People of the Weeping Eye(170)

“Openings,” the Kala Hi’ki said. “The passages that allow Power to slip between this world and the next. Snakes are beings of great Power. They move without legs, and shed their skins. We treat them with utmost respect.

“You are from the north; you have different origins and beliefs than the Tsoyaha. People are like leaves. They come in different shapes in the north, south, east, and west. Among our peoples here in the southern lands, and in particular the Tsoyaha, the snake is a master of water. He calls the rain and coaxes water from the Underworld through springs. Those are the black openings represented by the dark ovals you see on the snakes’ sides. Then, finally, the waters flow together, following the Spirit of the great ancestral snakes that crawled over the earth just after it was Created by He-Who-Sits-Above: the one we call Gohantoneh. When the earth was still wet mud, just after Crawfish brought land up from the bottom of the oceans, the great serpents crawled down from the heights. The land was like wet clay, and where the giant snakes crawled, they called the waters after them. It was in this way that the rivers were formed. Even today, when you look down on rivers from high places, you can see the Spirit of the serpents as the waters flow.”

She asked, “Why is there an opening between them? I mean, the way it’s cut out around their heads?”

“Ah, that is the passage from this world into the Underworld. Anyone journeying into the Underworld must pass between the snakes’ heads. There, they will be judged. The weak, or those who are not worthy, will be devoured. Only the greatest Dreamers can pass.”

“Have you done that?” she asked, aware that Old White had entered the room.

The Kala Hi’ki was silent for a moment. Then, in a low and reverent voice, he answered, “I have.”

From outside, a great shout could be heard, thousands of voices rising in the morning air. Two Petals turned toward the sound, feeling the weight of those countless souls pressing around her.

“The games have started,” Old White noted.

“How do you feel?” the Kala Hi’ki asked Two Petals. “Can you sense them?”

She closed her eyes, nodding, aware of the calming effect of the tea. It eased the incipient panic at the edges of her souls. The movement of the world had settled, slowing. Time seemed to weave around her.

“It is better.”

“Good. Now, I want you to concentrate. You are a great boulder in a slow-moving river. Let the world wash around you. We have practiced this; now you must actually do it. Let the world flow around you. Remember that you are the rock. All those thousands of people cannot wash away your sides. Instead, they part, moving to either side, flowing past you. You are not of them, but separate, compact, and impenetrable.”

She nodded, falling into the mantra of his soothing voice. I am a rock. The river of souls and time flows around me.

“Do not let them distract you.” The Kala Hi’ki’s voice came from a distance. “You can look at the water, observe it. But you are stone, impermeable, and water can only pass around you.”

She nodded.

“Are you a rock?” the Kala Hi’ki asked. “Are you solid, contained within yourself?”

She smiled, saying, “Yes.”

“Good, then let us go out. You will be a rock, and observe for me. You will tell me only what you see. For this moment you are my eyes. You are only my eyes. Eyes of stone. Eternal, strong, and impervious to the river of sounds. You will allow the souls of others to wash around you. The current of time passes, but it does not affect your great weight.”

She nodded, willing her souls to be stone.

“If you are stone, take my hand. Lead me to the doorway.”

She reached out, taking his maimed hand in hers. Walking carefully, she passed Old White and led the Kala Hi’ki to the doorway. The sunlight was bright, and she squinted as they stepped outside. The sound of the people smashed against her. She staggered at the weight of it. I am a great stone. It washes around me. She swallowed hard, looking inside, feeling herself grow solid like the rock he insisted that she be. I am a rock. She took a step. And then another. With each, she let the roar of the crowd wash around her, over her. In the blinding light she made her way to the palisade gate at the mound top.

A sea of people surrounded the plaza. The height of the mound gave her a clear view of the great contest being waged on the stickball field. The sight of it brought her to a stop at the head of the stairway. In all directions, shouting, milling people crowded around the plaza. House roofs seemed to rise from the human mass like islands.

I am a rock. She struggled to simply let herself be.

A rock. Keeping that thought was so difficult. It seemed to slip back and forth like a fish.