I woke up very confused. I saw his face looking down at me once again. My confused mind began to panic. I could see the Creeper, but everything was blurry and fuzzy. I thought for one horrible moment that the fever and affected my vision, dimmed it somehow. Then I realize my eyes were crusted over. I blinked and rubbed them vigorously.
The Creeper, holding my upper arm, pulled me up to a sitting position onto the hay. Still rubbing I saw him direct my attention to a small pyramid of corn ears laying neatly on the floor.
"Oh." I said, "thanks."
He nodded then left.
Blinking I picked up an ear. It felt heavy, no I was weaker. I paused for a moment, gathering my thoughts. The fever broke, even though I still felt like crap, I was a lot better than I had been in the last few days. I could sit up, but could I eat?
I tried to bite the corn but it was way too much of an effort. I sat there helplessly for a few minutes, wondering why he expected me to eat this. I gnawed slightly on it for a little bit. Afterwards I just decided it wasn't worth the effort and tried to sleep again.
I had barely closed my eyes when he walked in. He instantly started shaking me. I groaned and tried to turn over. He forced me up again.
"What do you want?" I moaned. I just wanted to sleep. He picked up the ear and held it to my face. I drew my head back, "not hungry" I muttered trying to lay down once more.
He reached under my knees and lifted me up, I felt the fear pound through my weakened body again. "NO!" I tried to scream but no sound came out, so I lowered my voice and let out another hoarse "NO!"
"No No NO" I coughed up in panic. He can't do it again; if he does it again I'll die.
Looking surprised he gently set me down on the old blanket. I can feel the cold from the floor seep through. He once again held the corn to me, once again I tried to resist. Sighing with annoyance he tried to force feed me it.
"Mmmpha " I cried as I twisted my head away. "Let, mmmmlee, shleep " I sputtered. He growled and pushed it into my mouth.
Finally I took the corn again, "fine." I was too tired. "Fine." I tried chewing on it, but I just couldn't, I wanted nothing more in the world to toss that stupid thing away and curl up again, but this bastard wouldn't let me. I sort half heatedly nibbled on it with my front teeth. I could smell soil and chemicals again.
I need to wash this I thought, I achingly made my way to my bag and opened another water packet. I groaned inwardly as I saw there was very few left. I stuck my hand in the bag, hopefully probing for more.
The second my fingers came in contact with the smooth slightly rounded object I knew what it was.
I bite my lip in thought. I had forgotten about it. It was a useful tool, but HE might take it away. It might help me survive, it might help me escape.
It might even be used as a weapon.
My eyes darted around discreetly, he was watching me, making sure I ate.
I wanted to use it but I didn't know what the consequences of him seeing it were. It would be another small blow to have it taken away, but he wouldn't let me not eat. I decided to chance.
Casually turning my back to him as if I was merely moving into that position for better access to the contents of my bag I set the now washed corn and the half drained water packet on my lap. Quickly hiding the object in my fist I brought it to my lap too.
In my palm the Swiss army knife looked pitifully small and useless. It wasn't much of a weapon, but it was far better than my fists, and it might prove very useful, I didn't want it taken away.
Slowly, because opening the long knife was a feat in of itself for my shaky hands, I moved the tool into position and scraped off the kernels into my lap. Most of them came off easily enough. Sometimes using the knife, and sometimes by grinding it in my molars I mixed in the water and made a sort of soft corn meal that I could easily swallow. A mortar and pestle would have been ideal, but my teeth and the knife seemed good enough
When I finally ate everything I could have I sighed and started to crawl back again. I was so tired I barely jumped when I felt his breath on me.
He was lurking behind me. I resisted the urge to whimper in fear. I gripped the knife. If he touches me again I'll kill him, a voice in my head said calmly. I don't know where such bravado came from.
It turned out all he wanted me to do was to eat some more. I laughed in his face.
"No way," I sneered, (or tried to my throat was starting to hurt again). He tried to bully me into eating another ear. I pushed it back and said bluntly:
"Listen I'm going to throw up if I eat any more, I could barely eat the first one." It was true my stomach felt full to bursting. Maybe it shrunk or something.
Sitting calmly on the hay I allowed him to smell me thoroughly all over. I repeated my refusal to eat the corn. He finally left me alone.
Later
I slept again, unfortunately it was dreamless. It was also short. I awoke hungry once more and ate more corn kernels. Every time I wake up I feel better and stronger.
The Creeper definitely notices it. He smells me eagerly and intently, everywhere.
I'm lying on the hay, in a semi-reclining position. His hands are on my knees; his face is buried in between my legs. I'm blushing in horrid embarrassment. He has absolutely no sense of privacy.
Next he moves up to my stomach. He lifts my nightshirt to reveal my swelling belly. When I awoke I was ravenous. My arms and legs felt like twigs after weeks of poor eating, however my stomach was round. The first image that came to mind was those missionary organizations who endlessly show pictures of children in Africa or wherever. I never completely understood why, but I saw their little stomachs swell even when they were starving. That was my first panicky thought when I saw my body. Then I remembered, duh, I'm pregnant. Despite my lack of food lately it must be doing fine.
The Creeper seems to confirm that. When he's done sniffing my stomach and he draws back to make a happy little screech.
Hooray I'm still pregnant. I think sarcastically. But I say nothing, I'm just very still. I don't even move to scratch my head. Now he's drawing up closer, sniffing my breasts, my neck and face. He begins licking.
I wince and shrink back. He still moves in closer, and then he's practically on top of me again. I scream and push him away. He gets up, with reluctance it seems.
I know my eyes are wide and burning. I can't tolerate him any more. I want to start screaming at him but I resist. I clutch the Swiss army knife in my hand. If he touches me I'll KILL HIM! Came the voice in my head.
My whole body is shaking; I've almost lost control of my anger
To distract myself, I bite my lip, it's become a habit. I bite down until I taste blood.
I watch her discreetly.
Right now she's gnawing on her food, but earlier she was doing something I don't like. It's nothing blatant, but it's troubling. Her lips are still scabby; they don't heal because she reopens the wound. She tears at her hair. Occasionally she stares off into space, absentmindedly picking her skin off.
It's nothing serious, nothing that will kill her, but it still makes me very uneasy.
My memory is an odd thing, it's not automatic, the early things I can't remember, and some things leave me for days, or even years. Right now a memory is trying to return, bubbling up slowly in my mind.
Humans as pets is so rare, I can only recall less then a handful, and humans like her are rarer still. I try to think back, but I don't have many memories concerning children. Most of them are dead.
One memory comes to me however, about one woman who hurt herself. She was a breeder too...
Sky Eyes looked carefully at the dawn.
She gathered the corn necessary for breakfast, and offered a quick prayer of thanks to Grandfather Sun.
She knew she had much to be thankful for, the corn crop was good this year, hopefully no one would starve. She had seen that, felt hunger pains, and heard of famines that wiped out whole villages. The woman quickly gathered the needed corn and headed swiftly back to her pueblo.
She noticed an odd shadow that marred the sunlight. But it was quickly gone.
Later in the pueblo, Sky Eyes ground corn while her elderly mother slept; she loved this chore, as it allowed her to think unbothered.
She thought about the pueblos, who stood carved into mesas and canyon walls. She often had to rock climb or use rope ladders to move about her town. Long ago, the stories went, the ancestors descended into this area, the corn was abundant, the rain was plentiful, and they carved their homes to protect themselves against enemy tribes.
It largely worked, her tribe survived, all her life, and her mother's life, and her grandmothers life they never felt the sting of enemy raids, of vicious inter tribal warfare.
However Sky Eyes worried, they couldn't build against the weather, either the rains or snow came, or they didn't. And if they decided not to then people starved.
She thought back to the old legends, of how this place being so plentiful The People's numbers swelled, of the food that could feed them all. The oldest woman in the pueblo, a woman so old her granddaughter was having babies, spoke of past times were the tribe didn't have to worry and pray if the rains would come or not, the gods guaranteed it, yet lately everything seemed… drier. Sky Eyes wondered if the gods were angry.
Who knows what the gods think. They were barely comprehensible. Gods can be wrathful or benevolent, they could create mankind out of clay and corn, or they could utterly destroy him. Maybe the gods would decide to withhold the rain this year, which means next year no corn.
Sky Eyes thought a lot about the gods. Next to her mundane world lived a whole pantheon of invisible, ancient, powerful deities and spirits. They had to be prayed to, appeased and occasionally sacrificed to. They utterly controlled her life, everybody's life.
She thought of Grandfather Sun, Grandmother Earth, all humans, originated from her womb underneath a lake. Spider Woman, who helped create mankind and taught women to weave, Mother Corn who loved mankind to, feed him with her own flesh. The death god, the rain spirits who looked like men with wings, the moon goddess, whose pale sons were gods who came from the east, and Xipe Totec, "Our Lord the Flayed One" he resided in the field, he tore off his own skin like humans tore off the corn's. Some said he was vengeful, but he rarely showed his face to mankind. Ancients to the south, ones who built great stone cities and pyramids were said to offer this god, or gods like him, human skin.
Despite the creeping heat, Sky Eyes shuddered.
However her grim thoughts were soon interrupted by her mother stirring.
Without even thinking about it, she immediately presented the corn meal to her. The woman knew her mother's stomach would be empty when she awoke.
"Ahhh Sky Eyes", her mother murmured. Sky Eyes felt a huge swelling of love, nobody else in the tribe, nobody else in the world cared for her. She was her mother's first child, her only child when her father first got a good look at her. And although this may have been her husband's pueblo, she was happiest when he was gone. Happiest when it was just her and her mother.
Her mother ate the corn meal greedily; Sky Eyes busied herself around the dwelling. She lit the kiva and set the rest of the meal to cook. They would have it for their midday snack.
When her mother finished she eyes the extra corn warily, and repeated one of her favorite maxims "only the fool takes more than he can eat." Sky Eyes grinned apologetically and gestured to the extra corn which she was beginning to prepare. "I had to pluck some extra, for when he comes back mother."
Her mother said nothing, but Sky Eyes got the impression she wanted to give a sarcastic snort, or roll her eyes. Her husband was rarely home now. She noticed, jealousy pricking the back of her eyes, that he was spending an inordinate amount of time with the curvy thirteen year old who so spectacularly proved her fertility with twins.
As if she was struck with physical pain Sky Eyes wrapped her arms around her midsection and climbed to the roof of their pueblo. Gazing out at the rising sun she continued to think about her life, the gods, she wondered why she was created the way she was. She hated being different, it made her miserable, she knew what every one thought about her, what they whispered. She wondered her ultimate fate, what would happen if her husband left, or bought a second wife, when her mother would die, if the rains would come, if the corn would grow.
Sky Eyes did feel a physical pain in her empty body. She wasn't a seer, despite what some people rumored, but she had a feeling, she felt something was coming; something was going to change, soon.
To cheer herself she practiced her bird whistles, she loved birds, and rarely ate them. When she was small she had fantasies of flying, of leaving the earth like a bird or a goddess.
Thinking of birds made her think of that odd shadow. It was the second time she had seen it. She wondered if she tell anyone, the elders or her mothers at least. She thought against it, whatever this was, this strange bird was better off as a secret. A secret that would unwrap itself slowly. A delicious secret.
"I'm going to tell you a story."
Sky Eyes immediately straightened herself and then sat completely still, listening.
"This is the story of your ancestors," her mother said, combing her hair, "you have some what different ancestors than everybody else, maybe that's why-" her mother abruptly stopped, Sky Eyes gave a sad smile.
"A long time ago, generations and generations ago, pale gods came from the east, sons of the moon goddess." Sky Eyes knew this story but she kept silent. Her mother continued "These gods were fierce, they rode on dragons across a body of water so vast no man could ever hope to swim across it."
"These gods attacked people, the raided villages, took the women captive; they fathered god-children who looked like them. They had shells and weapons that smashed stone and glinted in the sun. However over time these gods lost their power, they disappeared, back into the sea, some said because of a great freeze. But their children remained, spread across the land, everywhere. You know where you great-grandfather came from Sky Eyes? He was a tall man. He came from another tribe in the east very far away." He mother sighed and finished combing out her daughter hair, checking for nits.
"When you were born we were over joyed, I lost three children before you. I wasn't disappointed you were a girl, I knew you were a blessing." Her mother began braiding, despite hearing these stories many times before Sky Eyes still waited with breathless anticipation. "The midwife, that idiot saw your face and screamed, wailing about curses and witches, I rose up from my birthing mat and slapped the stupid woman, then I demanded to see my daughter." Sky Eyes hid a smile, from birth her mother was her only defender.
"Of course I was shocked when I saw you, who wouldn't be? But" she added, "I saw it as a mark of specialty. You are special Sky Eyes." Sky Eyes said nothing.
"Some people thought you were blind at first, but when you grew I saw that your eyes were completely clear, and beautiful." Her mother sighed, "so many people were alarmed by you, I still don't know why, they call you a witch, cursed, but I have never seen you do an evil thing in your life."
Sky Eyes kneeled down in front of the tightly woven water basket, gazing at her reflection, looking at her braids. Her mother resumed "you are special Sky Eyes, touched by the gods." Sky Eyes looked at the reflection in her face looked into her own eyes.
"And with the gods is your destiny," her mother promised. The woman kept looking at her own eyes, different from everybody else's. Her tribe, every tribe, every person, dark eyes, dark skin dark hair. She looked like them. Except her eyes were blue.
And I'm hated for it. She thought bitterly.
There was a huge commotion. Sky Eyes quickly ran towards the gathering crowd. There were screams shouts, wails of grief. She ignored the hiss of "witch!" it was from a boy. Too young to know any better.
A knot was forming in her stomach, she tried to peer over the crowd, the wailing was coming from one woman, the chief was shouting orders, people were howling in shock and disgust. The person in front of her, looking sick, Sky Eyes stepped forward, and immediately stepped back.
It was a man, or used to be a man. He had been completely destroyed, she gaped in shock, not even a cougar mauling could do that…
His terrified blood stained companion could only babble. They tried to speak to him ask him hat happened, but he was too deep in shock, Sky Eyes could smell urine.
Murmuring began, "It was a god, it was a demon, maybe it was witchcraft…"
Using her well honed skill of disappearing when something bad happened, Sky Eyes melted quietly away.
Sky Eyes was weaving. There was a big communal sewing and weaving circle. Sky Eyes wasn't invited, and she wasn't really part of the circle
Still she worked, and she sat near enough them to listen to their songs, stories and gossip. Even though she didn't speak she could pretend to be a part of them.
Invariably the women turned their conversation to the recent killing. They analyzed every detail. It was a whole hunting party that went missing, the sole terrified survivor brought back some of the remains of his brother. Struck dumb by terror he was now resting, soon he would give his account to the elders. The whole pueblo was rife with rumor and speculation.
"The Oldest One, my grandmother, told me it was a demon." A young woman nursing an infant said matter-of-factly. "The demon who returns in the spring, when the corn is full."
Another woman cut in, "How can that be? The only person who died when the corn was full last year was a still born infant. Where was the demon then?"
The younger woman answered, "The Oldest One told me, 'this demon only returns very briefly and after many years, he selects his chosen few and drags them to the underworld, nothing can stop him in getting what he wants.' She also claims to see him return at least two other times."
The other women made various noises at that, a few concern lines etched into their faces, some of them held their children closer. The Oldest One's granddaughter did too.
Sky Eyes felt a twinge of envy as she gazed at the fat happy baby, suckling contentedly. She felt empty…
The Oldest One's granddaughter caught her looking, she gazed directly into Sky Eyes pale blue irises. The woman blushed and focused on her weaving. The nursing mother shuddered and looked away.
"How is the widow doing?" asked another woman, to Sky Eyes relief.
"Hysterical." replied another "they had to wrap her up and carry her home she was crying so hard." She sighed. "They were quite fond of each other, it's a shame her last image of him was that." Everybody nodded grimly; the whole pueblo had seen the corpse.
As the day wore on Sky Eyes finished her weaving, producing several fine baskets for use or trade. She started yawning, wondering whether she should finish one more or return to her pueblo. The circle of women had broken up and started to drift apart. She decided to return to her pueblo, her mother probably missed her.
Practicing her bird whistles she gathered her baskets and stacked them carefully, balancing some on her head. She failed to notice the women glaring at her, or the woman running to her until she slammed into her. Sky Eyes gasped in surprise and dropped her goods she would have begun yelling if the woman didn't start screaming first.
"HE TOOK MY SON, HE TOOK HIM!" she was wailing. She beat the ground with her fists, stirred up the dirt violently and yanked out her hair. The other women began to gather. Sky Eyes sat there in shock.
The woman was sobbing; "the demon took him" was all she could say she began the grief chant, the death chant, shrieking it as though she wore in agony.
Sky Eyes quietly gathered her falling baskets, her mind screaming at her to retreat, but she stayed and listened.
"How that can be, you were indoors…in your home" on woman asked, at those words a slow chill came thought the women, and the men who were gathering. Soon it seemed like the whole tribe had congregated, drawn to the screaming tragedy, as humans always are.
The grieving mother choked out her story. She walked in to find the demon holding her squirming son; she screamed and tried to fight it off. It looked at her with eyes of fire, and jumped out the window, her son still in its arms. Sky Eyes suddenly remembered who this woman was; her son had called her a witch.
"You must be mistaken." One man stubbornly insisted. "Nothing has gotten into the Pueblo since our ancestors built it" The woman turned on him in a rage.
Sky Eyes considered, feeling frightened. If this demon god can get into a pueblo, her pueblo, ANY pueblo, it seemed no where was safe.
Soon an argument was breaking out. "Maybe this demon could scale walls, appear at will" Sky Eyes shook her head, thinking of the shadow.
"He can fly." She said quietly but instantly drawing everybody's attention. "He has wings, like a bird." She spoke with absolute certainty.
Later on the way home the widow struck her across the face, hissing "witch"
Sky Eyes stayed inside her pueblo all day. She told her mother she was sick, which might explain the rolling feeling in her stomach. A sense of inevitability was dawning on her.
To her surprise her husband had returned last night. She immediately made him something to eat. She hoped he had a present for her, dried deer meat was her favorite, but he had nothing and he ate in silence. He seemed to be gathering his courage.
Sky Eyes sat patiently, with her head down, waiting. Finally her husband spoke:
"How did you know the demon can fly?" he demanded.
Sky Eyes looked surprised. "I-I saw him" she admitted, although that wasn't exactly truthful.
Her husbands eyebrows flew up his face, "when did you see him?!" he demanded again.
Sky Eyes was beginning to feel even more nervous. "Well I didn't actually see him" she stammered "but I saw his shadow as Grandfather Sun was rising." She looked dreamy, "He can out fly an eagle!"
Her husband licked his lips looking horrified and nervous, he finally blurted out "You spoke to this demon?" Sky Eyes was shocked, "no, no I just saw his shadow!" she insisted.
Her husband jumped up unconvinced, "Do you know what they say?! What they say about you?!" Sky Eyes felt tears burn her; she lowered her head in shame. Her husband began shouting, "Is it true?! Is it true?!"
Sky Eyes broke. "No it's not true!" she screamed. "They've been saying that all my life! IT'S. NOT. TRUE!" she broke down into sobs.
Her husband looked down at her coldly. "That's not all what they say-"
For the first time ever, Sky Eyes interrupted him, "Who cares what they say?" she screamed in fear, "they've been 'saying it' since I was born! Since you married me!" she glared at him, letting that accusation go by silently. But her anger abruptly ceased, as it always did, "please," she begged still kneeling, "you're my husband, I-"
"I wouldn't have been if I had known you were a barren woman!" he spat bitterly.
Sky Eyes twisted in agony, shame and grief flooding her, she whimpered: "please, please," she cried, "It's not too late," she began begging again "we can still try; there's still-"Her husband abruptly, angrily turned around and stomped out of the dwelling. Sky Eyes cried the whole night, knowing he wasn't coming back.
She cried, then slept when she awoke she realized how foolish she had been. When she awoke she jerked in terror, gazing out the window, realizing she should have kept a vigil against the demon with wings. Thankfully her mother was still there, sleeping peacefully.
The outcast rubbed the sleep from her eyes, yawning. Still keeping an eye on the brilliant blue sky outside she tidied up, the pueblo was messy. She found some cold corn cakes and acorn bread for breakfast and gently set them next to her mother.
Sky Eyes lit the kiva and using a knife made of yucca fibers, flayed and de-kernelled the corn. She gave the customary chant to the Corn Mother but her mind was elsewhere. She thought of the demon, of the Pueblo, how he penetrated their defenses with ease. A husband that won't come back, what would she do? This was his home, she brought her mother here when she married him, and no other man would have her. Everybody knew she was barren.
It was a fairly good match. They worried her oddness would prevent her from ever marrying. She reflected, if it wasn't for her oddness she might have been accepted, happy. If her eyes were normal her lack of fertility could be tolerated, or the other way around, but now it seemed the whole world hated Sky Eyes. She did not go out to pick the fresh corn, or trade for her baskets. For some reason she clutched her yucca knife tightly. She did not look at the window but at the door. Her mother didn't stir.
Quietly, without tears she began praying. To Spider Woman who helped create mankind, the Moon Goddess who was her ancestor, Grandfather Sun and Grandmother Earth, to the god of the dead, she begged him not to take her to his kingdom, to Coyote and Raven, because she needed cleverness, even to the vengeful corn god who rose and died and wreaked havoc upon mankind.
They came much later; Sky Eyes was shivering in fear. Realizing she was still clutching the knife she hid carefully in the roll of her shift. She wrapped her arms around herself. Crying.
They dragged her out screaming. Too cowardly to confront her on their own they became a mob, the whole tribe! They grabbed her; hit her with sticks, spat on her. Their cries of "witch, witch!" ringing in her ears.
The accusations were to numerous and ridiculous to counter effectively. The Widow and Brother accused her of killing and mutilating that man. The Mother claimed she had snatched her son, The Oldest One's granddaughter accused her of cursing her baby, and she showed the crowd an infant red and deathly still with fever. The all lobbed accusations of misfortune and death upon her.
Sky Eyes, disheveled and bleeding and dirty said nothing, just whimpered.
There was a slightly more formal hearing. The elders heard the accusations, Sky Eyes bound and trembling before them.
One older woman claimed she saw Sky Eyes throw on a Coyote pelt and become one, as witches are know to do. She protested that she merely killed the coyote and displayed its skin as a warning to others. The crowd hissed at her in disgust. The litany continued, it was becoming drier because of her, there was less corn, less game, their good hunters were being killed, she had consorted with the demon, caused miscarriages, encouraged enemy tribes, refused to give her husband children, her unnatural eyes had put curses on all those who looked at them.
Every time she had protested, tried to defend herself the accusations were simply piled on, by the end she was helpless, screaming or crying in anger pounding the ground in frustration. It didn't matter how unreasonable their accusations were, it all boiled down to being different. As the crowd gradually quieted the elders debated on a punishment.
Exile, Sky Eyes begged silently, even though she knew she was innocent.
More voices shouted out, death! Torture! The window she screamed that what was done to her husband should be done to her. Sky Eyes paled at the memory of that corpse, she screamed back that it wasn't her it was the demon, the crowed shout back: who controlled the demon? She screamed her innocence once more.
"You sit in the demons shadow, under his wings" an elder insisted. "You encourage him to-" "No" a voice interrupted.
There were collective gasps at the rudeness of this behavior. Every turned to see the Oldest One, being carried on the back of one her grandsons.
The crowd felt mixed, she had interrupted their bloodlust, but she was the eldest and wisest of the tribe, even if she was so weak she barely left her pueblo anymore.
"The demon is not controlled by this woman." She patiently explained. "No more than the rain is caused by a bird, this demon; I should say god," she sighed, "appears after twenty three springs, for one moon. He comes whether there are witches or not." She finished and sat patiently on the floor.
The crowd seemed stunned. The elders were silent. Sky Eyes could feel the beginning of a throbbing relief in her head.
"Nevertheless" an elder continued, "this de-god is terrible luck, and particularly vengeful, our tribe is shrinking, and his slayings are not helping. She is a barren witch who curses us with bad luck. I-"
The Oldest One interrupted, "This vengeful god is bad luck, "she agreed, "but so is a drought, which comes on its own, in cycles, just like him." She insisted. "Sky Eyes is no more responsible for this god's appearance than she is for the sunrise."
Embolden by her defender Sky Eyes begged her wisdom would get her though this. "Oldest One, "she begged, "you know the legends, the ones my mother tell, they say my ancestors were those pale gods, from the east." She felt like fainting. "Please Oldest One you know I'm not a witch! I'm just, I'm just-different." She concluded lamely.
Please argue in favor of me. She thought desperately.
Now all eyes turned to the Oldest One, waiting for her response.
Before she could say or do anything however a voice jeered out.
"Oldest One!" cried the Widow, "you memory is long, tell us what happened to Sky Eyes father!"
Sky Eyes looked nervously, the Oldest One licked her cracked lips. She whispered, reluctantly, "He was killed."
The Widow didn't stop prodding, "by?" she demanded. "it was shortly after she was born wasn't it?"
The Old One kept her face blank, "by this god."
There was roar at those words. Accusations flew thick again, the elders screamed for silence.
The Brother of the dead man pushed forward. "Elders please let me speak!" he begged. They granted him permission, reluctantly.
He paced in front of Sky Eyes, who glared at him; he shuddered but began to argue.
"What the Oldest One says is true, the demon, I mean god, has come before, and probably will come again," the crowd shivered collectively, "he is, I can attest to this myself, a force of nature," he looked sad, "nothing can stop him, I've fought him, begged him, even offered myself to him," he shook his head, "he still killed my brother. Horribly"
The Widow began wailing, for one moment, Sky Eyes felt pity for them. Then the Brother continued.
"Although she does not control the demon god, her evil bring illness and misery to us, there is no doubt about that," he nodded to The Oldest One's granddaughter, "and although gods cant be controlled they can be influenced, we do it all the time, with prayer and sacrifice, this makes them happy," there were nods all around, "but she", he pointed to the trembling woman, "angers them. She draws bad gods to our tribe and may cause good ones, like the rain gods, to fly away. When her father rejected her he was killed, when her boy," he gestured to the grieving mother, "called her a witch he was killed. This demon-god is outraged our tribe harbors a witch, and his anger is great."
Sky Eyes stood still, waiting for the last blow.
"What are you demanding?" asked the Oldest One, the Brother gave a small respectful bow before her.
"She claims her ancestors are those violent gods who were light as moon beams." He said. "If her ancestry is truly divine, why not give her back to the gods?" he asked. He then turned to Sky Eyes and gave her a mocking bow.
The crowd looked puzzled; the elders demanded what he meant. He grinned savagely, "Sacrifice her," he ordered, "Give her to the demon god."
She felt thirsty, but she couldn't ask for water around the gag in her mouth.
She was being marched, her hands were tied behind her back, one of the warriors had a rope around her neck. Several others and an elder escorted her; one carried a long pole sharpened at one end.
She was gagged because they were afraid, when they pronounced her sentence she convulsed, she didn't really remember it but she was screaming, cursing them with a voice like death.
She cursed them to the grim underworld; she cursed them all to enemy tribes, to a horrible death, to be eaten, to be cannibalized, to be struck by lightning, for the Pueblo to turn to rubble. She cursed her cowardly husband, too afraid to even defend her at her trial, to impotence. She screamed their babies would fall out dead, that their tribe be exterminated; they would fall so low that not even the vultures would pick at them.
She heard shocked gasps, the Elders had all gone pale; the men grabbed her and stuffed the gag into her mouth. She fainted after that.
The Brother assured the others that once she was dead, her evil purified by the god, this curse would disappear. There was still fearful muttering. A witch's curse was a terrible thing.
Now she was gagged, dehydrated, being forced to march miles safely away from the Pueblo to be fed to a hideous god.
Her stomach rolled, she prayed to him, begging it would be quick. She looked for his shadow.
Around midday she was drenched in sweat, she was forced off the mesa and into some rolling plains below, the elder ordered a halt.
"Here." he ordered, and the warriors immediately dug a small pit, when that was done, they carefully lowered the pole, sharpened end first, into the ground. Then they buried it.
Sky Eyes was pulled harshly up from the ground, her ropes used to tie her to the stake, and then they all promptly retreated. Sky Eyes wondered why here? Then she noticed the dark stains on the ground. She let out a low moan through her gag. This is were the massacre took place
The heat continued to grow worse; she thought she might faint again. The world grew blurry. She began to welcomed death at the hands of this god, it might even be quick.
And with the gods is your destiny her mother's words proved to be more prophetic than she realized.