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Excerpts
Once again, she was mystified. Since the beginning of her journey into Canyon de Chelly, she encountered things that had amazed her--the visions at Antelope House, the cottonwood tree, the hidden passageway and canyon. Who was this person and when did he get there? Had he been there from the beginning... watching? Her questions were academic for the moment, so she again focused on him. The wood stacking completed, he turned toward the fire and began testing some meat suspended above the flames. Closer to the light, Geneva could begin to make out his features. "I have been waiting for you," he stated simply and looked her full in the face, his ebony eyes aflame with reflections of firelight. (p. 28) "The smell of salt air and distant shrieks of gulls drifted into the room as Geneva returned to her seat. A childlike quality appeared in her behavior and, for the moment, it seemed she forgot her pain. "When I was a little girl," Geneva explained, "My father would wake me before the sun rose. Shhh!--here it comes!" Alec looked toward the imminent sunrise, unconsciously bracing himself for something he wasn't quite sure of. The sky had turned a brilliant orange, and the clouds, a mottle of golden lavender colors, appeared to drift away from the point where the sun would emerge. The world seemed to still, and Alec held his breath as the tip of the fiery orb slowly peeked above waterline. (p. 79) Geneva's heartbeat quickened as the hair on the nape of her neck began to rise. Unable to move, she watched in amazement as the bowl began to physically vibrate. A hum, faint and low, resonated from within and slowly began to increase in volume. The overhead lights flickered on and off while those in the living room and kitchen went completely dark. Geneva looked to Victoria, terrified not only by what was transpiring, but also by the thought that her friend might be in danger. Then she witnessed random strands of Victoria's blond hair begin to stand straight away from her head, as if a current of electricity flowed through her body. Strangely, her friend showed no outward signs of fear. Instead, Victoria seemed peaceful in her trance-like state, her eyes clear and bright while they remained fixated on the bowl. (p. 114) He stood frozen in time as the gravity of the situation struck him. Snatching one of the sheets from the light board, he held it confidently in his hand. "I knew it!" Madden enthused, as he again held up the film in front of the light. "So you think you have found the legend," a voice called out. Startled, Madden turned on his heel and quickly slipped the x-ray behind his back. Doctor Benjamin Begay stood in the center of the lab, his gray corduroy sport jacket slighly wrinkled, the cuffs of his blue jeans a little frayed as they brushed the tops of scuffed western boots. His long platinum hair was neatly braided and a faded blue bandanna rested across his bronzed forehead. "Pierce. It has been a long time," the old gentleman said, extending his right hand in a gesture of friendship. (p.250-251) |