshua was eternally forbidden from seeing his family or friends again. She was adamant that Joshua did not belong here and any amount of contact would only contaminate him. Amidst his discouragement over Catherine’s unyielding stubbornness one final argument occurred to Pastor Martin. It just might work. What could it hurt?