Excerpt For Love's Soft Voice

Mitakuye Oyasin

(We Are All Related)

"Think about the White Buffalo! It is time that we come together. It is time to be proud. Blood is strong and it never dies. Blood is life and if we mix blood, it will not lose its power. It is time that we stand as One! It is time that we listen to our Ancestors who whisper with Love’s Soft Voice!"

Ruby Lee Whitehurst

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One

For numerous hours, Alan drove down highways and secondary roads while admiring tall pine trees, fresh air, waterfalls and babbling brooks, until he finally reached the dirt path that led to Ms. Whitehorse. Although it’s daytime, Alan surveyed the area for external lighting but he could not identify any. In fact, Alan had not noticed any light poles or houses since he turned up this four-mile lane. Furthermore, Alan fantasized Tarzan swinging across the car at any second. Alan said, "I’ll bet it’s extremely mysterious out here at night! This landscape is spectacular! This vicinity is an enchanting forest!"

Alan is a city boy and he had never visited this "neck of the woods." It had never been necessary to visit this "neck of the woods!" Alan did not catch a glimpse of Tarzan along the way, however, he actually stopped the car and waited for an oversized turtle that crawled out of the ditch and leisurely made her way across the path. What’s more, Alan witnessed a young doe while she nursed two fawns, along the edge of the woods. Alan saw rabbits, squirrels, deer herds, and massive fields that were gleaming with wild oats, wheat, wild berries, and wild flowers. Alan smiled as he identified diverse bird species such as robin, sparrow, blue jay, bluebird, blackbirds, mocking birds, woodpecker, crow, and eagles as they soared overhead.

Surrounded by fragrant pine trees, Alan finally spotted the reserved log cabin that set at the edge of Waterfall Lake. When he got out of the car, Alan noticed an alluring garden that was located on the left side of the cabin. Alan saw that the neatly groomed garden was teeming with flowers, vegetables, and herbs. Alan also saw several fruit trees such as apple, pear, peach, and plum. On the right side of the cabin, Alan saw a cornfield with rows and rows of lush corn stalks. Throughout the yard, Alan noticed bird feeders filled with seed, squirrel feeders filled with corn, and hummingbird feeders filled with nectar.

Entirely on cloud nine and bursting with excitement Alan said, "Man! This place is unbelievable! I have got to note this in my journal!" Alan opened his brief case, retrieved the journal, and wrote, "Driving up this lane is similar to driving through a primitive national park slash wildlife refuge." Alan documented everything that he saw along his route to Ms. Whitehorse and afterward he returned the journal to his brief case. As he got closer to the cabin, he inhaled the aroma of cinnamon and spice.

Ms. Whitehorse acknowledged a knock at the door so she instantly laid down the book that she was reading, on the table beside her rocking chair. She securely gripped her walking stick while advancing en route to answer. Ms. Whitehorse expected company; therefore, it was not surprising when she opened the door to Alan’s enthusiastic face. "Good morning, Ms. Whitehorse! My name is Alan Johnson. I am the graduate student who wrote you the letter; requesting permission to pay a visit and document the renowned legacy of Waterfall Lake!" Alan said as he extended his hand to Ms. Whitehorse. She smiled and gently positioned her petite hand within his.

Alan said, "Thankfully, I will receive my Ph.D., this semester and documenting historical information is one of the graduation requirements. Multitudes of people proclaim; you are an exceptional Conversationalist! May I come inside?" Ms. Whitehorse blushed and said; "Yes, come inside! Sharing the legacy of Waterfall Lake is an honor, nevertheless, I have permitted your request because I am aging each day and I want its history preserved. After I make my last journey, I want the memory of Waterfall Lake to be in this region forever. Waterfall Lake is a sovereign nation and we follow the Waterfall Lake Code of Ethics. Have a slice of homemade apple pie! It’s warm." With a broad grin, Alan said, "Sure! Thank you!"

As Ms. Whitehorse opened the oven door to her wood cook-stove and retrieved the pie; Alan watched her and at the same time, he carefully scrutinized the room. Meanwhile, he detected a pile of firewood that had been painstakingly stacked beneath a window and he was astonished because it was hard for Alan to consider that individuals still use wood for fuel, in this day and time. Alan progressively scanned the entire cabin and he did not see an air conditioner yet it was nice and cool inside and it was even cool outside. "I can’t believe it! This is the middle of August! Where I live, its 102 degrees outside!" Alan said to himself.

Alan noticed that Ms. Whitehorse has articulate hazel eyes and her hairdo is two long ponytails. "Ms. Whitehorse, I recognize that we have just met and I don’t mean to exhibit insolence but may I ask you a question?" Ms. Whitehorse could not imagine what had immediately aroused his curiosity. Meanwhile, Ms. Whitehorse did not realize that Alan was captivated as soon as he successfully turned up her path. Nevertheless, she is willing to respond. "Of course," she said. "Aren’t you frightened, living out here alone?" Alan said. He immediately perceived a glitter in her eyes. Ms. Whitehorse said, "I’m not alone, I have extraordinary friends, freely look around and see! All my relations surround me and the spirits watch over me!" "Spirits?" Alan said. She said, "Yes: spirits. Perhaps you are unaware that there are countless spiritual beings surrounding us at all times such as the Great Spirit, fairies, nature spirits, angels, animal spirits, and Ancestors. We are not alone!"

Alan had never given the "spirit world" much consideration but he is wholeheartedly interested in listening and learning. Ms. Whitehorse said, "Papa died when I was 10 and mama died when I was 23. I have lived here alone for 70 years and I have not been afraid, one time. Besides, Mato stays inside with me at night and he sleeps next to my bed." Again, Alan leisurely looked around but he did not see anyone else. Ms. Whitehorse perceived that Alan questioned Mato’s identity so she said, "Please forgive my manners. I’ll introduce you to Mato."

Ms. Whitehorse cheerfully walked to her back door and loudly yelled, "Mato! Mato, please come inside!" Alan expected to see an energized dog race inside. However, Alan nearly fainted when a gigantic, brown, bear gracefully wobbled inside. Mato is the largest bear that Alan has ever seen, in his entire life. Alan has seen bears at the zoo but nothing as enormous as Mato. Ms. Whitehorse said, "Mato we have company. This is Mr. Alan Johnson." Mato sniffed at Alan; gave his approval and leisurely wobbled back outside. Ms. Whitehorse resumed, "Excluding the few items that I purchase at the grocery store such as sugar, flour, salt, butter, chicken, beef, and milk, Mato and I survive exclusively off the land plus the garden that I nurture. We take only what is necessary for survival and we never waste anything. We try our best not to eat the wild game, unless it is absolutely necessary."

Alan was thrilled when Ms. Whitehorse said, "Come young man, I’ll take you on a short tour." He followed Ms. Whitehorse as she led him through the back door and down a path, that was approximately one half of a mile long. Near the end of the path, Ms. Whitehorse abruptly stopped and pointed towards a neatly constructed shed that was made of mud and straw. She said, "I would like for you to meet Kola and her litter of pups. Kola is Lobo’s great-great-great-great granddaughter and her mate’s name is Maize. The couple lives here along with their litter of pups." Ms. Whitehorse slowly opened the door of the shed and Alan saw a beautiful, gigantic, gray wolf and five-wolf cubs that were energetically playing with each other. Kola calmly wagged her tail while Ms. Whitehorse affectionately rubbed her head.

The tour proceeded and Ms. Whitehorse led Alan to a nearby stream filled with enormous rainbow trout. She eagerly walked over to a sealed barrel and lifted the lid. Alan watched with awe while Ms. Whitehorse threw several hands full of crushed dried corn into the stream. Hundreds of trout surfaced as they greedily devoured the feed. Unexpectedly, twenty ducks waddled over to Ms. Whitehorse while anxiously awaiting a meal and she said, "Hello my sisters and brothers please enjoy your meal." Next, Ms. Whitehorse said, "Before we head back to the cabin, I would like to show you one more thing." Alan followed, and Ms. Whitehorse led him to what appeared to be an ancient Indian village. Throughout the village, Alan saw several antique longhouse structures that were in excellent condition. In the middle of the village, Alan saw a large circle surrounded by massive stones and within the circle, Alan saw the symbol of a cross. Ms. Whitehorse said, "This is the original medicine wheel that my Ancestors created many, many moons ago and the cross represents each point of the compass – north, south, east and west and each of those cardinal directions represent humanity."

Ms. Whitehorse proceeded, "North represents the white race, south represents the red race, east represents the yellow race and west represents the black race." Ms. Whitehorse pointed as she said, "The medicine wheel is symbolic to the wheel of life. The area above the wheel represents above, the area in the middle represents within, and the area at the bottom represents below." Alan was awestruck. Ms. Whitehorse said, "We still use these sacred tribal grounds, whenever we have gatherings or ceremonies." On the eastern side of the village, Alan saw a small brick structure and within a concave inside the structure, Alan saw a small fire brightly glowing. Ms. Whitehorse said, "This is our Sacred Fire and the Fire Keeper tends it daily to make certain that it burns at all times."

Briskly, Ms. Whitehorse turned around and said, "Now come, we must return to the cabin." On the way back to the cabin, Alan perceived rustling in the bushes and Ms. Whitehorse slyly smiled at Alan’s nervous reaction. With a big twinkle in her eyes, Ms. Whitehorse called out, "Ta ‘hca, Ta ‘hca," this means deer. Without hesitation, two gorgeous, white tail deer walked out of the forest and directly to Ms. Whitehorse. Ms. Whitehorse amorously rubbed their heads and said, "Good day my sisters, you look so beautiful today. Go now and stay safe." Immediately, the deer turned and ran through the woods. During the entire trek back to the cabin, Ms. Whitehorse identified numerous species of trees such as dogwood, popular, cedar, sweet gum, oak, and pine. The couple saw a rotted log and Ms. Whitehorse pointed out a honeycomb that was inside and it was overflowing with honey. She also pointed out wild herbs such as wild strawberry, marsh mallow, wild celery, chamomile, sweet clover, horehound and many more.

Once they reached the cabin, Ms. Whitehorse said, "Did you enjoy the nature walk?" Alan gave her a big grin and said, "Absolutely!" She resumed, "Sit down young man. I am 93 years old but I can remember the stories that mama and grandma told me; as if it was yesterday!" Alan politely smiled and said, "I truly appreciate you sharing your story with me, Ms. Whitehorse." With a girlish smile, Ms. Whitehorse politely said, "Young man before I began let me clarify something; around here using fancy words is not necessary because we do things plain and simple. Inherently, I am an environmentalist because I love Waterfall Lake. The only endeavor deemed necessary around here is respect and adoration for the ecosystem since we are all connected." Alan smiled and indicated agreement as he nodded his head up and down. Ms. Whitehorse proceeded, "Thank you for understanding and I have one more request. Please do not remove any rocks or wild flowers from their natural habitat. By no means should you try to catch any animals." Alan thought about Mato and said, "Ms. Whitehorse, I assure you that I for certain will not disturb any wildlife!"

He grinned and she proceeded, "During the time of Triangle Trade - slaves, rum, and gold - there lived an African Princess named Zerondi. She found love in a far away land. True love knows no boundaries and what’s meant to be will be." Ms. Whitehorse paused, while carefully considering Alan’s expression because most inquiring folks do not anticipate her mentioning Africa. She proceeded on, "Let your mind journey to the past; a thousand moons ago." Ms. Whitehorse softly chuckled as she said, "I have never received a college education so I may possibly get my words confused but pretend I’m telling this story with an accent." Alan smiled and said, "I will and don’t worry about confusing your words or receiving a college education, Ms. Whitehorse. Rumor testifies that you are the best! Evidently, you do not realize that scores of individuals covet your wisdom. Ms. Whitehorse, you are a celebrity. I am honored to be in your presence!"

Coincidentally, pretending is not necessary because she actually has an accent. It is similar to a Spanish dialect with a southern drawl. Again, Ms. Whitehorse blushed and said, "forgive me if I cry. Controlling my emotions is difficult when I narrate this story because it has happy episodes as well as sad episodes. Get ready, this is my story."