The Journey: Friday Nights at the Museum

A Rainbow in the Night Sky

It was cold that night. The sky was dark, yet there was not a single cloud in the sky. The stars and moon illuminated the snow that would cover the deep layers of ice. The only sounds I could hear were that of the wind pressing against our snow house and the crackling of the flames. It was all so unfamiliar, yet the warmth of my Mama beside me made me feel at home. I could sense the light breaths of my Papa and baby sister nearby. I could feel my eyes heavy but the sound of Papa's voice jolted me awake.

"The lights looked brighter this year, huh." he said. He patted my baby sister's back gently. She was already dreaming, probably about the stars in the sky.

"That means that Mhijo and his grandmother were dancing happily this time." Mama answered. "They offer us their blessing and protection for another year."

"Who is Mhijo?" I asked, now sitting up and curious about this name. "I didn't see anyone dancing up in the sky."

I looked over at my Mama, who began smiling. She grabbed my hand and squeezed it tightly for some reason. She looked like she was about to say something but Papa spoke first.

"Oh no, you got her started again. It'll be dusk by the time she finishes!" he whispered while gently slapping his hand against his face, trying not to wake my sleeping sister. He proceeded to sigh and stared at Mama, almost as if telling her to continue.

Mama just laughed. I was confused.  What did he mean? He didn't seem like he really minded.

"You know my grandmother once told me about a story long ago when I was about your age, the story of Mhijo and how the Aurora would come to be." she started. Her eyes sparkled like the stars. I scrunched my face confused. The Aurora? Mama seemed to noticed my confusion and quickly added, "The colourful lights we saw in the sky today."

"I remember it like yesterday. We sat as a family around the fire. It was me, my three older sisters, my father, my mother and my grandmother. It was the day my grandmother also gave me my pendant of a polar bear." Mama pointed at my necklace, the one she gave me earlier to wear. She told me it was made of ivory and was meant to protect me from bad spirits.

"My grandmother told me there once lived a boy up here in the Arctic, the very same one we stand in. His name was Mhijo. He lived here with his grandmother, where they hunt for ringed seal during the day and danced together at night. Sorta like me and my grandmother way back when." she said, moving her hands around to motion the movement of the dance she heard as a child.

"Anyways, their days were spent the same. Surviving but with each other. However upon returning home with some game, Mhijo found his grandmother ill in bed. Her old age had made her weak, and the cold was not easy for her. It was her time, but Mhijo but not accept that. He asked his grandmother what he could do so she could keep on going. His grandmother, already knowing her fate decided to ask him of one last wish. She said 'Listen Mhijo, we both know it's my time. But I'll never leave your side. All I ask of you is to please...just bring me colours in the sky.'"

"Colours in the sky? But the sky is blue during the day and black during the night!" I said. Mama shook her head.

"Mhijo said the same thing. His grandmother laughed and told him that she wanted colours different from the white, black and blues that enveloped the ice-filled land. Just once, she wanted to see something different. And determined, Mhijo would set out on his journey, in hopes of lifting his grandmother's spirits. He would take his cherished amulet and harpoon left behind by his late father." she said. Now Mama was standing up, grabbing her own amulet and pretending to hold what seemed to be a spear? Mama always did have a weird imagination and way of telling stories. Just yesterday, she was reading me a story about these knights at a round table. She kept making these loud sound effects and making funny voices for all the characters.