The Great Thunderbird
My response to our Christmas writing challenge 2024. Sorry it's late, I hope you enjoy the twists. As always these characters belong to a man who never took the time to give them true life. LOL
Comanche Reservation
Arizona
"Mr. Blackhorse, I mean you no disrespect, but the official stance of the US Navy is that the remains we have delivered to you are that of your brother…PFC Jimmy Blackhorse." Mac nodded as she looked on while Harm continued his pitch.
"Commander, I mean you no disrespect but you are saying that your people are sure but just months ago you have incorrectly identified multiple identities of fallen soldiers. Why should we believe what you say when I know those bones do not belong to Jimmy." Enola, Johnny's wife said.
"I'm sorry ma'am but who are you? This really is business that Mr. Blackhorse should have the privacy to think through."
"It is my business Commander…you see not only am I the spiritual leader of our tribe I am also his wife. He should not be taxed in such a way. He is very sick." Harm looked at Jimmy.
"Sorry Commander but she's the boss." Johnny chuckled as he looked at Harm. Harm made eye contact with Mac and said.
"I understand more that you know Johnny." He smiled and reached under the table where they were sitting and grabbed Mac's hand.
He still couldn't believe that he had finally pulled the plug on his bachelor status. After she went through all that stalker mess with Coster she was all set to swear off men but then one night when she was struggling with her sobriety she called crying and he had stayed with her for days holding her feet to the fire…keeping her on the path. When she finally stopped struggling with her confidence she was a little vulnerable and he was trying to be a friend but he couldn't keep his feelings for her hidden any longer and he took the plunge with his heart. He realized that life without Sarah Mackenzie was not a possibility any longer. He needed to be with her 24/7 or at least as often as the military would allow. They had been an official couple for almost 6 months now and life was good.
"Mr. Blackhorse, we do have the capabilities to scientifically prove that he is your brother."
"And how is that done?" Harm began to explain the process of DNA identification but he was interrupted once again by Enola.
"No Commander, we will not desecrate the body of that individual…that is not our way."
"Ma'am, how do you expect us to prove to you that these are the bones of your brother in law?"
"I don't expect you to. We have our proof with my reading of his spirit." Harm looked to Mac for an assist so she decided to give it a try.
"Mr. and Mrs. Blackhorse, we only want to honor your family by naming one of our attack destroyers after him. If you accept our findings based on our scientific process then we can move forward with our plans."
"But we do not need this recognition for our family to have honor, we are already honorable in the eyes of our community."
"Enola, let me speak!" John looked at his wife as he composed his thoughts. "I want this peace of mind. I want them to do this for me before I die." Enola spit on the ground…
"Dirty glove, Johnny…dirty glove." John nodded showing his understanding. Enola got up from the chair and walked out.
"John, we don't want to cause you any grief."
"She is only concerned with her own agenda, not mine. I am my own mind and I want this. Do what you need to do…please. Enola won't say this but I am not long for this world. I am being called home." Harm nodded and looked toward Mac, sharing one of their wordless conversations. Mac nodded and stepped out of the room.
"Lt. Commander Coulter…this is Major Sarah Mackenzie. Admiral Trask suggested that you have the skills to help us deal with this sensitive DNA identification. We are on the reservation in Arizona." Harm stepped out of the house and was waiting on Mac to finish. "OK, that's great. We will see you this afternoon." Mac closed her phone and smiled as she walked into Harm's open arms. "MmmHmm, just what I needed." Mac smiled into the crook of Harm's neck. "I love your arms…I love this spot right here under your chin…I love everything about how wonderful I feel when I am in your arms." Harm pulled his head back and showed off Mac's favorite smile.
"I love my arms around you too, I feel like this thing between us is only getting better and better."
"I think we should head back to base so that we will be there to meet this Lt. Comm. Coulter." Harm nodded and they began their trek to the car. "Then we can also fill in Bud and Harriet and pick their brains for any other ideas that might help."
"Good plan."
MCAS [Marine] Base
Yuma, AZ
Harm and Mac dropped into the VOQ to rest while they waited to meet the Forensic specialist. Bud and Harriet joined them all in Mac's room which was right next door to Harm's.
"Why wouldn't they just accept our findings? I don't understand. I mean it's the Navy, it's not like we want anything from them." Bud said as he looked to his mentors.
"Well Bud, the impression I got after speaking with them is that they don't care for the notoriety we are hoping to bestow upon them. They are more concerned with the spiritual leader's opinion than the proper identification of this stranger to them. I just want to get this process started. After speaking with the brother of our remains we came to realize that he is hopeful in finding closure before he passes. He feels like that will be sooner rather than later and he has given us permission against the wishes of their tribal spiritual leader who just happens to be his wife." Harriet's eyebrows tried their best to hide under her hair.
"His wife?" Harriet repeated.
"That's correct Lt." Mac said. "We are waiting for a forensic specialist that was recommended to us, then hopefully we will be able to wrap up this assignment and head back to Washington." Harriet sat next to Mac and started chatting about the upcoming wedding.
"I don't know Mac, everytime Bud and I are trying to make decisions about the wedding we get into an argument. I'm ready to just scrap the whole idea and elope."
"Why not? That sounds like the perfect solution. Vegas is literally like 5 hours away."
"But then what would we do with the friends and family that are expecting our wedding to be in Washington D.C.?" Mac shrugged her shoulders and said…
"You could always have your reception back home for everyone, and then all the stress about the day being perfect disappears and the focus is on you and Bud, you know the important stuff."
"Hey Mac what are you two plotting over there?" Harm chuckled as he grabbed her attention.
"We are…knock, knock" Mac was interrupted before she could finish sharing her genius plan. Bud made his way to the door and opened it to find one Lt. Commander Teresa Coulter.
"Hello, Can I help you?" Bud said as he stepped away from blocking the door.
"I hope so Lt. I'm looking for Lt. Col. Mackenzie. I am…" Mac stood up and finished her sentence.
"Lt. Commander Teresa Coulter, I'm Major Sarah Mackenzie but please call me Mac. Let me introduce you to our investigative team. This is Lt. Bud Roberts" She placed her hand on his shoulder as he smiled and stuck his hand out to greet Coulter. "This is Lt. j.g. Harriet Simms." She opened her arm towards Harriet as she too stuck out her hand to greet Coulter. Coulter then stepped further into the room in Harm's direction.
"And who is this tall drink of water? Teresa said while blatantly flirting with Harm as she stuck her hand out to greet him. Harriet looked at Mac and saw that she was smiling and shaking her head in disbelief. She felt like she was always fending off some blond who decided that Harm was on the menu. Harm smiled as he stood and extended his hand in greeting.
"I'm Lt. Commander Harmon Rabb Jr. but please call me Harm." They shook hands and although he had no intentions of leading her on he found that she was taking her time in releasing his hand or moving to a more appropriate distance.
"Well, shall we get started? It is a four hour drive to the reservation."
"What do you mean a four hour drive? I thought our investigation was here on the base."
"No, our findings indicate that the remains we delivered were that of PFC Jimmy Blackhorse but their spiritual leader doesn't accept that it is him because she feels that his spirit is too dark. We found his twin brother alive but he is sick and he has given us permission to proceed with our DNA identification process so that he can have the peace of mind that his brother has been returned before he passes." Mac finished her explanation as she walked across the room and grabbed her purse. "Let's get moving, we told Johnny that we would be there for dinner. He was adamant about us all attending." They all stood to leave as Mac held the door open. Harm began to make his way to where Mac was standing but Teresa blocked his path and began engaging in conversation with him.
"Wow Harm, you really have strong looking hands. Anyway I might finagle a massage out of you later?" Harm met Mac's eyes and she could see the apology in them. He walked off towards the car and noticed that Teresa was following him closely.
"Well, I don't want to seem unappreciative because you really are saving our bacon with this investigation but these hands are reserved for the love of my life and I don't want to jeopardize my relationship in any way. I hope you understand." Mac was walking with Harriet. She quietly stuck her finger down her throat pretending to gag. Harriet giggled quietly as well so they didn't see or hear Harm respond to her request for a massage.
"How do you deal with that so often and not lose your cool? It has to be getting old."
"It does get old but honestly I've gotten used to it. It doesn't matter what color, shape or size they are, he seems to attract them all like a moth is drawn to a flame. But you know I really trust him, I don't think he would be unfaithful now that we have finally started to figure things out."
"Well Harm, if things change let me know." Harm shook his head slightly and continued to guide the group to the van he had borrowed from the motor pool.
Comanche Reservation
1700 hours
The officers arrived to a procession of sorts so they followed suit in hopes that the people would lead them to John Blackhorse. Harm gently placed his hand on the small of Mac's back as they followed along behind the group. She looked up at him and gave a loving smile. "I'm sorry about that stuff with Coulter back at the base. I wasn't trying to encourage her. I hope you know that."
"I do and thanks for talking with me about it. Harm, I trust that you and I are in this for the duration. Just please don't stop communicating with me. Life is so much better when we are honest and open with each other." Harm stopped her and leaned in to give her a brief peck of the lips.
"I am Sarah. I want to be your everything. I don't want to mess this thing up. It's the best thing that has ever happened to me." They smiled at each other and he let go of her. "I know this isn't the right time but know this…she can flirt with me all she wants, she will not influence me in any way. I belong to you sweet thang." Mac giggled and they both continued to follow the procession ahead.
"And you are the best thing to happen to be…you tall drink of water." She couldn't stop smiling as she noticed him roll his eyes. The procession was reaching its destination as they approached the rest of their group and began to hear the sounds of chanting and drumming. They continued into the covered pavilion area and found that the entire village was in attendance. Everything overwhelmed them, the colorful costumes, the scent of food and the sounds of their cultural traditions being shared. They watched as men danced around in full native dress. Mac smiled and watched as Harriet moved to a table that was open towards the back. Mac grabbed Harm's elbow and pulled him toward the table as well. They sat and continued to watch the men tell the story of the handsome fellow. After listening for a bit Harriet leaned over to Bud and said,
"I think this handsome fellow they are talking about is like our Santa." Bud just smiled as he nodded in her direction. Johnny was sitting up on a dais overlooking the scene. Harm noticed and waved over to him letting him know they were in attendance. Johnny acknowledged their presence with a nod and began to raise his hands.
"Friends, family, we gather this evening to share our heritage with one another as we celebrate the winter solstice. We are honored to be able to share our customs with some new friends. Please take the time to introduce yourselves to our guests. For on this winter solstice we share our gratitude with one another and honor our ancestors by observing these rituals with our next generation." John sat back down and continued to enjoy the community engaging in their traditional activities.
"Commander, please join Mac and I so that I can introduce you to John. He is the twin of the man we believe to be the remains." Teresa followed the two over to John.
"Good evening Johnny, this is Lt. Comm. Teresa Coulter and she is the expert we were telling you about earlier. She is here to collect your sample so that we can compare it to the remains we believe to be your brother."
"Good to meet you Ma'am, I am interested in this blood magic that they were trying to explain to me. So what do you need from me?"
"Sir, first I would like to say that it is an honor to meet you. Second, I will need a vial of your blood and I also want to swipe this q-tip on the inside of your cheek to gather DNA." She lifted a longer than usual q-tip that was covered with a plastic wrapper on the end.
"Well, let's go somewhere to take care of this business so that we can enjoy the festivities. Shall we?" They nodded and followed him off to an adjacent room. When Teresa had gathered the samples she needed to run the tests they returned to the larger area and was just in time to watch as the dancing came to a stop. The drumming and chanting became quieter and they watched as Enola stepped forward to give a blessing in their native tongue.
"We thank the Great Spirit for the resources that made this food possible. We thank the Earth Mother for producing it, and we thank all those who labored to bring it to our table." The assembly began moving towards the sides of the pavilion where there were many women serving up some of their traditional dishes. Mac, being of Cherokee descent, had a limited knowledge of some of the foods she could see. She shared what she knew with the group and found that others were very helpful in explaining what was available. Roasted Bison, wild rice, salmon and frybread were sparingly shared but the main staple was "The Three Sisters" soup which consisted of corn, beans and squash.
"Mac, do you know how to make this soup? It's really good." Harm asked.
"I do, but my family used a few different ingredients but it's basically the same. The fry-bread was one of my favorites as a kid. My aunt used to cover it with butter and honey." The festivities paused briefly as the community ate their dinner but shortly after dinner began the drumming could be heard off in the distance. The children excitedly ran to the center of the area and sat on the floor, some of them still holding their pieces of frybread.
"I wonder what is going on now?" Harriet said. Bud looked up to see what she was referring to and noticed that Dakota was walking towards their table.
"I'm not sure sweetie but it looks like Dakota may be making his way over to us to explain."
"I was wondering if you would like an interpreter for the remainder of the evening?"
"We would love one. Thank you." Dakota nodded and sat with them to begin sharing the tale of the Great Thunderbird.
"The children are awaiting the arrival of the Great Thunderbird." He paused for dramatic effect. "You see, the Great Thunderbird told our warriors on their quest about the birth of a special child who would bring peace to our people. He sent our great chiefs to guide us in the world.
"The children are so excited…what does the Great Thunderbird offer them?" Bud asked as he slipped his arm around Harriet's chair.
"Well for the most part he gives them trinkets to offer up to the Gods to entice them to return to our people to help us prosper and thrive." Mac smiled as Dakota shared this with them.
"I remember this. Does he bring them dream catchers? My aunt always gave me a new dreamcatcher to keep close by. She always told me that it would help guide the spirits into my dream world."
"Yes, dreamcatchers are one but they also receive tiny totem poles that depict the great chiefs, similar to the story of the wise men. They also receive kachina dolls as well. We call this hopi soyaluna. Some tribes make the children bury these gifts to offer up as sacrifice to entice our Gods to return to us. But we let the children keep them and play with them so that the story stays alive for them all year round."
"That's so beautiful." Harriet wiped a tear falling down her cheek. It was at this moment that a large man entered into the pavilion in full native dress carrying a large tote. The group of officers enjoyed watching the children receive their gifts and run back to their families to show them their good fortune. Teresa tried to grab Harm's hand as it rested on his thigh while they were all distracted. He made eye contact with her and just shook his head with sad eyes. He leaned over and whispered into her ear.
"Teresa, you are a beautiful woman but my heart belongs to another and I am hoping to marry her soon so please understand that I am not in a position to return your affection. I really am sorry." She stood up and walked out of the pavilion. Mac looked at him wondering what was going on and he just shook his head. She followed Teresa out in hopes of getting to the bottom of this. They really needed her to do her duty so they could move on.
"Hey Teresa, everything ok?"
"Yea, I just made an ass of myself that's all. I'm ready to head back and get these tests finished so I can disappear."
"I'm sure that's not the case. What happened?"
"I tried to hold Harm's hand while we were watching everything and he shut me down. Basically told me he was practically engaged so I needed to back off." Mac gasped when she heard the engaged part and started breathing really shallow as she bent over to lean on her knees. "Hey, are you alright?"
"Yes, uh, yep, I'm good. Just needed a moment to process that's all. How about we finish up inside and then we can all head back to the base?"
"OK, but I'm not going to go back to the table. I'll just hang back." Mac nodded as they returned inside. She made her way back over to the table and smiled at everyone when they looked at her with questioning eyes.
"She's fine…she's just ready to go back to base and get started." They nodded as she sat down and Dakota said,
"Well the evening is just about finished. The Great Thunderbird is about to share the story of the story of Jesus as our people have assimilated into our culture. It's quite beautiful.
"Aloki ekwatatennonten shekwachiedaen lontonk ontatiande ndio sen tsatonnharonnion Ouarie onnawakueton ndio sen tsatonnharonnion lesous ahatonnia!"
"Within a lodge of broken bark the tender babe was found, a ragged rove of rabbit skin wrapped his beauty 'round'; But as the hunter braves drew nigh, The angel song rang loud and high: Jesus is born, in excelsis gloria"