GAME ON - GoM 2

15

Alex and Tom sat up at the Elder's words. He sighed and turned to look out the window, his eyes moving over the lake.

"This belongs to the monster woman that terrorized my elder's elders two-hundred years ago. She came with the first white men that arrived to the North Cascades. She'd hide in the woods and attack our settlements in the middle of the night. She'd steal our children from their beds, and our hunters would find their little bodies later in the forest, half-eaten."

The Elder paused and Tom and Alex leaned forward, waiting for him to go on.

"That kept happening until our warriors set out to hunt her. They found her and battled with her, but they couldn't kill her. They hurt her badly, though. And weakened her enough to force her away from our people, up the eastern mountains. They made her swear she'd never come down again. In return, our hunters would leave dead animals up the creek, for her to feed."

The Elder paused again. So much talking was exhausting for him.

"The old paintings portray her as a woman from waist up and a rattle snake from waist down. Many think it was a way to portray that she was evil. But I've always thought there's nothing symbolic about those paintings: they portray the creature such as it is."

The old man fell silent and closed his eyes. Tom and Alex waited a couple of minutes, then they stood up noiselessly and tiptoed to the door. The tired voice reached them before they touched the doorknob.

"Obsidian dust. According to our lore, if she tries to pose as a human woman, the obsidian dust forces her to show her true nature."

They went back to the rocking chair. The Elder kept his eyes closed. Tom rested a hand on his.

"Rest now, Elder," he said gently.

"Ask my son, White Wolf. He'll give you a handful of obsidian dust," the Elder murmured.

"I will."

Alex didn't quite know what to do. So she just gave in to her impulse and kissed the Elder's temple.

"Thank you," she whispered.

The Elder managed a weary smile.