The Last Map of Root Man Charlie Pt4
The Last Map of Root Man Charlie Pt4
The Last Map of Root Man Charlie Pt4
f8-
alive
fhe hovrling !.,/ind could not reach Clear liater vihere he !,/as
under the tree roots, and for the momen-t he v,'as safe. I have
to remember to keep track of the days, he thought. I am no'r/
at the end of my first day a ay fron the tribe, so today is
December 26, 1.985. Then, with what rer4aining energy he had,
Clear I'{atcr adjusted the bearskin robe so that he $'as coinpletely
covered, and soon he felt warnth corning back to his body. He
stifl felt the pain in his left \^/ing, birt tired as he vr'as,
this d-id not keep hirn fronil falling fast asleeD.
The next morninS the wind had died down ancl there was
hardly a breeze in the air. I'he sun was shining, and the $ky
was a deep shade of bfue, but the air lras very cold. i'ihen Clear
Ilater awolre, he irunedia.tely felt the pain and stiffness in his
lelt r.ring. Slowly he unwraDped the bearskin robe that r/as arouuC
him. He the)r pushed himsell uD in-bo a kneeling Dosition. The
coll"ision had bent h.is left wing, but it vias not broken. I may
Clcar liater cane out of the hole and sDoke to the spirit
thab all thc littfo people of yopitlaag believed in. ,,p1ea6e,(
said Clear t/ater, ',gif-L the squirret aE he harj gifted rne.,,
fhen he v{eni back insicle h_is new tcJlporary she]ter.
-60.
Clear 'ilater l!(.rp b track of tho do.ys , a.11.1 sloon f our (lays
had passcd, but his left ving r.,'as stif 1 stif f , and \,/as still
.Dainful. Clear liatcr did not ever.r thinli he could f1y hinself
over the tree tops with the r/jng injured like it was. Stil_l,
the vreather )tad boe n very col_C for f our str"ight .lays. i\*ot
iveaiher for travefj.ng by the uind anlF,.,,alr, thouaiht Clear l;Iater,
He had cut through the hard acorn she11s rrith his trnife,
hacking at the shel1 lyith the long blaCe until it crack,-d
and splinriered, The nut ncat ins j-de l,,/as good f ood f or hin, alld
he had ea-Len r./e11. And, after he bl.ocked the entrance to the
ho:l.e lJith I ear.re s and aco!'r'rs, therc !,/erc times \rhen he did not
e\ren need hls bearsl{in robe to stay varn. But Clear l?atcr
knew his grlp on life vras precarj.ous, and after four days of
lying in a dark hole thinking, a feefing of despair bcgan to
need
knor.t
Lt-
even
rni
any'china!.
Sti]],, hls lef't i/in{f lias stifi an.i painrful, and nearl-y
use1esrj... but I can try, thoughi Clear i/atcr. I can jti1l try,..
I{e norr loohed into 'chc slry. He salr sotlle stars in tbe
sky; but the rloon, !/hj-ch haC been fu1l only a fe\? clays ago,
had disaplcarcd behlnci sonc cloulc b]oHlng iu fror thc south.
A chance. ftts a chance. And it's a chance It11 have to take.
Clouds or no cloi.lds, the alr is !{ar'11 enou,gh for nc to surv.ivc
at fe:'st a lcn hours in ihe air. AnC by nidniAht tonj.gtrt 1
vi11 be visiblc'bo other living things. lJith one nore iry, I
could ]and near enough to sone big people to get help:.. And
I can try,...
Clear i'later nas ready. He d1d r-Iot need -to thil'Ilr i b over
any )lere. He flairped his \?i-ngs to test his left ving. lle
could novc it. llc cou-Idn't ncve it u:uch, because it rras vreak,
and he l!ne\? he 1,,'ould feel pain $'henever he used it. But he could
nove it cnouBh to fly lnto the sky. llnd after tltat, he 'lrould
not need to &o1.e his \yings. His path vould be deciCed by the
\.rind.
After
stood in ljhe rnid(ile of the front roofl near thc fineplacc, and
they also continued i,o drlnl!, havinS olencd thc 1a$t b(,tJ:le
of the dry vrhite \?i-nc. Jennifer sat on the floor in thc front
-6tt
roon, I canirlg back against the arrnchair a\':ay filoln the v"a:11,
occa.rional]y looliing at the ltre!i Ycatris ;tvc celcbraLioIl Goinc
on in Times ,'jquare that l,,ras on tbe TV, but r0ost:Ly lratchill8
everyone else in the lroo,'n, and listening to thelr conversatlons.
Shc liked to lraich the et;pressiors on Grandpa Jaclirs face rvhcn
he 1,ras telling a funny s"ory, and she also li.ked ho!/ Stanleyrs
voice change(1 ercccrdin.s to hov excited h.r lras. Iiostfy though,
she noticcd 1,he different vays she could tell that Ton and
ilary rYere in love.
Fina11y, Jennifer informed everyone that i-t lYas ten minutes
to the I'leli Year, and Grandpa Jacll got ilate a.nd Lau!'a to colxc
into the front rooin. llate and f,aura sai on the couch al'ld
con'Linucd tal-lring, and Granctpa Jacl{ tooir a seai in thc arncl'Ialr
closest to -bhe val1. Tom had the l-ast bottfe of chanpagne,
and he !/as ovcr near the front door ltith sta-n1ey, ready to
go outside anC llop the corli to ring in the lilelr Year. The prolessor
and ],lary uere siranding bet!,leen the ailllcha,tr alYay fron the vial-land the couch, talking about late ilight snaclrs. A record,
selccted by Granclpa Jaclt, lyas on the stereo in the dinil]g roon.
"T,c-t it Sno',r,r'by Steve f,altrence and Edie Gormg, v'as the soil3
playing at tila t norncnt.
(
"llo'u, said Ton, lceking out the front cloo:', ''',Ic got a
bLizzarc going on out 'Lhere. , .. "
trI,etts s-bi11 go ou-Lside an.l pop the coxl., oliay?" said
Stanley. I'You got the llire alnost undone?'. '."
"Yep, You be at the door, ard 1et ne knorr'.thcn to pop it"'
said [on.
fhen the countdol'& be6an. '10-9-....'r Everyone was coulting.
Gor" said Stanley, fhey had the .nain door open. llorl Ton
opened the s-i,orn.loor, lthich s!,'ung out to the left, and nent
ou,t onto the front po:.ch, going over about fivc s-teps Lo the
right to avoid hitting the oorch ligh'6. The snow l'ras colii]]J
-65-
6-5'tt-"
i'Ij"I rEAit r.
Stai,ley opened the storn door and yeiled I'iio\Y: " to Ton,
anii then hel(i the storn cioor olen jus-t widc enough to sec, and
just long enouah to lratch.
At that exac',; nonent, a gr:eat gust of r'iind anC sncli bler,''
fron !o.4rs right to his left and in'do the front porch ol the
professor's housc, al]llost causing fon to lose his balance'
And beina carriec by -bhis grcat gust of llind aild sno-rl, clear "ia'bci"
ivho wag crr.rl-ecl up like a ball uith his bearsllin robe rlragoed
around hirl, Clear iia-ter didl't have the faintest i-dea "rhere
hc Ua!, o1'lirri:aP he lra: goin3'
llhen Ton poDr,ed the corlt
.-65-
\rar:r
alnost
ain".ed
s back,
Thc force of ihis collision kiloclied t]]c r0inihture felt cloth
Sanba oui, of the sleigh' through the air, and into the brick
abovc the nar1tel,. Santa then fef1 an(i cane to rest lyiirg face
doln1 on the maniel, Santars toy ba3, having becorne seDarated
fron Santa by tfre co11ision' \vent ffying t]'Irough the air' bounced
off the labe1 of the enpty bottle of dry vhi-te !/.rne that Ton
had set on tl,e mantel, an(', slridded into the three viise nen in
fron-b of the nangcr scene, knocking alf three of then over'
and sDilling niniirture felt toys everylrhcre.
clear '/la-bcrrs colll$ion uith ihe nin:i-bure felt cloth Santa
arld hisr ioy bag, neanlrhilc, deflectecl Clcar ilaterrs pa'rh ju-st
slightly uD'lrards, so that vthen ho s'Lruck the enpty ltine bott:l-e
San-ta'
he ricocheted u1] and off to the teft, He then gla1'Iced off the
bricli above the nalrger, aj1d felL into thc sjl,ee.ping Beauty scene'
linocliir]g ',jhe niniqtur"e felt cloth hcfalcis and the King and the
0ueen to thc ground. He finally cane to rest not ,lore than an
-67.-
inch Fl'l!!)r .[ron the ni]ll,1luI'c Stccprn0 tscaub]r; and he calte -Lo r:csb
on lli:i ])acl;, anri 1..')rirr3 oil hi.:) bcartl: j.n rcber in a lnallllcrl that
r/ac .j L)ri1: j-ng.l.y :ri-fl-il ar to hiti j.nioij'r"rfc :ac1 t cf o l"h counteroart '
ht this noncn'c, Ithe nc.rd:Le on thc rccord playcr sliippeai
onco, ar1(i then stucli at liho DarL ril,. cre S"eve l,a,ii4erice a]-)al
9c1j.o Gorric t,rei:e singing "... al1 -Lhc vay hoi13 Irl:L be \'.'3rrn...."
i.r
-63cn the TV. there vrei:c crolids of peo?l-e and streamers all
over thc D1ace, . , "r'le're nol'I at the beginniilg of a llel'I Year" " "
said an ail|]oinccr... Sone band was pl-ayj-ng "Au:l-d Ang Synei' in
the bachround.,..
r'Stanley, close that doorl"
Stanl-ey cl-osed the door' Grandpa Jack began brushing
cold snolr off his head and the back of his neck.
"stan1ey, what's Ton doing?'r asked liary'
"iter11 be rlght in,i reDlieo stanley.
Suddenly the door c?ened, and Ton scurried inside, shutting
the door cLuiclr:l.y beh j-nd hil1. "',{hat a storm: " he said, b!?ushing
snolv
when
1t-- it
a hil out of the bottle.
' lleanvrhile ' :i'ba111Qy ?as mmFaging a-.ound in the closet '
IA fievr Year...
said the prolessor, thoughtful]y' ' ' '
"'
I hear a record sLucll sollelthere?'l
And then he $aid, "Don''L
He rvent into the cining roor'l tc check.
Sianley then llevealed "Jhe two boitles of cold chanlagne
ire had left in the closet. "A latc bj.rthday lresent-- extra
I
opened
stash. "
"A11 right !" said Toii.
"Donri open a-ny on orrr a-coount said Kate, indlcating
"r
her and Laura.
ii':rhere rs thalr fire?,, said fon, a.nc1 he stepoe(t over to
the fireplace, putiing his hands ou-t to !/arn i;hexo up'
"We,],l, l thinir 1'11 oPen one...." said Stanley, moving
tovrards ihe front .'ioor.
-6?-
\,rhat
moved up close.
-7 o-
'
one
j oicing.
"Are 1'r'e all thinlring that itrs rea1, then? " aEked Iiate.
"Because....r'
Everyone looLed at her for a nonent.
"... I thii'Ilr I'm going to nako sone coffee....r'
iGood idea"' said I,aura. "Ii1l heln." i(ate an'.1 T,aura
r'rent olf to thc kltchen. Ton and I'iary stepped bacl! to vhere
Stanley uas. Sianley raovec-l u? to the nailLef to l-ooli. Jennifer,
the profcssor, Stanley, aJid Grandlia Jacle stood at the lnantel,
looking.
"I .ronder lrhy it vas out in the bl.i7'zard. '.." sai.d the
proiessor.
r'l,1aybe it's cold," said Jennifer'
"But lre dor')ii ttant to try touching it yet,!' sai.l GrandDa
Jaclr.
-?
1-
\,,/as
aslied Laura.
",.':e11," said-bhe professioi:, "",'e coul'd. But'..."
GranCla Jack finj,slled his 'rhoua:h-b ' "...but then jt uouldnrjt
be loi1g beloae everyone il'I toun foirnd out about it... and if
i t livcct , it pi'obab.],). \'Iou-ld neve!' again be frec , 'r
"You neai'] tie can't tell aiiyone?'! ashed Jennifer, loolliirg
a-L
her
fa-bhcr:.
dorr
knol,'r vha!'t ve
vas loolilng for goid-- oh, Itve hsard ciiffercnt Versions you
llltoir-- but, he nas loolring for golC some!/here in the mountajns
of ltrorth Carolina, an.l he found Fone little people \vith u,,ii'lgs.,,
probably quite a 1ot lj,lre the 1i L-ble feua 1,.'e rve {ao-b hcrc .rr
lia-'be.
-74-
fioj.n..l
sil-ent.
j.s
incredibl,c,,' said the professor. He 6tood uD ft,on
"?his
Eve,"ryonc 1?as
Hhcrc he rras sittlng on thc collch ancl lool:ed a.b C_t_ear lirater agaii.I.
Thcr1 SLanley saic1, "itr.rt Jaclr, there are lots of storie:J
aboui liitle peorilc.,. ho\'I could re ever tnotr trhich one -i_s
tal,king about i?here this guJr cane frojtr?'t
lveryonc tras s ilent,
r'l'1e11," said Grandpa Jack, 'ryou llnoty :[rve heard a lot of
stories in ny tir4e,.. but the leople t1'ho lmov tlris story, they
donrt -te1l ib to jus-t an]'one. Seens the ol,d prospector: nade
a rrrap.. . and there rs Deople l,rho believe 'to this day that the:,.rre
going to find -Lhat naD."
lllhat \,,'as it, a treasure map or sone thing?'r aslred fon.
"It u.!s a riap of uhere to find the little pcople,,' saj.d
Grandla Jacl:.
''ljui, " said. 'the professor, I'of cou,rse no one Lnoir's 'i,'l'rat
happened to tlic nap, , . .'l
Agai]1 everyone i?as silent.
sald
Grandpa
Jaclr,"itIs
at1
a little
h'"'-nfiry . "
he1u.