THE STAR ELDER STORYAN INTRODUCTION

Beginning in the early 1990s, I had the great honor and privilege of being able to travel the country - and the world - and share many of the stories about the culture and the legends of Native America. At one point, while in Australia, I ventured to tell a story about my grandfather and several of his friends. It was a story about a Being from the stars that they had encountered.

I was most appreciative of the response. It was also at this time that I learned that there had been other similar stories about 'fallen disks' and star beings that I had never heard of. As I continued to travel and lecture and upon returning to the States, I ventured to tell my grandfather's story here at home. The response was just as surprising. I was again very pleased with the kind words that I received.

The following story is a reconstruction based on the many stories that I had heard from my grandfather and his friends about an incident that they had gone through. On a dark night, when they had begun a vision quest, they witnessed a bright light that seemed to fall from the sky. I have tried to write the story in a readable fashion but have tried very hard to tell the stories as my grandfather's friends told them.

You will note that there are several Spanish words used in the text, they were and they are important to the story. I have written the words that were used by the Star Elder as best as I could render them.

When I first began to tell this story, I received some criticism from those who felt that my description of my grandfather as a young man in 1947 could not possibly have been correct. There are two important factors that need to be considered.

First: the term 'young' does not mean the same in the native world as it does in the 'civilized' world. In the Hopi world, as in many other native cultures, a person is not measured by the number of calendar years one has lived; a person is measured by the way in which he or she acts. There are fourteen year girls who take care of their brothers and sisters, acting like an adult. In the native world, she is an adult. There are also many men in who behave like children; in the native world, they are children and are treated as such. Many native men who may have lived sixty or seventy calendar years are able to dance in pow-wows with a vigor and enthusiasm that many young men cannot. This makes them 'young'. You are as old as your 'dance'. How you live is your 'dance'.

Secondly: in the native world, the term 'grandfather' is a title given to a male individual who is your mentor and your guide. A twenty-year-old man who is a very accomplished hunter and who teaches you and guides you in learning about the hunt may be called 'grandfather'. Likewise, a young woman who acts as a mentor and guide to an individual may be termed 'grandmother'.

I offer the following paper as I had originally begun to present it in the early 1990s.For your consideration...

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THE STAR ELDER STORY

On July 8, 1947, the Daily Record of Roswell, New Mexico, blared out the following deadline:

RAAF CAPTURES FLYING SAUCER ON RANCH IN ROSWELL REGIONNO DETAILS OF FLYING DISK ARE REVEALED

ROSWELL HARDWARE MAN AND WIFE REPORTED DISK SEEN

The Intelligence Office of the 509th Bombardment group at Roswell Army Air Field announced at noontoday that the field has come into possession of a flying saucer.According to information released by the department, over authority of Major J A. Marcel, intelligenceofficer, the disk was recovered on a ranch in the Roswell vicinity, after an unidentified rancher hadnotified Sheriff Geo. Wilcox, here, that he had found the instrument on his premises.Major Marcel and a detail from his department went to the ranch and recovered the disk, it was stated.After the intelligence office here had inspected the instrument it was flown to 'higher headquarters'.The intelligence office stated that no details of the saucer's construction or its appearance had beenrevealed.Mr. and Mrs. Dan Wilmot apparently were the only persons in Roswell who have seen what they thoughtwas a flying disk.They were sitting on their porch at 105 South Perm last Wednesday night [2 July] at about ten minutesbefore ten o'clock when a large glowing object zoomed out of the sky from the southeast, going in anorthwesterly direction at a high rate of speed. Wilmot said it appeared to him to be about 1,500 feethigh and going fast. He estimated between 400 and 500 miles per hour. In appearance it looked oval inshape like two inverted saucers, faced mouth to mouth, or like two old type washbowls places [sic]together in the same fashion.

On July 9, 1947, the Daily Record carried the following:

GEN. RAMEY EMPTIES ROSWELL SAUCERRAMEY SAYS EXCIETMENT IS NOT JUSTIFIED

GENERAL RAMEY SAYS DISK IS WEATHER BALLOON

The 'Flying Disk' story was completely denied. According to the newsstory, Brigadier General Roger Ramey called on Air Force Warrant Officer Irving Newton to examine the wreckage, which had been flown to Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio. Warrant Officer Newton immediately recognized the remains as that of a weather balloon.

The following day a press conference was called and General Ramey denied that the debris found was in any way connected to a 'flying saucer'.

After that, the story of a crashed disk faded away. It was not until 1978, more than thirty years later, that the story of the Roswell disk would re-surface. Authors Stanton Friedman and William L. Moore found the newspaper reports and began to investigate. They published their findings in a book in 1980 called The Roswell Incident. Since then, right or wrong, accurate or inaccurate, the 'Roswell Incident' has blossomed and become a legend in UFO circles.

Though other 'crashed disk' reports have since surfaced - notably the fallen disks near Aztec, New Mexico and Kingman, Arizona - the following story is based on a long hidden whispered tradition emerging from the Indian lands of the Southwest.

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UPDATE - 2004 What you are about to read is an updated version of a story first written in 1967. Several relatives of the young men directly involved in the events were interviewed as were many witnesses to various portions of the story described. The events which you are about to read are real.

LA CALLIDA

The fire crackled in the stillness of the night."It is good..." Indio said aloud as he looked up to the stars. "The night is clear and the

stars speak loudly in their brightness." Indio was the unexpressed leader of the group. He and his younger brother, along with their life-long friends, had come to the highlands to begin a vision quest.

Midnight nodded his head in agreement. He sat squatting next to Indio, both were warming themselves next to the fire. Midnight was a good foil for Indio, though he often demonstrated an entirely different point of view, invariably the two of them would agree on what they would all do together as a group.

Little Bear and Apache Boy, the two youngest members of the group, were behind them, also wrapped in blankets. They were playing their stick game, laughing together as they always did and inevitably arguing with each other, as they always did.

Lindo was lying down on a blanket across from all of them, the fire had warmed him into a light sleep. He was dreaming of something which made him smile, he nodded slightly up and down, approving of whatever he was seeing.

Over in the darkness, not far away, Dare-Any, the oldest of the group was staring upwards to the stars. His eyes were fixed, his posture was ready. Something was going on somewhere up in the stars.

Midnight noticed him. "Even Dare-Any sees signs in the skies," he said.Indio nodded in agreement. The night was still, very still, not even crickets made a noise.

Indio had a sense that everything was too quiet. Something was in the air."Hey! Hey! Hey!" Little Bear suddenly shouted. "You missed it! You cheated!""Ay!" Apache Boy countered. "I did not! I caught it!""NOT Little Bear argued. "You did not! You flipped it up in the air! You can not do that,

you know that!""The blanket on my arm moved," Apache Boy argued back. "It was not me, it only looked

like I tossed it up, but I did not. I dropped it from the back of my hand like I am supposed to. It only looked like I tossed it up,"

"No!" Bear protested. "You tossed it up! You cheated!""Andale pues!" Apache Boy shook his head. "I did not! Mira!" He flipped the stick up

again, catching it flat on the back of his hand. Then he tossed it up again and quickly leaned forward, catching it with his teeth. "See! I can catch it in any way I want. I do not need to cheat to play any stick game!"

"You cheated!" Bear came back.

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"I did not!" Apache Boy yelled back."Indio!" Little Bear turned to his older brother. "Tell Apache Boy he cheated! He is

cheating!""Indio!" Apache Boy answered. "Your little brother needs this vision quest more than he

knows. His vision is very bad for sure.""It is not! You cheated! Indio!""Siego!" taunted Apache Boy. "You are blind!""Indio!"Lindo woke up. "What's the matter?" He shook his head, trying to clear his vision. "Que

pasa? What is going on?""Indio!" Bear kept on. "Lo ti'ro! He tossed it up!""Siegito!" Apache Boy repeated.The argument began to get louder."Ya! Ya!" Lindo pleaded. "Enough! Let it be!" He wrapped himself tighter in his

blanket."Quietos!" Indio yelled at them. "Both of you, quiet down! We are here to prepare for a

vision of the future, not to play games with sticks."The two boys sat in their blankets glaring at each other. Indio gave them both a

demanding stare.Midnight leaned over to Indio and smiled. "They are always playing and arguing. That is

what young boys do. Tonight they play and fight as they always have, perhaps this is the vision of their future, they will always play and fight... until they are old men."

"Indio!" Little Bear protested. "He cheated...""Enough, brother..." Indio looked at him. "Enough! Leave the sticks alone!""But..." Little Bear started.Indio gave him a stern look.Apache Boy smiled. Indio quickly turned to him and gave him an equally stern look.

Apache Boy's smile faded."Listen to me, both of you..." Indio said, pointing his finger at both of them. "We are here

to seek a vision of our futures. Each one of us is here to try to see our tomorrows. We are not here to argue over sticks! The forest is quiet for us, the creatures of the night are quiet for us, even the stars are quiet for us. I suggest that the two of you should also be quiet - for us and for yourselves!"

Bear looked at his older brother, "I understand, Indio. I am sorry!"Apache Boy nodded his agreement. "I am sorry as well," he said. "I understand what you

are saying, Indio. I am sorry.""Bueno!" Indio said. "Thank you. Let us look forward to what is about to come to us

from the Spirits and the Ancient Ones."With that, Indio turned back to the fire. Apache Boy and Little Bear followed suit.

Everyone sat in their blankets, pondering what they might find with the new day."Mira!" Dare-Any suddenly interjected from the darkness. He was pointing at the sky.Everyone turned to look at what he was pointing at. Streaking across the sky was a

brilliant light, moving from the north towards the south.

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"It is a falling star!" Lindo said. "Look!""Huta!" Apache Boy let out. "Huta! It is a sign from the stars!""The stars are talking to us..." Midnight said. "They are pointing the way!"Indio watched the light."No, wait!" he said. "Wait! Look at that!"To everyone's surprise, the 'star' suddenly began to zig-zag, then slowed up, then sped up

again."Whoa!" Apache Boy shook his head. "What is that?""That is no star..." Lindo whispered.Little Bear was totally surprised, "Ay! Ay! Ay! Ay! Ay!""What kind of falling star is that?" Midnight wondered out loud."That is no falling star I have ever seen..." Indio said.Apache Boy called out to Dare-Any. "What is that? Have you ever seen anything like

that?"Dare-Any shook his head. "That is not a falling star..." he said. "That is one of the

dancing stars."Little Bear turned to Dare-Any. "One of the 'dancing stars'?" he marveled. He stared in

awe. "Is it really?"Just then, the light dropped suddenly down into the tree-line in the distance.BOOO-OOOM!They all heard the explosion and saw a sudden glow lighting up the sky. It was white and

yellow, turning into red and orange, then fading away. What looked like little sparkles dotted the trees in the distance.

Everyone stood silent.Little Bear turned to Indio. "Brother... what should we do?"Apache Boy rushed over to Indio. "Let us go. We must go see what it is, or what it was or

whatever." He was almost jumping up and down. "Let us go!"Lindo joined him. "Yes. Let us not wait. The stars are talking to us!""Wait!" Midnight stopped them. "Wait! Does not anyone remember the stories about the

soldiers that come after the dancing stars fall to the ground? Have you forgotten the others who chased after the dancing stars and did not come back?"

Little Bear looked at Midnight then turned to Indio. "That is right," he said. "Remember when Armando and Ramon went after the fallen star? The soldiers came right into our village."

Apache Boy nodded his head. "That is how Armando's wife became known as la Llorona, the 'crying one'."

"The soldiers will soon be there..." Lindo reminded them. "That is not good.""They will..." Midnight echoed. "They will be there... very soon."It was quiet for a moment."It is a sign from the stars..." the usually quiet Dare-Any spoke up. "We must be careful

in the path we choose."Apache Boy was excited and nervous. "Shall we go?" he looked at Indio. "Shall we go?

Or should we stay? What about the soldiers?"

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Indio was the voice of caution. "We will probably run into the soldiers. They will not be kind," he said. "This is not a good thing. We must think of this before we choose to go."

The others looked at each other, eager and concerned all at once."I think I want to go..." Lindo said quietly."They will be waiting..." Midnight reminded him."Yes..." Lindo answered quietly. "Yes. They will be waiting." He kept staring at the

glow in the sky far away. "I still want to go.""Yes... yes... yes..." Apache Boy whispered leaning forward. "Yes...!"Little Bear was making faces. He wasn't too sure about what to do.Indio watched the glow fading in the distance. "This is probably not a good thing to do,"

he said.Midnight nodded his head in agreement.Lindo looked over at Indio and Midnight. "No..." he disagreed. "It is like Dare-Any said.

It is a sign from the stars, that is why we are here, to see what our days ahead might hold. This star is talking to us. We should go."

"Yes, yes...let us go," Apache Boy said.Little Bear turned to his brother, "Indio, please. Let us ask Dare-Any what he thinks. He

has seen more things like this than we have."Indio nodded, he turned to get Dare-Any's opinion."Where is he?" he asked. "I do not see him."Dare-Any was nowhere in sight.Lindo turned to the darkness where Dare-Any usually stood. "He is gone.""Wait!" Apache Boy yelled. "There he is! There he goes.. . towards the glow!"Indio turned and saw Dare-Any's form moving into the distance. Just as Apache Boy said,

Dare-Any was moving quickly towards the glow! Damn him! Indio thought to himself. There he goes again.

"Huta!" Apache Boy let out, jumping up from his blanket. "Let us go! Let us go! We can catch him yet!"

Lindo and Little Bear joined Apache Boy as he began running after Dare-Any. Midnight looked at Indio for a moment, then he shrugged his shoulders and turned to run into the darkness.

Damn him! Indio thought to himself again. He started running after the others. Damn that Dare-Any!

DESCUBRIMIENTO

"Da'Hale! We have to go!" Apache Boy yelled at the others down below. "They are almost here!" He and Little Bear were standing lookout on the hillside above the others. They could see the jeep headlights on the dirt road that was just around the bend. Little Bear was getting nervous. He tugged at Apache Boy's sleeve.

"Here they come!" he said. "Here they come!"They are almost here!" Apache Boy yelled again, looking down to see if the others had

heard him.

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In the wash below, the others moved in and out of the wreckage. They had all managed to get to the crash-site before the soldiers, but apparently not much before. Midnight was actually the first to see the wreckage. It was half-buried, smoldering in the arroyo sand.

As they moved through the smoking red-hot pieces of metal, Midnight suddenly shouted at Lindo.

"Lindo! Come here! Come here quick! I found something! Help me!" he yelled.Lindo came running over. "What? What is it?" he yelled as he reached Midnight.Midnight yelled at him, "I will lift the metal, you pull it out! Hurry!"Lindo stopped as soon as he saw it. "What the...?" he mumbled to himself as he bent

down. It was covered in some sort of shiny cloth or metal foil.While Midnight and Lindo struggled, Indio and Dare-Any were a short distance away,

carefully searching through the rest of the debris for other finds. A combination of steam from the metal and the stinging smoke from the still-burning creosote bushes made it difficult for them to keep their eyes open.

Indio rubbed his eyes. Not knowing what the other two had found, he suggested to Dare-Any, "Let us get Midnight and Lindo and go. This is too hard a thing for us to do. The soldiers are coming, I am sure of that."

Dare-Any nodded and looked up on the hillside where the two boys were. He could just make out their silhouettes. Apache Boy was jumping up and down. Dare-Any put his hand on Indio's shoulder, nodding towards the hilltop.

Just then the glare of headlights from the other side of the hill made Apache Boy and Little Bear's silhouettes very clear. The soldiers were clearly on their way.

"They are coming!" shouted Little Bear from the hilltop. He was getting nervous, very nervous. He wasn't sure, but he thought Dare-Any had seen them. He glanced back over his shoulder, the lights were getting brighter. He and Apache Boy had better leave, he thought, the soldiers were close - too close.

In the arroyo, Midnight used his weight to push the twisted metal to one side. Lindo lifted out what they had found carefully and slowly.

"Move it... move it... move it!" Midnight yelled.Lindo pulled it clear of the metal that had covered it."Damn it!" screamed Midnight, throwing the red-hot metal to one side quickly. "Ow...

ow... ow... my arm... my arm! Pinche!" He waved his arm back and forth, trying to cool it off.Indio had made his way over, coming to help so that they could leave, but he stopped

suddenly when he saw what Lindo was holding. He was stunned."Dios mio!" Indio whispered when he saw it, "...Dios mio!"Dare-Any came running over. "What the...?!" he blurted.Lindo stood there, holding it out carefully. "There is no weight..." he said in quiet

astonishment. "It is as if I hold nothing in my arms." He started to get up."Careful, brother..." Indio cautioned him, stooping down to help Lindo to his feet.

"Careful.""Uchi! Hey! What about me?" Midnight groaned, grabbing at his arm. "Help me!

"Ayuda 'me, Mano! My arm is burning!" He struggled to get up.

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Dare-Any came over and put his arm around him. "I have you, brother!" he said, holding him up. "I have you."

Little Bear and Apache Boy came scrambling down the hill, kicking up a clouds of dust as they ran. "Did you not hear us!?" Little Bear yelled at them. "The soldiers are coming! They are just over the rise and..."

Little Bear stopped dead in his tracks when he saw it. Apache Boy ran right into Bear, his momentum knocked him to the ground. He jumped up and grabbed Bear.

"Huta!" Apache Boy snarled at him. "What is the matter with you? Why did you just stop like that?"

"Uchi!" Little Bear whispered. "Look!" He didn't turn to look at Apache Boy.Apache Boy jumped up and shook Bear angrily. "What? What is it? What are you

doing? Why did you stop so quickly?"Bear wasn't looking at him."What is it?" Apache Boy yelled at him. "What do you stare at?" he demanded. Bear did

not move, he wouldn't turn around. Apache Boy peered around Bear to see what he was staring at.

Apache Boy's face turned to complete surprise. "Uchi!" he let out. "What is that!?"Lindo looked up at him. "I do not know..." he said. He looked down at the bundle in his

arms. "I do not know."Little Bear turned to Apache Boy; they stared at each other for a moment. They had never

expected to find anything, much less this. Then Apache Boy suddenly remembered why he had been running.

"The soldiers!" he warned everyone. "They are just over the hills! Whatever that is in your arms, we must move our feet to another place... and we must do it now!"

Indio agreed. He pointed at Lindo, then raised his hand with his index finger raised. "Uno...", he said.

Everyone knew what Indio meant. Lindo would be 'number one'. Everything would revolve around protecting him.

Lindo nodded at Indio, he too knew what he had to do.Midnight was still clutching his arm, wincing in pain. Indio looked at him and pointed at

him, then pointed at himself. "Los lados...", he said. They would be the escorts, guiding and protecting Lindo through the darkness.

He looked at the others, but they already knew what they had to do.Lindo had already begun to move slowly and carefully through the debris and hot twisted

metal, shielding his bundle from the heat. As he reached the edge of the wreckage, he began to run in the direction they had come from.

In the near distance, an engine rumbled. Then another, and another.Indio looked at his little brother, "Bear..."Little Bear smiled at him, "Do not worry, brother. I will be safe."Indio gave him a half-smile. "Cuidado", he said, then turned to joined Midnight. They

both began to make their way to Lindo's side, moving to either side, brushing away the branches of the desert shrubs and guiding the way.

Headlight beams suddenly reflected off the rocks ahead.

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''Uchi!" said Lindo looking back to the arroyo. "They are closer than I thought! Let us go, vamonos!"

As he ran, Lindo thought back to the many times they had talked about what they would do if they ever had a chance to find a 'fallen star'. It was something many of the young men said they would like to do. Find the fallen star, touch it and get away before the soldiers arrived, that was what everyone said. But no one thought they would ever get a chance to actually do it. And now, here they were. The six of them, all good friends, were not only given an opportunity to touch a 'fallen star', they had actually taken a prize, something no one could ever have dreamed of.

They had all grown up sleeping out in the desert, laying under the night skies with the stars above them. Lindo and the others had spent much of their childhood watching the lights dance in the dark sky. The Four Corners area was well known by the desert people as a place where the stars played.

Lindo and the others had actually been to another crash site, but the soldiers had arrived first. They had seen them working like frenzied ants picking up the pieces of metal and debris and loading it all onto several trucks. Then Lindo frowned, he remembered how a soldier had sneaked up on them and pointed a rifle at them - it scared him. Then he smiled again. Lindo did not see where Dare-Any had come.

Neither did the soldier.It was a good thing, no one knows how long they would have been in jail if the soldier had

arrested them. Lindo wondered how long the soldier lay unconscious afterwards. That Dare-Any was good, he thought to himself, real good!

Just then, Lindo heard Midnight groan.While pushing against a branch, he had rubbed his burned shoulder. "Ay! Damn it!" he let

out. "Damn it!" He turned and saw Lindo's concern."I am fine," he said to him. "I am fine. Just keep going."Lindo nodded and smiled at him. Then he looked back over his shoulder just in time to

see Little Bear and Apache Boy running east towards the canyon. Their task was relatively simple, they would try to get the soldiers attention, lead them in the wrong direction, then eventually find their way back to their camp. They were the 'conejos', the 'rabbits'. Lindo and his bundle were the 'ninos' 'the babes', the ones who had to be protected at all costs.

Indio and Midnight were the escorts; they would protect him at all costs, but they would become decoys, if it was necessary. The three of them would head directly south, towards the safety of basecamp.

Little Bear, Apache Boy and Dare-Any would head towards the north. They would act as distractions to draw the fast approaching soldiers away from Lindo and the others.

Dare-Any?! Lindo wondered where he was, he couldn't see him, there was no sign of him. Perhaps the brush and mesquite hid him, he thought to himself. "Where is Dare-Any?"

he puffed at Indio and Midnight. "I do not see him. Can you see where he is?"Indio looked back towards the crash site as he ran. "I see him, Lindo. Do not worry..."

Indio said, catching sight of a moving Dare-Any. "He is near the wreckage. You know how he is, he will make sure that the soldiers see him."

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"Uchi!" Lindo said, as he kept moving forward. "Our Apache friend likes to take chances, does he not? He is 'loco' crazy, I think."

Indio nodded and slowed down, still looking back."Keep going!" he ordered Lindo and Midnight. "I will make sure Dare-Any and the others

are making their way into the darkness! Do not stop!" Indio motioned them forward. As he slowed down, he turned to look for Dare-Any again. He had hoped that his eyes were playing tricks on him.

They were not. Indio was afraid to say anything to Lindo and Midnight. If they had seen what he had seen, they might slow down, maybe even stop. "Keep going!" he yelled at Midnight and Lindo.

What Indio had seen was completely unbelievable. Dare-Any was trying to distract the soldiers all right, but he was not running into the darkness trying to get their attention. No, Indio marveled, Dare-Any was running straight as an arrow directly towards the jeeps! He is crazy, he thought to himself. He really is crazy! As he strained to look into the darkness, he couldn't see Dare-Any. Then, suddenly, he saw him - in the glare of the head-lights! There he was, near the jeeps, running right straight at them!

Damn you, Dare-Any! Indio cursed him in his mind. Why must it always be like this? Why do you always do something like this? Damn you!

"Damn you, Dare-Any!" the words came out. "Damn you!"Midnight heard Indio's curse behind him as he ran with Lindo. He turned to see if Indio

needed help. "What is the...!?"CRACK!The bushes interrupted his question.Lindo heard the crack of the branches and stopped. "What is the matter?""Oooo-ooo-ff!" Midnight lay in the bushes, his breath was knocked out of him.Indio stopped and turned towards the sound. In the light of the stars, he could just make

out Midnight spread-eagled, nearly upside down on the long thin branches of the creosote bushes ahead of him. For a split second, Indio smiled. He ran forward to where Midnight was hanging. He stopped and bent over to help Midnight get up.

"Get up..." he said to Midnight, lifting him up. "This is no time to make a nest.""Damn it!" Midnight growled. "Pinche ramada! Que se qema todo!"Lindo grinned at him in the darkness.Midnight pulled himself up on Indio's arm. "Indio!" he glowered. "What is wrong with

you? Why do curse at Dare-Any? Look at what you made me do!" Midnight struggled to get up, his arm was still burning.

Indio tried to brush the twigs off. "Oww... oww," Midnight pulled himself away, still grumbling. "What is it, Indio?" he asked. "What did you see?"

Lindo walked back to them, still carefully nursing his bundle. "What? What is it? What is happening?"

Indio turned back and nodded in the direction of the approaching lights. The three of them looked back, they could just make out a dark form, right in front of the jeeps!

"What the...!?" Midnight said. "It cannot be!""It is!" Indio said. "It is him! It is Dare-Any!"

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Lindo shook his head. "Dios mio! He is crazy, he is!"Indio pulled Midnight up. "Vamos! We must not wait, we must go!" He turned Lindo

around, pushing as gently as he could. "Mueve'te. Move!"As he roused them forward, he shook his head in anger. "Keep going," he ordered them.

It was absolutely necessary for them to escape, no matter what Dare-Any did. As they began running again, Indio looked back. What in God's name was Dare-Any trying to do anyway? If he got caught, it was certain they would all be in danger of being caught!

Damn you, Dare-Any! Indio thought to himself. Damn you!

LOS SOLDADOS

Apache Boy stopped on the east ridge. He looked back to where the soldiers were. Then he saw him. It was Dare-Any, he was running west, towards the soldiers! Apache Boy stared in disbelief. Actually, Dare-Any wasn't running, his pace was quite leisurely, almost as if he were out for a jog, instead running head-long at a military convoy.

Apache Boy hesitated for an instant. Maybe Dare-Any does not know that the soldiers are in front of him. Maybe he thinks they are the trucks of some of our friends. No, he thought, that cannot be. Dare-Any is never confused, he never does anything without a good reason. Somehow, there was always a plan in the madness. This had better be good, Apache Boy thought. This better be good, Dare-Any!

"Dare-Any...", Apache Boy mumbled as he watched him. "You better know what you are doing. It is true, you must be ba 'odlohe, but you are also smart! I do not know what you are doing - if this plan does not work, it is sure that you will be caught...or killed!" Apache Boy waved towards his friend.

"Good luck, Dare-Any..." he looked again. "I think you will need it."In the distance, Apache Boy could see the forms of Indio and Midnight taking Lindo over

the far rise. Comfortable that they were safe, a concerned Apache Boy ran to catch up with Little Bear running up ahead of him.

Little Bear turned to him as he caught up. "Did they catch him?" he puffed. "I think I saw Dare-Any running towards the jeeps. He was getting close."

Apache Boy had caught up with him and was running alongside him. He shook his head. "No, Bear..." he answered. "They have not caught him...not yet!"

Just then, they heard it!SCREEEECH! RREER-RRAAR-RRR! KA-BAAMMM!!!It was a crash - a loud horrible crash. It was the jumbled sounds of crunching metal and

squealing brakes!Little Bear stopped suddenly and grabbed Apache Boy's arm."They killed him!!" Little Bear gasped. "They could not stop. They must have run over

him and then hit some rocks! They killed him!"Apache Boy shook his head at Bear and turned to run into the darkness again. No, he

shook his head. "No, Bear..." he said. "They did not kill him."He paused, "They do not have that kind of luck!"Little Bear made a face and frowned at him. "What...?!"

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"I am kidding!" he smiled at Apache Boy. "I am kidding. Dare-Any knows what he is doing. He will be fine."

Little Bear made another face, then smiled at Apache Boy. He turned and began to run. Apache Boy began to follow him, but he turned to take one last look. Damn that Dare-Any! Apache Boy thought to himself. He is crazy!

The jeeps and trucks came to a halt. Men jumped out and began moving in all directions. They quickly set perimeters and posted guards every few yards apart in a complete circle around the wreckage of the disk. The generators came to life, the lights flooded the area, giving the rising dust clouds an eerie glow.

The Recovery Team Specialists began their assigned tasks with precision and efficiency. The photographers took photo after photo. Technicians began to carefully disassemble, piece by piece, the main body of the remains. As each item was carefully removed, it was placed into an olive drab truck. The teams knew what to do, they had played out the same scenario several times.

By dawn's first light, all of the debris had been tagged and loaded onto one of the trucks. Every piece, down to the tiniest fragment, had been recovered. Nothing was left, not a trace remained. The recovery was complete. As the engines rumbled to life, everyone boarded one of the vehicles.

Only back roads would be used to return to the base, and fortunately, the reservations were seldom traveled. If the Indians were disturbed, no one would mind. They were, after all, savages whose lives teemed with legends of sky people, nature spirits and animals that spoke. No one would believe their stories of soldiers in the night.

The Lieutenant in charge surveyed the scene. Not one of the disk's pieces was left. Only several scorched patches of earth remained. Anyone who came here now looking for any signs of a crash would be severely disappointed. The young Lieutenant smiled to himself. He had done well.

He turned to watch the trucks as they left the site. As the last vehicles departed, he glanced at the two tow trucks. Dangling from their chains, two jeeps swung miserably back and forth. The smile on his face faded. This could be trouble, he thought to himself. A mishap on a Delta Blue mission like this could result in his being put on report. That spelled problems -big problems!

The Lieutenant could see potential danger looming large in his future. This was exactly the kind of thing that ended careers! Not only were government vehicles damaged while under his command, but the culprit responsible for the evening's fiasco had escaped!

The Lieutenant scowled. The Indian had come from out of nowhere, running out of the darkness straight at them! His driver had no choice, they had to swerve! He was lucky none of the trucks behind him had run over him. As he lay on the ground next to his jeep, he saw the figure of a long-haired Indian disappearing into the darkness.

Damn you, Indian! the Lieutenant thought to himself. If I ever catch you... I'll kill you!

12

BASECAMP

Indio, Midnight and Lindo arrived back at their camp first. Hidden high in the mountain forest-lands, the basecamp felt good. Lindo placed the bundle down carefully in the blankets. His arms were burning. Yet as he set the figure down, he could not take his eyes off of it. Indio made a fire and began to nurse Midnight's shoulder.

Lindo carefully placed the little bundle, making sure that it was safe and secure. Then he went to the fire and started making coffee. He was lost in his thoughts.

When Indio finished tending to Midnight's shoulder, he walked over and took a cup of coffee from Lindo. Neither said anything to the other as they stared into the flames. Indio wondered what the stars had delivered to them.

Midnight tried to lay down, resting his shoulder wound. He could not sleep, his shoulder hurt and he was much too caught up in the events of the evening. He stood up to walk around, perhaps he could walk until he was tired. He glanced over at Indio.

Indio was now standing over the bundle, studying it with great care. Midnight walked over to him. The two of them stood side by side, staring at it. They looked up to the stars. Their vision quest had truly become a quest.

Two hours later, Lindo was still staring at the fire. Suddenly, there was a sound in the darkness. It was Little Bear and Apache Boy. Midnight was still awake and was walking around, still excited, when he saw them.

He came over to them. "Want some coffee, brothers?" he asked, extending a cup to them. He groaned as he lifted his arm out to Bear.

Apache Boy noticed the creosote twigs all over him. Midnight saw Apache Boy's look, noticed that he was carefully examining the green leaves still on his shirt. "Do not ask, brother..." he said. "Do not ask. Just take the coffee, please."

As the sky was beginning to lighten, the five were sitting around the fire."Y'ahora?" asked Little Bear. "Who do we tell about this night? Who do we tell about

that...that...?" Bear gestured towards the blankets."I do not know..." Indio said simply, staring at the fire. "I do not know."Little Bear stared at his older brother in disbelief. What was this? Indio did not know

what to do?! How could that be? When Indio did not know what to do, then the problem was big - very big!

"Where is Dare-Any?" asked Lindo, looking around. "None of this should be spoken of without him, he should be here!"

Little Bear dropped his head. "The soldiers killed him..." he said sadly."What?!" Midnight exclaimed. "What?!""No!" Lindo protested. "That cannot be!" He stood up, "Impossible!""It is true..." Bear looked at him with sad eyes. "Both Apache Boy and I heard the crash. I

think they must hit him with their jeeps! 'Boy' here says no, but I think they got him!"

13

Indio looked at his little brother. He shook his head. No, he thought, it could not be! Dare-Any had nine lives. He would not be defeated that easily.

"He will come back..." Indio reassured Bear. "Do not be afraid. He will! For now, however, we will discuss this without him."

Midnight nodded in agreement. Dare-Any would appear from out of nowhere again, that he was sure of.

For a moment, they all sat silently around the fire."We must tell the 'Viejito'!" offered Apache Boy. "He is the one who will know what to

do!""Let us tell Don Genaro," suggested Lindo. "He is wise!""The Bruja!" said Little Bear. "She, too, is wise!""My grandfather!" added Midnight. "He is the wisest!"Lindo glared at him, contesting the point with his eyes. "All of these people are wise..."

Lindo countered. "But we must decide which one of them is the wisest!""We must tell the Elders!" Indio interrupted."But whose Elders?" Midnight asked. Yours - or mine?""Yes..." agreed Lindo. "Whose Elders come first?"Indio looked at both of them. It was truly a problem, but not one without a solution. "We

tell them all!” he decided. "This is not for just one the tribes. It is for all of them."The others looked at him, then nodded. Indio was right, it made sense. They should tell

all of the Elders, they should all know about the being."Yes..." Indio repeated. "We will tell them all!"'Wo!" came the voice from behind them.They all jumped, they were startled by the sudden sound.It was Dare-Any.

LA MADRUGADA

The early morning sun peered over the canyon walls. For a moment, Little Bear stirred in his blankets. Then a deep, rumbling sound came from somewhere within the quivering pile of blankets. It sounded almost like an earthquake.

Indio and Apache Boy rolled over and looked toward Bear's rumpled heap, wondering where the sound was coming from.

Suddenly, Little Bear exploded out from under his covers. Screaming, he leaped straight up in the air, as if he had been launched skyward by a hidden volcano. Lindo and Midnight sat straight up in their blankets. It was Little Bear. He was clutching his leg, beating it with his fists! Then just as quickly as he had risen, he collapsed to the ground, still grabbing at his leg, pounding it mercilessly.

"Bear..." moaned Apache Boy. "It is his legs again."Lindo rolled over and pulled the blanket over his head. Midnight watched Lindo

disappear back into his blankets, then turned to look at Bear thrashing and rolling around in the dirt, kicking and shouting. Uchi! he thought. Somebody should do something. Turning to

14

Indio and the others, he saw them all staring back at him! Why me? he wondered. Why me? I have an injured arm!

Bear yelped louder and kicked up a huge cloud of dust!Nobody was moving."Oh...all right!" Midnight said. "Hold on, I'm coming!"Midnight stood up and groaned, his arm was still sore. Damn, why am I the one who

always tends to Bear? Just because he and I are the largest ones...Just then, the flailing Bear was tackled. The blankets - and Bear - became a massive heap

on the ground. Sitting on top of the pile was Dare-Any.Thank God, thought Midnight. It was about time someone helped him with Bear's

cramps.Dare-Any struggled to keep Little Bear down, riding him like a bucking bronco. Midnight

waited, timing his jump onto the writhing mass. When the right moment came, Midnight grabbed Bear by his legs. As Dare-Any held him down, Midnight began to rub the cramps in Bear's legs.

Bear groaned and kicked."If you would run every day..." said Midnight, "...this would not happen, Bear! Cramps

come from lack of exercise!"Little Bear had his head buried under his arms, his face was hidden in the grass, held down

in part, by Dare-Any's weight on top of him. "FUFF-YOOOF!" he answered.His muffled words made no sense to Midnight. "What?" asked Midnight, still rubbing

Bear's legs hard. "What did you say?"Apache Boy laughed from his blankets. "FUFF-YOOOF!" said Apache Boy. "That is

what he said. It is Navajo, man! FUFF-YOOOF! It means something like 'Thank You', I am sure! Or...uh, something like that!"

"FUFF-YOOOF-TOOO!" came Little Bear's voice from under his arms.Apache Boy burst out laughing. "HEE-HEE-HAA-HAA-HAA!"Midnight looked at him. FUFF-YOOOF? he wondered. That was no Navajo expression

that he had ever heard. FUFF-YOOF? Then it hit him! FUFF-YOOF! Of course! Yeah, well, same to you, buddy! Then he burst out laughing!

"FUFF-YOOF! HOO-HOO-HOO-HO-HO!"Dare-Any, sitting on Bear, started laughing with him."Yes, Midnight!" Dare-Any laughed. "FUUFF-YOOO!""HAA-HAA-HA-HA-HA! HEE-HEE-HEEl" Apache Boy was in near hysterics.Under his blanket, Lindo started laughing too.Even Bear began laughing between groans."FUUFF-YOOO! HA-HA-HA! YEEOW! OW! OW! HEE-HEE-HEE! OOW-OW-OW!"It made the others laugh even harder. Apache Boy was in tears, clutching his sides.

Lindo's blanket shook."HAA-HAA-HA-HA-HA! HEE-HEE-HEE! HO-HO-HO-HO!"Indio smiled as he watched them. It is good, thought Indio to himself. It is good that a

time of laughter is theirs. They must laugh now, while they can! For what the six were doing was serious, very serious!

15

They had never considered going to the sheriff or any of the authorities - that they would never do! But now, now it was worse! Dare-Any had convinced them the night before that they should not even tell the Elders of their own tribes!

The night before was vivid in his mind. The tiny bundle they had brought with them from the crash-site was more than memento, it was more than an extraordinary souvenir. Wrapped in the bundle, carried ever so carefully be Lindo, was a tiny being. Hidden in the wreckage, a victim of the fall of the 'dancing star', was what appeared to be a tiny little being. The six had found a being from the stars!

And thus, the question they were now laboring over had arisen.Who can we trust? Dare-Any had argued. How can any tribe keep the existence of this

star being to themselves? Any tribe that announces this extraordinary 'discovery' will find themselves overwhelmed by governments all over the world, each one offering tremendous wealth and power in exchange for the being. What tribal Elders would refuse all those things for their people, if all they need do is surrender the star being? This was the sort of thing that a chief or a tribe could use to become one of the most powerful groups in the country - as well as in the world.

And what if they refused to surrender the star being? How could any tribe prevent the most powerful countries and agencies in the world from taking the tiny being away? If any agency or country succeeded in stealing the star being away, they themselves would then become targets of other countries wanting to seize the treasure from the stars. This could easily cause wars between countries, perhaps even world wars.

And what if the being was from the stars? If the being was treated as an object, the subject of bickering and fighting, perhaps even physical manipulation, how would the beings from his world respond? Would they descend from the stars to rain death and destruction from the heavens?

"Such is the importance of what we hold in our hands", Dare-Any explained to them. "That is why we must never tell anyone!"

Indio marveled at Dare-Any's simple solution to the problem they faced. How easy and yet how wise: the Being should decide his own fate, Dare-Any insisted! His fate was own.

Damn it! thought Indio. Why did he have to go and start making sense now?

Indio turned back to the others. They were still laughing at Bear and his 'Cramp Dance' as Apache Boy dubbed it. Bear was smiling back at them, sore and embarrassed but fully aware of the comedic tone to the event.

Lindo was the first to notice Indio's seriousness. "Why do you not laugh with us, brother?" he asked.

The others looked over at Indio."Enjoy yourselves, Brothers..." he encouraged them. "Tonight we must decide what to do

about the little star man. Take the day to seek and find within your heart what we should do. This is an important thing we do."

"There..." Midnight said, letting go of Little Bear's legs and standing up. He looked down at his friend "Is that better, Bear?"

16

Dare-Any rolled off of Bear.Bear nodded. "Thank you," he said. "Thank you to the both of you. These were some of

the worst yet. Thank you.""It was an excellent dance..." Apache Boy grinned. "It was one of the most exciting and

dramatic dances you have done yet!"Midnight acknowledge his appreciation. "Perhaps we should not have moved our camp in

the middle of the night," he said. "It was a long walk through the trees. Maybe we should have waited until this morning."

"No," Dare-Any shook his head. "They were too close. We had to move in order to stay away from the soldiers."

Midnight reluctantly nodded in agreement. Yes, it was a good move."Let us begin our day," Indio stood up. "We have much to think about today."Each of them paused and looked at each other. Indio was right, they all knew that. As

they slowly rose, each of the six began to plan his day. Each of them would seek out a place to be alone, a place in which he would think about what they should do.

Only Dare-Any would stay behind. He would tend to the star being.It was a warm day, and it was a good day. It was a day that would change each of their

tomorrows.

NOCHE DE ESTRELLAS

It was evening.They sat around the fire. It had been a long day for each one of them.Indio stood up. "We are agreed then?" he asked.They nodded their heads."We have rescued a Star Being..." Indio continued. "All of us agree that we will tell no

one? There is no argument?"They all sat quietly. Midnight fidgeted slightly."So then what, older Brother?" Midnight wondered aloud. "Shall we keep the star being

just to ourselves? Are we sure that this not a thing for the entire world and not just the six of us?"

"A Star Being..." Apache Boy repeated. "Uchi!""Yes, this is a thing for the entire world..." Indio had to agree. "But it is more, much

more! It is a being from the stars and perhaps the universe! What we do - or not do - this is what we must consider as wisely as we can. We may endanger the whole world. The wrath of the star people may be ours if we do wrong."

"So then...?" Lindo wondered. "I carried him here. Are we to just leave him now without help? We need someone that knows the healing ways of star people."

"A Star Being..." Apache Boy repeated. "Uchi!""And just who is that?" asked Bear. "There are no 'star being hospitals' anywhere as far

as I know.""True..." Lindo said. "But we know nothing. There must be someone who does! We

need help. That is why we must tell someone!"

17

'Wo!" insisted Dare-Any again. "We must not do that!"Everyone looked at him."Tell us then, Brother..." Indio asked him. "What is it that you think we should do? How

do we care for our friend?"Dare-Any stared at Indio. He looked at the little being blankets. A thought suddenly came

to him. He walked over to the being."There is only one who can tell us what he needs..." he answered. "Only one!" He

motioned to the figure on the ground. "He will tell us..." he said."What?" Bear stood up in astonishment. "He is not even awake. He stirs only for a

moment. How will he ever tell us?""I do not know..." Dare-Any answered. "But let us try as we would try with any man.

Look at him! He looks like us, he is a being of arms, legs, and a head. He has a mouth and eyes. Let us place drops of water on his lips. Let us try to feed him some 'sopa'. Perhaps he is more like us than we think."

"He-e-e-y!" Midnight started to smile. "That is right!""Yes..." Apache Boy agreed. "He is like us! Sort of, I mean. There is no reason not to try!

Let us do it!"Indio hesitated. Could it be possible? Could the little one from the stars actually be able

to tell them what he needed?Lindo grabbed his canteen and walked quickly over to the figure. As he bent down, he

moistened a small piece of bread. Then, ever so lightly, he began to rub the lips of the star being. Everyone stared at the little being, wondering what would happen. There was no motion at first. Then the lips of the star being began to move. It seemed as if he was sucking lightly on his lips, but they could not really tell.

"It is working..." Bear whispered. "It is working!""Wow!" Apache Boy said, his eyes opening wide.Yes, thought Indio. Wow!

COMIENZA

It had been a difficult six months.They had struggled, the Star Being had taken a few turns for the worse, but they had been

able to help him. The Elder's gestures were not an easy thing to understand, they were, after all, the gestures of a star being. But, they did the best they could.

And they succeeded! He was well now.Indio had to agree that Dare-Any had been right. Rumors of a crashed disk had circulated

right after that night, but the six had managed to keep themselves distanced from any of the stories. Fortunately, they had a reputation for staying out in the desert wilderness. No one had thought it strange that they were away for so long. But it had been difficult. After the rumors, many others had come close to the basecamp in their search. None of the searchers had ever found anything, the six had been lucky so far. But for how long, thought Indio.

18

The six were gathered around the fire, it was time to talk."Y ahora...? Bear asked. "What do we do now? He is walking. He is better. We must do

something.""He is eating..." Apache Boy added. Then he said hesitatingly, "I think...""The little man is eating..." Lindo nodded. "...As he does it...""He sleeps, he walks..." Midnight observed. "He seems well. At times, it even looks like

he is lost in thought - not like he is sitting in pain, but as if he is actually thinking of something."

"I have seen him looking up at the stars..." Bear said. "I think he misses his people."Indio turned to look at the little figure who was sitting by the arroyo. "There is something

we must first do..." he said.The others looked at him, wondering what he meant.Indio turned back to them. "We need to give him a name..." he said. "We should call him

by something other than 'He'.""Hai!" Bear agreed. "That is so!""Hai!" echoed Apache Boy."Yes..." Lindo said. "But what do we call him? He does not speak, he makes no sound,

he does not tell us his name.""We will name him as we ourselves have received our names..." Indio explained. "Our

'spirit' and our paths have given us our names, so too, his 'spirit' and his path will tell us what we shall call him."

Everyone turned to look at the star being as he walked towards them. They all marveled at how small he was, tiny, in fact. His head was large, as were his eyes. And his eyes were penetrating - black, a deep black - and capable of seeing through to your soul. His frame was thin, they were not sure if it was natural or perhaps because he had been weak. He was also pale, not pink, not white, just pale, and again, they were not sure if it was his injuries that had made him pale.

Bear was the first to speak. "I think we should call him 'Explorer'..." he said. "I think he is an explorer of the stars. That is his path"

Lindo shook his head and disagreed. "That is true..." Lindo said. "But he is more than that, more than an explorer. He is a chief, or a warrior, or something."

Indio stared at the little being. "You are both right, he is an explorer, he is a chief and as you said, Lindo, he is more. I think he is an Elder - an Elder whose eyes speak of great wisdom."

"Hai!" Apache Boy agreed. "He is an Elder for sure. He is an Elder from the stars...a Star Elder!"

Indio nodded his head and stood up. "That is so..." he said. "He is a Star Elder. So shall we call him, so shall it be."

Dare-Any stood up too. He agreed with his brother. "Star Elder..." he repeated. "Star Elder...yes, it is good."

The others stood up too. They all agreed."From now on..." Indio said proudly. "We are in the presence of the Star Elder from the

skies."

19

They all turned in pride and admiration towards their visitor. He was looking back at them. It was as if he knew what they were talking about.

EL MAYOR DE LAS ESTRELLAS

The Star Elder was laying motionless, his eyes fixed on the skies.Little Bear and Apache Boy sat nearby."It is as if he is in deep sleep..." whispered Bear."It is his way of knowing..." said Apache Boy. "He does it the same way my Grandfather

does it. He will gather much knowledge this way, I am sure of it. Someday he will help us, I know it!"

Little Bear looked back at the Elder."Do you think he will ever speak to us?" Bear wondered. "The things he knows of, the

things from the stars that he comes from - will he ever tell us? Maybe he is from the future, I wonder if he could tell us what is going to happen?"

Indio walked over to the two and placed his hand on his little brother's shoulder. "Maybe he is from the distant past..." he suggested.

"Uchi!" Apache Boy said. "That is right! His ways might seem of the future to us but he might be very old, very ancient!"

"Perhaps he is from both times..." Indio continued.Bear looked up at sky. A future being and an ancient one? he wondered. Uchi!They all stared at the Star Elder.The night was quiet and still, the Elder was quiet and still. In that moment, they certainly

appeared to be linked if not one with each other."He has been like this for days..." Bear observed. "If he..."The Elder turned towards them, his eyes were open. Bear jumped."Holy cow! He is awake!" yelled Bear. "He is awake!"Bear stood up, waiting patiently, ready to aid the Elder if he needed it.The Elder looked at each one of them, he was steady and his eyes seemed aware. He did

not seem to be stressed nor did he seem to need assistance.Apache Boy came over to Bear and the Elder. "What happened?" he asked.Lindo and Dare-Any noticed the movement and came running over. "What? What

happened?" Lindo asked. "What happened?"Bear shook his head. "He just woke up..." Bear answered him. "He scared me. He just

sat up and he scared me. I did nothing, I did not touch him. He just sort of suddenly just sat up!"

"Uchi!" said Apache Boy. "Look at him! He has not been moving for days. Yet he seems perfectly awake!"

Everyone stared at the Elder. No one knew quite what it meant that he had been silent for so long.

Dare-Any looked at the Elder carefully. He was puzzled, there was something about him. There was a vague familiarity to him, something that Dare-Any recognized. Then he realized what it was.

20

"That is it! He is 'Heya' Sioux!" he suddenly blurted out. "That is what it is!""What?" Lindo was surprised by Dare-Any's words."He is 'Heya' Sioux!" Dare-Any repeated."How do you know?" Apache Boy wondered, looking at Dare-Any. "Since he came to us,

he has said nothing of his home, of his people. We only know that he fell from the sky."Lindo stared at the Elder, considering carefully Dare-Any's words. Then it struck him.

"He is!" agreed Lindo. "He is 'Heya' Sioux! Just look at him! Dare-Any is right!""But..." a confused Apache Boy asked. "Were not the 'Heya' Sioux mighty medicine men?

I mean, they were possessed of great magic, but they were also supposed to be very strong! The Elder is... well, he is so thin!"

Bear looked at Apache Boy and nodded, then he looked back at the Elder. "No frijoles..." he said.

Apache Boy was shocked. He looked at Bear, he couldn't believe what Bear had just said. A star being eating beans! The thought overwhelmed him, he burst out in laughter. "HEE-HEE-HEE-HA-HA-HA-HEE-HEE-HEE!"

Little Bear stared at Apache Boy for a moment, not realizing what he had just said. But Apache Boy's laughter was too funny. Bear couldn't help himself, he started laughing too. "HA-HA-HA-HA-HO-HO-HO-HEE-HEE-HEE!"

Indio looked at the two of them, stunned at their sudden outburst of laughter."Quietos! Both of you!" he commanded.Bear and Apache Boy looked at him and saw his anger. It was obvious they should stop.

They tried, but in vain."HEE-HEE-HEE-HEE-HEE-HEE-HEE..." they giggled.Indio glared at them, then turned back to the Elder, trying to ignore them."Yes, Dare-Any..." he nodded. "I think that you are right. I believe the Elder is a 'Heya'

Sioux. I am sure you are right.""Hai! I agree!" said Midnight. "I agree with you. And that is a good thing! The 'Heya'

Sioux, there are none wiser! They were and are the Keepers of the Ancient Knowledge, the interpreters of the Stones."

"HEE-HEE-HEE-HEE!" Bear and Apache Boy were still giggling."Yes," agreed Lindo. "That is good!"Indio had had enough. He turned to Apache Boy and Little Bear. "And the two of you...!"

he glared.Apache Boy and Bear stopped. Both nodded their heads."Act with respect!" Indio insisted.Indio turned and moved to stand before the Star Elder. The Elder looked up at him. Indio

stood respectfully before him."I do not know if you know our words..." he began. "Last night we decided, it is in our

hearts to call you 'Elder'...'Star Elder'. It is also in our hearts to call you as we would call our teachers. We want to call you 'Grandfather'."

Indio stepped back and bowed slightly. He hoped that the Star Elder would understand the gesture. He looked at Elder with anticipation. The Elder stared at him. Then ever so slightly, he nodded.

21

Midnight's eyes suddenly opened wide! "Huta!" he let out, almost jumping into the air. Lindo echoed his call. "Huta!"Even Apache Boy and Bear jumped up to acknowledge the Star Elder's response. "Huta!" they all shouted in agreement.The Elder sat quietly watching them, but somehow, he seemed to understand the smiles on

their faces. Somehow, he understood.

For the next few hours, the camp was bustling with activity. There was much to do. The 'Naming Ceremony' was a very special tradition. There was a sweat house to prepare, stones to be found and fired, and the careful preparation of the circle. There was wood to be cut, water to be hauled, and the preparations for each individual's 'spirit' gift. Each of the six had to present the Elder with a special gift. Something that was personal, something they wanted to share with their new 'Grandfather'. Everyone was hustling, moving in and out of the campsite.

Dare-Any stopped to watch his 'brothers'. Then he looked over to the Elder. Could this be the 'Night', he had to wonder - the legendary 'Night of the Return'? He smiled. In time, he thought, in time. The answer would come in time, for now, they would make ready to celebrate.

LA CRYSTAL

Midnight was returning from the stream where he had gone with an armload of shirts to wash. As he entered the camp's circle, he saw Bear and Apache Boy standing next to the Elder. They were looking at something.

"What do you have there?" he called out.Apache Boy turned towards him. "It belongs to the Elder," he answered.He then turned back to the object. Bear and Apache Boy had never seen anything like it.

It was clear, yet it had a greenish tinge to it. It was solid, definitely a crystal, but it felt different somehow. Little Bear was impressed that the Elder kept a crystal with him, a wondrous crystal at that. He and Apache Boy kept turning the crystal over and over. Apache Boy gave it to Bear. Bear was honored that the Star Elder had let him look at it, much less hold it. Midnight peered over Bear's shoulder.

Elder reached out his tiny hand. Bear handed him the crystal. As the Elder turned it over gently in his hands, he looked up at them.

Suddenly, the boys heard a voice."Uchi!" Bear jumped up. "Did you hear that?!" he asked. "Did you hear the Elder

speak?"Apache Boy had also jumped up. "Yes! I mean No... I mean I think I..." Apache Boy was

trying to explain. Somehow, in some way, the Elder's voice had been in his head. It was definitely not in his ears, he didn't hear the Elder, but somehow his voice was in his head. Apache Boy was confused.

22

Midnight had dropped the shirts. "Did I... did you... did I just hear the Elder?" he asked them excitedly. "Did he just... did he just say something?" He held on to Bear's arm, wondering what had happened.

Indio had been walking towards them."Did the Elder just speak?!" he asked rushing up to his little brother. "Did he?!" Indio

pressed. He was both hopeful and extremely surprised at the same time. He looked at the Elder and stopped himself quickly. He realized that the tone of his voice might have sounded harsh to the Elder.

Apache Boy looked at Indio. He had heard the voice too. As he looked at Midnight, he realized that he must have heard Star Elder too. But how, how did they hear him? Apache Boy had not seen the Elder's mouth move.

"What are you looking at?" Midnight snorted at him. "You tell me, did the Elder speak to us or not? Tell me!"

Bear was very excited. "Do that again!" Bear said to Elder. "Do that again! Make me hear you!"

Bear looked over at Indio and saw him frown at him. He had not intended to be demanding or disrespectful, he had just been surprised.

"I am sorry..." he apologized. "I mean, I just kind of, I just... can you do that again? Please, Elder?"

The Elder sat motionless, still staring at all of them.Bear leaned forward, looking at him eagerly. Suddenly, Little Bear found himself

completely enveloped in blackness! It was a total, overwhelming darkness that was everywhere! "Yow!!" Bear yelped! He was frightened. He called out to his brother, "Indio! Help me, brother! I cannot see! I am blind!"

Indio heard his little brother's distress call, but in that same instant found himself totally wrapped in darkness. He could hear his brother but he felt helpless, he had no idea where he himself was.

"Bear! Little Brother! I am here! I am here!" Indio called out. "I want to help you but I can't see! Everything is black!" He tried to reach out and touch something, he could feel the ground but nothing else.

"Lindo! Midnight!" he called out. "Can anyone see Bear? I have lost my sight, I see nothing! Help him!"

To his dismay, however, Indio could hear Lindo's voice crying out as well, "Help, Indio, I am blind! Everything is black, I cannot see anyone. Where are you?"

They were all shouting. Somehow, in some way, each and every one of them had been suddenly wrapped in complete darkness.

Indio tried to make sense of what was happening. Wait, stop! he told himself. What do you see? What do you feel? He was still standing, he was sure of that. He could feel the ground - or something - under his feet. Yet, he seemed to be floating in the darkness, somehow, suspended in a silent, formless black ocean. And could it be? Could he actually be seeing stars! They were everywhere! Brilliant, fiery stars! It was if he was floating somewhere out in space, out in the universe!

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"Indio!" Little Bear continued to call out. "1 cannot see! Everything is black! And there are spots in front of my eyes. Millions of tiny little spots! Help me!"

"Calma! Calma'te, little brother!" Indio answered. "I am here! I am here next to you, somewhere, I am sure. We are having a vision, somehow! I cannot see you, and you cannot see me, but I am here next to you. I promise!"

Dare-Any's voice in the darkness was reassuring, "We are all here!" he said. "It is a vision of some sort! Do not fear! We are safe!"

And as suddenly as they had been overwhelmed by the darkness, it was gone! They were no longer floating in the blackness, they were back in camp, still in the desert highlands, still in front of the Star Elder. Indio staggered for a moment, his balance had been slightly thrown off. He looked over to the others, except for Dare-Any, they were on the ground looking at themselves. They turned to look at him, looking for an answer to what had happened.

Indio turned to the Elder. It was an obvious conclusion. Somehow, he had done it, he had enveloped them in the blackness. He most certainly was a magician, a 'Heya Sioux'. He had created a vision of some sort.

Barely had they regained their senses, rising to their feet, when they heard the voice again. It was very loud, almost thundering in their heads! The Star Elder was still sitting in front of them, still motionless. No movement of his hand or his lips, yet, somehow, they were all hearing him!

"WHAAAT?" exclaimed Bear. He covered both his ears with his hands and buried his head between his knees.

"What is that?!" Apache Boy cried out."Indio!" Midnight called out to him, cupping his hands over his ears. "How did the Elder

do that? I did not see him move his mouth. How could I hear him? What is happening? What was that darkness?"

"I hear him too!" Bear shouted, lifting his head. "How does he do that?!"No sooner were the words out of his mouth than suddenly, the blackness appeared again.

Bear curled up and howled."Yee-oo-ow!" yelped Apache Boy. Everything was black again.Indio tried to reach down and grab Bear's arm. The darkness was covering him too.

"Dios mio!" Indio said, losing his balance. The tiny points of light in front of him swirled and spun in every direction, like enormous fireflies flitting and glimmering in the night. Dios mio, he thought to himself. In that moment it was frightening but it was also one of the most beautiful things he have ever seen.

"Huta!" Apache Boy cried out. "Huuu-ta!"That is strange! Indio thought to himself. It almost sounded to him like Apache Boy was

actually enjoying himself.Lindo felt himself hurtling through the void. "Whoaa!!!" he let out. A large flaming thing

was coming at him. It looked just like a meteor! But how could that be? It was headed straight for him. He tried to striking at it as it came closer to him.

"Uchi! Para" yelled out Midnight. "Whoever is hitting me, stop it! Stop it!"Indio tried to steady himself. The immensity of the black void and the millions of tiny

little lights were awesome. He turned in time to see what looked like a comet coming right at

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him. It moved like a comet in slow motion, Indio was sure he was having a vision. Yowch! He let out. If it was a vision, it was very, very real. He could actually feel the heat from the comet's tail as it passed right through him.

"Para!" Midnight yelled out again. "Whoever is hitting me, stop it!""Sorry, Brother..." Lindo yelled into the darkness. "I am sorry! There are dozens of little

comet-like things flying at me. I was trying to swat them away. I am sorry, I did not know you were near."

Little Bear was groping in the darkness on all fours, it seemed to him that there was ground beneath him. Maybe it was like Indio had said, maybe it really was a vision. But it was so real! He tried to sit down and cross his legs, hoping that it would somehow help him to keep from falling further into the darkness.

However just as Bear felt like he was sitting comfortably on the ground, the vision suddenly disappeared! Bear looked around. He really was on the ground, and the others were scattered around him. They were all still in camp, still around the fire.

"Uchi!" Bear exclaimed. "Indio! What was that? What happened?!""Wow!" Apache Boy said again. "Wow... wow... wow!" He was sitting on the ground,

looking all around him, rubbing his arms and chest. "Uchi!"Lindo was laying on his stomach, next to Midnight, shaking his head back and forth.

Midnight was sitting, rubbing his cheek where Lindo had hit him."Man!" Lindo said. "Man, what a ride!""Was that a vision?" Midnight wondered out loud, moving his jaw back and forth. "Did

all of you see that?""Hai!" agreed Apache Boy. "But what a vision! It was like a scary ride and the fun park."

He was really enjoying himself. Then it hit him, "Hey, how did a vision come to all of us at the same time!?"

Lindo looked at him with a frown of confusion. "Yes... I did... But I... How did each you... What I... huh...?" he muttered.

"Quiet!" Indio interrupted them. "All of you, calman 'se!" He picked himself up and turned to face the Elder. He looked directly into the Elder's dark eyes, trying not to seem disrespectful. Indio was always that way. He bowed slightly to him.

"Indio..." Midnight was pressing. "What happened? What was that?""Quieto! Brother. I think I know what is happening..." he tried to calm him. "Please,

brothers, please! All of you! Allow me to speak to the Elder, please!"Indio was sure he knew what was going on. He thought about what he wanted to ask very

carefully. But before his mouth had formed a single word, words from the Elder seemed to be forming in his head. The answers to Indio's unasked question were in his head. The Elder was answering him somehow... and he was answering in Navajo, his native tongue!

Indio was completely shocked. His knees buckled and he sat down on the ground - hard. His eyes were wide open. "Dios mio!", he thought to himself. How did he do that? How did he know what I was going to ask? How did he know how to answer me in Navajo?!

He turned to look at his brother. Bear was staring back at him with a deep look of concern on his face. Indio had suddenly fallen back on his rear, without a word being said. Bear was worried about what had just happened.

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Indio shook his head back and forth at Bear, he was all right gestured. Then he turned back to the Elder. Indio was sure that the Elder could somehow project his thoughts, that was how they had all seen the 'vision' and had heard his 'voice'. But now it seemed as if the Elder could read the thoughts in his head - and he somehow knew how to answer in his native Navajo!

This was too much for Indio. The Elder was still forming words in Indio's head. He raised his hand to stop the Elder's voice. Stop! No more! Please, Elder! Your words run through my head like a train. Please stop! Just for a moment! How is he doing that, he wondered. How?

"How...?" The word slipped out of Indio's mouth.Bear was still looking at his brother. Indio was in the classic pose, an upraised hand, the

word 'How' coming from his lips. It was a scene right from an old 'cowboys and Indians' movie. Ordinarily Bear would have been rolling on the ground in laughter, but this time - this time, though - it was exactly right!

Everyone was looking at Indio. He looked into the Elder's eyes again then rose and turned to the others. His confusion was apparent to all of them. He shrugged his shoulders. He would be unable to tell them what had happened. They turned to the Elder, looking for a sign, any sort of a sign, any sort of explanation.

The Elder was still staring straight at them, returning their looks, not making a sound or a gesture. Then they heard that mysterious but recognizable voice again, clear and purposeful.

"IT IS TIME!"

The voice was loud, clear, and undeniable. They were stunned. Somehow he was trying to speak to them. Somehow, he was reaching out to them.

EL VIAJE

The Elder stood up and moved to the log that he always sat on.Lindo watched him carefully, wondering what was going to happen next. Then, just as the

Star Elder passed the fire - it seemed to flare up suddenly. Dios mio! Lindo thought to himself, this is going to be something!

The Elder moved to a small flat log and sat down.Midnight had also watched the Elder carefully. He could not take his gaze away from the

Elder's eyes. They seemed blacker than the night sky itself. There was wisdom in those eyes, Midnight believed, a wisdom none of the six would ever achieve. What must those eyes have seen, Midnight wondered. If only he would share some of what he knew, he hoped, if only he would. With that thought in his mind, he moved to take a place in front of the Elder. He did not notice when or where the others sat down, his mind was filled with one most extraordinary thought: a star being in was sitting in front of him and his friends.

When all six were finally seated in front of him, the Star Elder slowly began turning his green crystal over and over in his tiny hands. Little Bear leaned forward, everyone watched him carefully. He stopped for a moment and looked up into the sky, as if a star or something in

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the sky had caught his attention. Indio and the others looked up too, but they saw nothing. When they looked back, the Elder made a very low pass over the crystal.

FWOOOM!Suddenly, everything went black again. Each one of them found himself once again

floating somewhere in the thick blackness. The darkness around them was every-where, but this time it was different. Though they had each been surprised by the suddenness of the change, somehow this time there was a sense of familiarity. In a strange way, this time it wasn't quite so scary.

As Indio peered through the darkness, the pinpoints of light were there. But they were not points of light, Indio realized. They were actually stars, stars in heaven. In some way, the vision that they were participating in had taken them up into the stars. Are we in that place in the stars that the Elder was gazing at, he wondered? How is it that he can not only make us see something, he can also make us feel it and hear it?

As he gazed around in the darkness, the real world and everything that had been in it only moments before was no longer in front of his eyes. Yet Indio knew that the camp, the trees and the camp was still there, he could feel the ground under his feet. The two realities were simultaneous, he was in the heavens and he was still in camp.

In the darkness, stars hurtled past him. As he searched for Bear, off in the distance, a galaxy gave off brilliant, blinding light. He was moving through an unknown solar system with strange planets. Unknown worlds were flying by him.

The blackness was still disturbingly thick, so dense that Indio still couldn't see or hear the others. Indio suddenly remembered his little brother. He reached out for Bear.

"Bear!" Indio yelled. "Where are you?""Uchi!" Bear answered, startled by the sudden loud voice coming out of the darkness.

"Do not yell, Brother, I am here next to you!... I think.""I cannot see you, Bear!" Indio called out again. "Are you all right?!""Yes, brother, yes!" Bear replied to the blackness. "I am all right. The black stuff has

come back again. Can you see it?""Yes, Bear, yes!" Indio answered.Bear tried to speak in the direction of Indio's voice. "Brother, this is strange, but I think

we are in outer space. Do you see those little lights? They are stars, I think. And those bright shiny specks near us, they are planets, I think! Uchi! Can you believe that, brother? Do you think we are in the stars? I do. And it is okay, brother, I am not afraid this time... I think!"

"Hey!" Apache Boy chimed in. "Where are you? I cannot see either one of you! Bear! Indio! Where are you?!"

Lindo called out. "Indio, what is happening? I agree with Bear. I think I am in outer space, too. How can that be? I think I can still feel the ground, but I cannot see the camp, I feel like I am somewhere else. Is this the Elder's vision? Is all this in my head?"

Bear suddenly got scared. He knew he was experiencing a vision; so he closed his eyes, hoping that it would go away. But it would not. "I have my eyes closed!" Bear realized. " I have my eyes closed but still the stars are still in my eyes! Indio!"

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Indio tried to move in the direction of Bear's voice. He was walking, he could feel the ground, but he was somehow walking on ground in outer space - a place where there is no ground!

"Uchi!" yelped Apache Boy. "Look out! Look out!"Indio turned towards Apache Boy's voice. He saw an enormous comet coming towards

him! Purely out of instinct, he ducked! Indio could feel the comet hurtle past him, its heat made the hairs on his neck stand up.

"Did you see that?!" Lindo asked. "Did you see that?!""Yes, Brother, yes!" answered Indio. "I saw it! I saw it!"Indio looked around, trying to pick out the form or shape of his friends. All he could see

was darkness and brilliant starlight sparkles! Dios mio, he thought, what am I seeing? Suddenly it became quiet, almost too quiet. He was floating, floating gently in outer space.

"Ye-ee-oww!" Bear cried out. "I'm falling!" he yelled.Indio turned towards Bear's voice to help, but he, too, began to fall. Down, down into the

black void he plummeted. Indio's stomach still felt funny from the suddenness of the first vision, now he felt even worse. He clutched his stomach. I am falling! Dios mio, I know it is a vision, but I am falling!

"Yee-oow!" Indio heard Midnight howl out. He could hear Lindo and Apache Boy also making noises off to his side. Then he heard himself. He, too, was letting out sounds of surprise. Indio felt as if he was on a roller coaster ride. The planets came rushing at him, then suddenly, they would swerve aside! Then another and another rushed at him, then turned away. Left, right, up and down - it seemed to Indio as though he himself was swerving in, out and through the strange worlds.

A heartbeat later, another meteor was headed right for him. Indio tried to plant his feet on the ground that he could not see. As the comet neared, he tried to dodge to his left. The head of the comet missed him and flew by, but the long, fiery tail showered him with sparks! He watched the comet hurtle past and head directly for a strange planet far below him. As he watched, the comet impacted the planet. Funny! Indio thought. There was no sound at all, as if nothing had happened! This is very strange, Indio thought to himself. Very strange, indeed! I could feel the heat of the comet but I could not hear the impact, how could that be? Could this really be happening?

Now he was floating, silently drifting along in the darkness, stars, comets and worlds flying by in a strange kind of planetary parade. Once in a while, Indio thought that he could make out eerie landscapes on some of the planets. Oddly glistening waters in weird mountain lakes, shrieking winds screaming through long twisting canyons. It was strange, he thought, these sounds he could hear, and they were loud, quite loud. Indio was intrigued, the worlds were magnificent in their eerieness, but he preferred the silence of the black void.

Beyond the planets, he could see three enormous bodies of light - suns, Indio thought, these are three giant suns! One was reddish in color, one was a brilliant white, the other one, however, was not really visible. Indio could tell it was there, but he could not really see it. It was as if the planet was a ghost, or a phantom, thought Indio. It was as if it was glowing with a brilliant invisible light.

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All of a sudden, Indio felt a quick forward movement - a lurch that caused him to hurtle faster and faster into the never-ending blackness. The stars around him turned into blurring streaks of light. Faster and faster, he flew through the darkness until everything seemed to stop. For a split second, there was silence. Then, without any warning, a tremendous fireball exploded in front of him! The enormous explosion hurled huge boulders at him. He jumped and tried to twist out of the way as enormous stones flew by him! A moment later, the shock wave hit him with the power of a runaway mustang.

Indio was sent flying by the impact. Like a beach ball in a tidal wave, he was tossed back and forth. He could also feel the heat - searing, burning heat. And somehow, even though there was no noise, his ears were ringing. He did not hear the explosion, he felt it! Bounced violently around, Indio tried to lift his head up. To his surprise, he could actually do so. It was absolutely still now. Whatever the thing was that exploded, it was gone, completely gone. Only rubble and smoke remained. There was nothing left.

For the next few moments, everything was silent; Indio seemed to be just drifting along. The quiet was welcome, yet it was deafening. In the distance, a number of stars swirled together in bright spirals. Solar winds from nearby stars formed bright haloes and shimmering whirlwinds around everything. Tiny rocks glowed, planets were clothed in shimmering, gauzy garments. The void was astonishing and incredible!

And then - he saw her! She was magnificent.It was the Earth.Indio was sure of it. It was just what he had imagined she would look like from the

heavens - a brilliant crystal blue and jade green world. But she looked strange to him, she seemed to be much larger than he had imagined her to be. She was wondrous in her splendor and beauty. She had towering mountain peaks, dense forests, lush jungles and tropical beaches, lakes with flowing streams and deep royal blue oceans. She was truly a thing of wonder, Indio thought. The blackness of space made her stand out like a brilliant sparkling blue diamond! Indio was proud. All of the ancient legends were true, she truly was beauty personified.

Unfortunately, his feelings of wonder and awe were soon interrupted. To Indio's horror, looming in the distance behind the Earth was an extraordinary massive Thing! It was a huge, scary, nightmare-black body, hurtling directly towards the Earth. Indio was frightened, he had to do something! He had to stop it, he had to strike out at the Thing, something! But he couldn't move. He tried to yell at the Earth, hoping that somehow he could warn her! Something, something, something... he felt that he had to do something!

But there was nothing he could do. He realized that. He could make no sound, he could make no movement, nothing he could do would make a difference. All he could do was watch the inevitable happen.

In an agonizing split second, the Thing loomed over the Earth! And somehow, in some way, now it was looming over him! He was on Earth and it was falling down on his head! Indio instinctively fell to the ground! He heard the others yelling, "Duck!" he heard Lindo call. It was clear they could see it too.

"Cuidado!" yelled Midnight. He knew he had been standing next to Indio before the darkness overtook them, so he grabbed at what he thought was Indio's arm.

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Indio felt Midnight clutching at him. He grabbed at Midnight's arm, returning the comforting grasp. They held each other's arms, thankful for the momentary contact. Indio looked up to the 'Black Thing' was. It was a terrifying sight, he was not afraid to admit it, he was frightened. "Dare-Any!" he called out. "Dare-Any! Where are you?" Indio knew he would know what to do.

Up until then, Dare-Any had remained relatively silent, but now his heart began to pound when he saw the Thing! Somehow in the darkness, he had managed to remain standing, he did not know what he was standing on, but he was standing on something! His eyes reached upwards, he knew it was futile to try to escape, it was coming down too fast. His eyes narrowed, he braced himself. "It is a good day to die..." he said aloud.

Indio could hear Dare-Any's words. In a strange way, they were comforting. They were the words of a warrior who faces his most formidable foe.

"Huta!" yelled Midnight. He heard Dare-Any's words, too."Huta!" Apache Boy let out.Indio felt better. He was no longer afraid. He and his brothers were warriors!At that moment, the black Thing was on top of him, on top of all of them. It came

crashing down in merciless fury and without hesitation."Damn! Damn! Damn!" Bear shouted.The explosion was deafening. Little Bear could not hear his own screams. An enormous

cloud of fire completely covered him. Lightning flashes were everywhere! The heat was excruciating, he could feel it searing his skin. "Indio!" he yelled as loud as he could. "Indio!!!"

Indio heard his brother. "Calma'te, hermanito! It is not real!" he yelled. "Remember that! This is not real!"

But he, too, could feel the heat. If it wasn't real, it was still hot! The entire sky had erupted like a volcano! He and the others were in the middle of the chaos and they could hardly breathe. He knew that they had no chance, they could do nothing - absolutely nothing. God help us if this is not a vision, he thought.

The eruption seemed to last forever. Indio felt himself being tossed about in the searing fireball. Molten chunks of rock flew past him, leaving long trails of black and gray smoke. It was as if he was in Hell itself. He prayed that it would soon end. He fell to his knees, trying to protect himself for the constantly falling fire and ash. "Get down!" he yelled at Bear. "Get down!" I hope Bear is all right, he thought. I hope he is not hurt.

And then, just as suddenly as it had begun - it was over! It was silent! The storm of fire and brimstone disappeared.

It was quiet, agonizingly quiet."Bear?" he called out. "Are you all right?"Bear's voice was weak and scared. "Yes..." he answered weakly. "Yes, brother. I am all

right. I feel like a dragon beat me up and swallowed me, but I think I am okay."Indio looked around, there was nothing. In the darkness below him, however, the Earth

was falling. He could see that she was on fire, flames were everywhere on her body! And there was a tremendous hole in her side. Indio could not tell if it was steaming ocean water or smoking molten stone that poured out of the gaping wound. A trail of sparks and plumes of

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smoke spilled out of her side. She was falling, falling straight towards a fiery grave in the heart of the sun!

Indio cried out! Mother Earth was dying! She was plummeting to her death! He didn't want to see this! The vision was tearing at his heart. Tears fell from Indio's eyes. My Lord! Is this how the Earth is going to end? Are we seeing the future? Was the Elder showing them what was going to happen? Would the Earth die from an enormous crashing meteorite? Indio's heart was heavy. He did not want to know this. He closed his eyes, he didn't want to see.

But the vision did not go away. He turned away for a moment, but he could not watch. He turned back to take one last look at the dying planet, but what he saw confused him! Perhaps his tears were blurring his eyes. The Earth that was falling away from him was not the Earth anymore, it was a woman! 'She' was now a real she! She was an amazing shimmering woman - not a planet at all! She was a beautiful woman, and she was real! To his horror, however, she was still falling away from him, falling and dying in her plunge into the sun. I'm hallucinating, he thought to himself. This is no longer a vision, my mind is playing tricks on me.

Then another form took shape. Not only did he see the Earth in the shape of a woman, now he was seeing what looked like spiraling, glowing arms reaching out for the falling Earth! Twisting and shining, someone - something - was reaching for her. It was the Sun! That wondrous bright spirit was reaching out to the dying Earth! It was as if all the legends about the spirits of the Sun and Earth and Moon and Stars were coming to life. They were all more than just bodies in the sky, they were real spirits! Real beings! Just like the 'Old Ones' had said.

Indio watched as the body of the Earth twisted and fell closer and closer towards the Sun. As she came near, 'He' reached out and wrapped his shining glowing arms around her. But He did not pull her into his body, He held her at his side, holding her firmly. As He embraced her, She began to swing slowly and softly around him.

Indio marveled at the sight. The spirits of the Sun and the Earth had joined together in a galactic dance, moving like two heavenly bodies intertwined in body and fate. As She spun around him, Indio felt a sense of relief and happiness. She would not die, She would dance forever around the Sun. Indio laid back, allowing the blackness to carry him along; everything was as it should be.

Then suddenly, everything began to speed up again. This is the way everything in this vision happens, Indio thought to himself. First it is natural speed, then it speeds up quickly and then it slows down again. It felt to Indio as if someone had taken the film he was in and ran it forward at a blurring pace. Indio was hurtling through space again. He turned to look behind him and much to his surprise, he could see Her again. It was Earth.

Not only was she still dancing with the sun, she was healing. Her injuries seemed to have been healed. Clouds were gathering around her, and soothing rains fell on her body. Royal blue oceans moved and swayed together, huge waves crashed on her shores and exploded into her sky. Rocky and craggy peaks pushed into the sky as the lands rose up from her depths.

Earth had been re-born!

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Indio thought that he could actually feel her heartbeat. She was better now, but she was smaller, not as large as she used to be. And she was barren. Emerald garments no longer covered her body. Dust and sand had taken their place, she was but a skeleton of the giant she had once been.

Suddenly, Indio found himself standing on her surface. He looked at the high peaks. She was wondrous in her rugged and barren form, desolate and torn, but she was still beautiful. Indio looked up to the sky. The clouds had parted.

Then he saw them.Up in the skies high above the earth, they were there. And they were descending! Indio

knew who they were. They were the 'Ancient Ones', the Beings of legends! Indio stared at them in awe. In a moment, he could look into their eyes! But it was not to be. Somehow they had stopped in the clouds and had planted their feet firmly on the billowing white clouds. He watched them as they tossed what looked like handfuls of sparkling golden seeds out over the land. The seeds glistened like fiery raindrops as they fell softly and gently to Earth.

Indio watched them land. In moments, it seemed like the seeds had taken root. The 'Old Ones' in the sky seemed pleased. They seemed to smile and nodded in satisfaction. They turned, and without a sound, began to rise into the sky. Indio watched them disappear. I have seen the 'Old Ones' he thought to himself. I hope the other saw them too.

A moment later, brilliant shiny disks came from out of nowhere. They circled and flew over his head, pausing momentarily, as if they were looking for something. Somehow, Indio knew that the disks were there to continue what the 'Old Ones' had begun. He could sense it deep inside, the 'Old Ones' and the shiny disks were nursing the Earth. She was to be a place of life again!

Indio was awestruck. The disks had come to help rebuild the world! I wonder, he thought to himself, was this a vision of something that had happened in the past - or was it something that would happen in the future?

Then, the disks seemed to start fading. Indio looked around, everything was fading. No! thought Indio, wait, wait! I want to see more! But it was gone, everything had become nothing but a large blur in front of him.

But something was there, something was hidden in the unclear shadows and lights. Indio could just make out a form - it was not a man, it was a beast or something. As he tried to focus on it, it became clearer. The image that was in front of him was that of a beast of some sort - a big hairy beast. Not a gorilla, but not a man either. And it was doing something. It moved through a mine or cave and it seemed to be carrying a load. It was dark in there - dark, cold, and very dusty.

The beast was carrying something, it was very heavy. It made him stumble and fall. The beast looked very tired. A man, or something that looks like a man, came rushing over, pushing the beast, making him struggle forward with his load. The beast must be a worker or laborer of some sort, Indio figured. Then the man began to beat the beast. No, wait! Indio started to protest. The man was striking the beast, beating him unmercifully. Stop it! Indio tried to yell! There is no need to beat him like that! Stop! Indio hoped that Bear was not watching this. Bear loved animals, this would hurt him!

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Indio could not be witness to the beating any longer, he closed his eyes tightly, forgetting that the vision would not go away. He turned away. He could hear the groans and cries of the beast. When it was silent, Indio turned around again. It was gone, the vision was gone, the beast was not there anymore. Thank God! The beast was spared, he thought. Thank God, I was spared.

What Indio was about to see next, however, he could never had anticipated.

DIOS Y DIOS

There was a new presence in front of him.This time it was a small being, very small, one that seemed quite frail and delicate. At

first, Indio felt like he was looking down at the being, then suddenly, he was the same size as the being. Odd, Indio thought to himself. As he watched this being, instantly a flash of insight hit him! He knew who it was! Somehow, and in some way, Indio knew who it was!

As the being turned for a moment, he paused, looking in Indio's direction, almost as if he could see him! For one fleeting second, their eyes met. Indio had no doubt. It was God! He was sure of it! He was face to face with God! But that was not possible, Indio thought! God was omnipotent! God was the Creator! This being was small, too small to be God! God was as large as the Universe! This was wrong, very wrong!

Indio was confused. My sense of reality must have been distorted by the firestorm or the enormous explosions, Indio rationalized. This vision was just that, it was a vision! No, it had to be a hallucination! This was not - and could not - be God! Indio refused to believe that he had seen God!

Then suddenly, God was gone!But Indio had no time to reflect on what he had just seen, more and more visions came

rushing into his head. Star beings and strange-headed beasts, mysterious stone buildings and lights that dance in the sky, each one of the visions rushed past his eyes - each one with an eerie familiarity lying somewhere in its core. There were times when Indio wished that it would stop.

Then, with a tremendous gut-wrenching realization, it hit him. What he was seeing was Genesis! But it was not the 'Genesis' in the Bible, this was a different one! This one was a very different and extraordinary version of what everyone had always believed in. The God in the Bible was not the same God he had just met moments before.

Just then, Indio noticed that the others were crying. They were somewhere next to him, and they were crying. They must be seeing what I am seeing, he thought. Indio wanted it to stop! This cannot be true! I refuse to accept this! We are the 'Children of God', not the 'Children' of the God they were watching!

Then the final vision came to him.Indio felt his heart breaking. Dios mio! he thought to himself! In this vision came the

sobering reality. It was true! We are the image of God, we are created in the image of the God in the Bible. The God he had just seen - the cruel and unjust God he had just seen in his vision - was the God in the Bible!

Dios mio! Dios mio! Dios mio!

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Then everything went black!

When Indio opened his eyes again, he was back in camp. The Star Elder was sitting in front of him on a large flat stone.

Indio struggled to get up. He could hear Bear crying. As he got to his feet, he looked at the others and could see that there was pain in their eyes. Oh, God, no! Indio remembered what he had just seen! Please no, do not let it be! Please let the vision be wrong! The inside of his head began pounding! He couldn't bear it. He turned and started to run, he had to!

Bear called after him. "Indio!"Indio did not stop, he kept running.Bear's yells trailed off behind him, "Indio!"The leaves crackled under his feet as he ran. His heart pounded in his ears. His footsteps

and his heartbeat became one single rhythm - bomp, bomp, bomp, bomp. They were like drums in the night, he was making his own pow-wow beat. He smiled briefly. My own pow-wow, he thought to himself. Lindo would like that idea.

Dios mio! the thought ran over and over in his head. What are we doing? How many times have we killed each other, all in the name of God or justice. Now he knew why! It made him run faster. Yes, we had been created in His image; no, it was not an experiment in nobility, it was an experiment in providing an unending slave servant for God, plain and simple.

The leaves from low-hanging branches were hitting him in the face. Indio couldn't feel them, he was flying now. "We are just like Him!" he yelled to no one. The tears began. He couldn't help it. "We are just like Him!" He was hurtling through the night. He ran and ran and ran, he did not know for how long, he just ran.

Eventually everything became black. Indio did not remember stopping. All he knew now was that he was flat on his back, staring up at the stars. He tried shaking his head. It didn't hurt but everything was blurry. Someone standing over him.

"Elder?" Indio wondered. "Is that you?"Then everything went black again.

PENSAMIENTOS

When Indio woke up, Bear was standing over him. I am in camp again, Indio thought to himself. He raised his head to look around. Everything was familiar, he was home again.

"Are you okay, Brother?" Bear asked rather worriedly."Allow me to wake up and I can answer you better," Indio said. He looked up at Bear, a

strange look was on his face. "What is the matter, little Brother?" he groaned."You ran away yesterday..." Bear said. "You were gone a long time. I was worried. Are

you all right?"Indio smiled at Bear's concern."Yes, my worried little Brother," he answered. "Yes. I am in the best of health. Only a

little foggy in my mind."

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"Are you sure?" asked Bear."Yes... yes, Brother. I am sure," he answered, rolling a little so as to get on his side and get

comfortable."Good! Good..." Bear was saying. "That is good."SSSSSPLAAAA-AAAASH!!!The cold water hit Indio like a thundering ocean wave."Hey! What the heck!" he spluttered. "Puh... puh... hyaaah! Hey! What was that for,

Bear? Why did you do that?"Indio started to stand up. He was soaking wet.Bear put the bucket down. "I did it because I love you, you jerk!" he answered."Ptooo-ooo!" Indio was still trying to spit out water. "It is a strange way you show your

feelings.""You were gone all night!" Bear scolded him. "I had no idea where you had gone or if

you were all right! You just... you just ran... you... you!""Whoa! little Brother. Whoa!" Indio could see Bear was a bit concerned. "You are right, I

am sorry! I should not be running off like that. You are right!""Good!" Bear said. "You may be older, but you are still capable of making mistakes! Big

ones!""Phew!" Indio was wringing his shirt out. "Yes, I guess so. Whew! I am sorry, little

Brother! Really!"Midnight and the others were watching Bear and Indio."I am sorry, too", said Bear. "Perhaps a bucket of cold water was too much.""Ha!" Indio choked out. "No, Bear. Do not worry. You were not too strong in your

action. I hate to admit it, but I probably had it coming.""We are glad you said that", said the other four voices.SSSPPLAAAAASSSHH!

Indio sat in front of the fire. Bear brought him another coffee. Midnight and Lindo sat on either side of Indio.

"So, big Brother..." Bear said, sitting down next to him. "Where were you last night? Where did you go?"

Indio looked at him. "Now, you ask me?" Indio said with a smile. "Now?"Bear smiled too."Now... I ask you..." Bear answered.Indio turned to his coffee and took a sip.Apache Boy leaned forward to hear."I was with the Elder all night..." Indio said."Oh?" Bear commented, making an incredulous face as he nodded his head up and down."Oh?" Indio repeated. "You soak me..." he turned to the others. "All of you soak me with

water. I tell you I am with the Elder, and all you can say to me is...'Oh'? Is that it? 'Oh'?"Bear looked at him. "Whether or not you were with the Elder, does not excuse you from

letting us know where you had gone..." he said.Indio was surprised. Bear was actually right!

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"Wait a minute!" Indio protested. "Wait a minute!" He glanced over at Dare-Any."What about Dare-Any?!" Indio protested. "He disappears all the time. How is that

different from what I did last night?""Hmmph!" Dare-Any grunted.Bear looked at Dare-Any and then back at Indio."Dare-Any disappears all the time," Bear started. "That is his way. We all know that. It

is what he does. But he does that for us! But you... that is not your way! You are a responsible man, you should have told us."

Indio stopped to think. Damn it! He is right again, thought Indio."You are getting wise as you grow, Brother," Indio said. "You are right again."Bear smiled. It was good to hear Indio's praise.The others smiled. It was good.

"So, Indio," Apache Boy pressed. "What happened between you and the Elder? You ran out of here last night as if you had seen the Devil himself!"

Well, not exactly the Devil, thought Indio."Yes, Indio," agreed Midnight. "What happened? What is it that you saw in the vision?

Did you see what we did? Did you see the fire in the sky...and did you see the earth blown up?"

Everyone wanted to hear Indio's answer. He looked into their faces, he saw the concern. "Yes," he answered. "I saw what you did...the explosion and the fire... all of that." Indio remembered his pain at the revelation in Elder's vision. He tried not to think about it.

"Did any of you see an ape-man?" he asked slowly, hoping the vision had escaped Bear. "Did any of you see anything like that?"

Midnight and the others looked at each other. "No, Brother..." Midnight shook his head. "There was no ape-man, there was nothing like that."

Bear made a strange face, as if he was trying to remember something. Apache Boy smiled at him. Indio saw Bear's face, it appeared that he had not seen the beating of the ape-man. He was glad Bear had missed it, but how did that happen, he wondered? How did he see what the others did not? Then what made them cry?

"No one saw the beast in the cave?" he prodded.No, everyone shook their heads again.Then why did I see it? Indio wondered. "What was the last thing you saw?" he asked

them."I saw disks..." answered Lindo."Me too..." said Apache Boy."Yes. Bright shining disks of some sort, I think..." Midnight added. "But, I think they

were throwing something out.""Little sparkles!" Bear jumped in. "Little sparkles! I saw that too. Did you see them

'Boy'?""Yes..." Apache Boy answered. "I saw them too."I saw them, too, thought Indio. But then it ended too soon. I wanted to see more - I had to

see more - so I thought to myself... Huta! The realization hit him. That is it! In my vision, I

36

wanted to see more. I asked for more! That is why I saw those other things. Indio marveled at the powers of the Star Elder.

"Whatever you saw must have bothered you..." said Lindo."It bothered me," Indio agreed. "It bothered me a great deal. I needed to run.""Uchi!" Apache Boy let out. "We could see that, Indio.""I think we were all surprised..." said Midnight. "That was a vision beyond anything I

have ever experienced. I did not just see things, I felt them too!"Indio nodded in agreement. The Star Elder not only made them see things, but he had also

made them feel things. He tells stories to all our five senses. Amazing!"What happened after I left last night?" Indio suddenly wondered.Bear looked at Apache Boy. He shrugged his shoulders."It is strange, Brother..." Bear answered him. "It seems as if we all fell asleep... or

something. When I woke up, I turned to see everyone getting up from the ground. We were all in a very strange daze. We were all shaking our heads. Apache Boy and Midnight had headaches. Then we noticed that Elder was gone! And you were still gone! I got worried!"

Indio nodded his head. "I am sorry, Brother."Bear looked at him, thanking him with his eyes."So..." Midnight interjected. "Where did you go, Indio?"Apache Boy leaned forward along with the others.Indio hesitated for a moment. He put his towel down."I ran for a long time..." he began. "But I, too, must have fallen asleep. I must have

stopped. I do not remember where or when, but then, somehow, I remember lying on the ground. I was staring up the stars. They were in the sky, they were beautiful! And then, standing over me... there he was, the Elder!"

"But how can that be?" asked Lindo. "If you ran a long time as you say, how did the Elder catch you?"

"How did he find you?" wondered Apache Boy."1 do not know..." Indio said, shaking his head. "All I remember is that he was just there,

standing over me!""So what happened?" Midnight still wanted to know.Indio frowned, then grinned."1 taught him all I know..." he answered. "Well, at least as much as I could in a few

hours.""What?!" Midnight exclaimed."How did you teach the Elder all you know?" Lindo asked."Well..." Indio tried to explain. "I cannot really call what I did teaching. It was more like...

thinking".Bear made a face. Apache Boy saw it. Bear was funny when he made those faces.

Apache Boy loved them."Thinking?" Midnight said. "You taught him by thinking? How can you teach the Elder

by thinking? And how do you teach someone all you know?""Actually, I did not do much," Indio continued. "He had his crystal with him. He made me

take it and hold it." Indio held out his hand as if he had the crystal in it.

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"At first, I just thought about something, like a horse, or a place I had seen. Somehow, it seemed like the Elder was seeing what I was seeing. But it also seemed like he wanted to know more about me - about what was important in my life."

Indio tried to remember how it all happened. "I guess I just thought about things for a while," Indio said. "...maybe for an hour or two. I really cannot tell how long it was. Memories of my life just flooded through my head. During that time, the Elder just kind of sat with me, with his eyes closed."

Everyone had strange quizzical looks on their faces."Honestly..." Indio told them. "I just thought about things. Then I fell asleep. When I

woke up, he was still there. He took the crystal from me, then he just sort of ...disappeared. He was just gone!"

Indio looked up at Dare-Any. Dare-Any smiled. Damn it! Indio thought. Of course, he would like that.

"So, what did that do?" asked Bear.Indio shook his head again, he was not sure how he knew. "I guess Elder wanted to know

something about us. He learned as much as he could from my head in just a couple of hours or so," was Indio's answer. "But somehow, I think They have already been watching us - for a long time - but he needed to know more about us!

"Whoa!" Lindo interrupted him. "What to you mean, They have been watching us? They who? Who has been watching us?"

Apache Boy leaned forward. Watching us, he wondered. Someone is watching us?"Did I say 'They'?" Indio asked. He wondered how he knew that. "The Star Beings..." he

continued. "I think... I am pretty sure that we have been watched, actually Man has been watched, for as long as we have been living, as long as we have existed."

"Uchi!" said Bear. "Why, Indio? Why have they watched? Why do they not just come to be with us?"

Indio hesitated. Should he tell them, he wondered."Watching people does not reveal as much as talking with them..." Indio said. "After the

crash of his ship in that gully, after we brought him with us and helped him get better, the Elder watched us for a while. He was unsure. He did not know if he could trust us. When he used the crystal, when we had that 'vision', it was the Elder trying to communicate with us. Last night, by holding the crystal, that was how I spoke to him."

"If that is true..." Midnight wondered. "How did he hear you? I mean, did he actually listen to your thoughts - or did you speak words?"

Indio paused. "No..." he slowly said. "No, I just thought about things.""What?" Midnight pressed him.Indio shook his head, they weren't going to believe him. "Look, the 'Heya' Sioux have

mastered speaking with the mind," Indio explained. "They do!! They convey ideas by sending a picture into your head! They do not use words!"

"Holy Cow!" Apache Boy said."So, that is how we had the 'vision' of that black thing crashing into Earth..?" asked

Midnight. "We saw the thoughts of the Elder?""Wow!" Apache Boy was impressed with the idea.

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"Yes!" answered Indio. "But the vision was too powerful...""It knocked us on our butts..." Apache Boy jumped in."Hai!" Bear agreed. "Big time!""Yes, well..." Indio reluctantly agreed. "We were truly affected, too much so. The Elder

wanted to communicate with us how and tell us where he came from. He wanted us to see all those things."

"Wait a minute..." Lindo interrupted. "Wait a minute! I did not just see outer space, I actually felt it. I could hear and feel things, too! I did not just see things."

"Well..." Indio continued. "That is what I am trying to explain. We are not used to this way of 'seeing'. The Elder is a Master of the 'Vision', a storyteller of powerful and vivid images in his communication!" Indio told them. "He is able to make us see, hear, smell, and feel what he is trying to tell us."

"Wow! No kidding!" Apache Boy said."Yes..." Indio started again. "If the Star Elder tried to describe a rose to us, we would not

only see it, we would smell it, we could touch it, and we could even taste it if we tried.""Hai!" Midnight agreed. "A Master of Visions he is!""And..." Indio kept going, "..the Elder can receive images IF we can project them. Last

night he wanted to see some of my thoughts, my 'images'. But because I am new at this, he made me hold the crystal. It somehow makes it easier to see the thoughts of the person of whoever is holding it. So when the Elder handed me his crystal, I was easier to see into."

"Are his words different?" asked Bear. "Does he know of the Navajo or Sioux tongues? Does he know English?"

"No, Bear..." Indio said. "He understands some English, he has learned them by watching and listening to us. But he does not know words like 'cool' or 'Uchi, or things like that. We use slang and words that only we know of. It is a very smart thing to learn the 'word ways' of people. It was smart to have me hold the stone and see into my head."

"And it probably works even while you are asleep," added Lindo. "So he could have gone through your head as you dreamed - if you were holding the crystal, I mean."

"Whoa!" said Apache Boy. "Hope you had good dreams - or at least dreams that gave the Elder words he can use." Then he smiled, "If it was one of those dreams, he may be using all kinds of words! Huta! Let us cross our fingers and hope you had nice, pleasant dreams, Indio!"

Uchi! thought Indio. I do not remember my dreams at all from last night. I hope I did not have bad dreams or use bad words! He looked up to see Dare-Any standing there with both of his arms folded. He was smiling. Damn you, Dare-Any!

Dare-Any smiled, then suddenly stopped and kneeled down. "Someone is coming!" he whispered.

They all turned, crouching at the same time. With short, quick steps he entered the camp -and sat down. It was the Elder, walking in out of the forest.

"Uchi!" gasped Apache Boy. "That was good! Really good how he did that.""Wow..." Lindo said in relief. "Yes.. .that was really good.""Damn..." Midnight said. "It's the Elder! I nearly had a heart attack!""Respect!" cautioned Indio. "Respect!"The Elder sat on the log, staring at them.They all stared back.“I think he wants to talk…” Indio said.“Hai…” agreed Bear.“Let us go sit with him…” Lindo suggested.Slowly, with respect and with a degree of awe, they walked over to where the Star Elder was sitting.

39

COMIENZA

His words were simple, his lips did not move. "IT IS TIME. WILL YOU SIT WITH ME?"

His 'voice' was still very strong in their heads. They looked at each other, then nodded at him.

"Huu-uuu-ta..." Apache Boy said under his breath. "I can hear him..."Bear was the first to sit down. Apache Boy and Midnight were next. Lindo paused,

shrugged his shoulders, then moved forward to take his place with the others. Indio and Dare-Any watched the others, then looked at each other. Dare-Any nodded slightly to Indio, then stepped forward. Indio was hesitant, but he could not resist. He didn't want to see any more of the 'other' God, but he could not refuse the Elder. He sat down with his brothers."Ajo, Elder..." Indio spoke for all of them. "Thank you for talking to us, for...um, communicating with us." "AJO. THANK YOU.""Wow..." Apache Boy kept his voice down. He can communicate in our language really well. He must have learned a lot from Indio while he was asleep. "I AM GOOD NOW. YOU HAVE MADE ME WELL."

The six looked at each other.A thousand questions ran through Indio's head, he looked at the others. Who would be the

first to speak, he wondered to himself? They were all looking at him, even Dare-Any. It is up to me, I guess, he thought.

"Elder..." he almost stuttered. "We are pleased you are well. Is there anything we can do for you now?"

The Elder shook his head very slowly, almost too slowly.Indio turned to the others. Each one was eager to hear his next question. Well, here goes,

Indio thought."Elder, can you tell us what place you come from?" Indio tried first. "I

AM FROM THE 'SHU' POINTS OF LIGHT."Indio was astonished at how well the Elder was speaking. It was very flat, of one tone, but

it was understandable for all of them. His lips did not seem to move at all."The 'shu' lights?" repeated Bear.Apache Boy nodded. "I think he means the 'shu' stars..." he explained to Bear.Indio wondered where the Shu stars were. "Can you tell us where the 'Shu' stars are,

Elder? Can you point to them?""IN THE BLACK SKY, YES, I CAN SHOW YOU."

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"Wow!" Apache Boy said. "He can point to the stars and say 'I am from there'. Wow! I can hardly wait until tonight."

"Elder..." Lindo hesitated. "Can you tell us if all of the people of the stars look like you? Do they have your form?"

"Yes..." Bear added. "Do they look like us?""ALL HAVE MY FORM. ALL HAVE NOT MY

LOOK." "All have his form...?" Bear wondered what that meant."His form and not his look...?" Midnight repeated. Bear was studying his arms and legs,

comparing them to the Elder's form. Apache Boy watched him.Lindo wondered, "We call ourselves 'human' beings. Do you have a name for the beings

in the stars - the beings in the lights in the sky?""THE BEINGS OF THE LIGHTS, THE PEOPLE AS YOU SAY, HAVE THE CALLING 'HIT, THE SOUND OF LIFE AS IT IS TAKEN IN AND LET OUT. ALL WHO TAKE IN LIFE IN THIS WAY HAVE LIKE FORM." "The star beings take in life...?" Lindo wondered. "I think he means those who take and let out breath..." Dare-Any offered. "Huuhh..." Midnight inhaling hard. "Yes, it is sort of like the sound of a breath being taken in."

"It is also the sound of the breath as it is let out lightly..." Indio added, "...and more softly."

Everyone turned to the Elder."Whoa!" Apache Boy remarked. "If the Elder is right, all beings of the stars who take a

breath look alike! That means we look just like star beings! Wow! Amazing!""The form of beings who breathe, they all have arms, legs, head...?" Indio was trying to

sum up.Bear looked at his arms and legs. "Yes..." he added. "Do they all have arms, legs and a

head?""ALL HAVE ARMS." Bear held out his leg. "And do they have

legs too, Elder?" he asked. The Elder nodded, pointing to his leg."ALL HAVE LEGS." Midnight was perplexed. "All people have arms and legs?" he

frowned. "Are there any beings who have tentacles or two heads?" Apache Boy giggled. Bear smiled with him.

"Yes..." Lindo leaned forward. "Can that be, Elder? Are there beings who have more than one head or more than two arms?""HU BEINGS HAVE ONE PART THAT IS BODY. THE BODY MAY LOOK AS MANY PARTS, IT IS BUT ONE. HU BEINGS HAVE ONE PART THAT IS HEAD, BUT MAY HAVE THE LOOK OF MANY HEADS." "So, what looks like two heads is really one head?" the bewildered Bear asked. "What looks like many bodies could actually be only one body?" "YES." "Amazing..." Lindo said out loud. "Absolutely amazing!" "Do 'huh' beings have two arms then, Elder...?" Apache Boy wanted to know.

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"HU BEINGS HAVE ARMS ABOVE AND ARMS BELOW. THE ARM MAY HAVE THE LOOK OF MANY ARMS."

"Upper and lower arms...?" wondered Midnight."I think the Elder means upper and lower limbs..." Indio explained. "I am sure he means

limbs.""Ooh..." Midnight raised his eyebrows."So we have a left and right arm..." Indio began. "But other beings may have a left arm

that looks like... or is... made up of two or three arms...?""Like a squid or an octopus!" Bear piped in. Then he stopped himself. Oops! Bear

thought, I interrupted. He looked at Indio.Indio was not upset, he smiled at his little brother."Like a squid!" Bear continued, relieved. "A being may have what looks like lots of left

feet, but they are really only a single foot - one left foot!"The Elder nodded.Bear beamed at his revelation."A dog!" Midnight almost jumped up.Bear was startled. The others looked at Midnight, wondering what caused him to blurt out

the word as he had."A dog!" he said again. "A dog has a head, a body, and fore legs and hind legs. A dog

has our form too! A dog is a 'huh' being. He breathes! Right, Elder?"The Elder nodded to confirm Midnight's words.Midnight was really excited. "And a fish!" he continued. "A fish has a body, a head and

what could be upper and lower limbs. We just call them fins. It breathes! It is a 'huh' being, too!"

Elder again nodded to confirm Midnight's theory."Wow!" Apache Boy was impressed. "That is good, Midnight, really good! Well done,

Brother."Midnight was smiling, proud of his analysis."Well done..." Indio congratulated him."But, Elder..." Lindo spoke up. "You said that we have forms that are alike, but we have

looks that are different? Can you tell us how we look different from them?"The Elder turned to Lindo. "SOME BEINGS HAVE THE LOOK OF A FISH. SOME

BEINGS HAVE THE LOOK OF A DOG. SOME HAVE THE LOOK OF A SNAKE.""Do they have fish faces or dog faces?" Lindo continued his train of thought.Apache Boy giggled.Bear looked over at him. Apache Boy is always ready to laugh, he thought. Is he really

that happy or is he just a crazy Apache?"THERE ARE BEINGS WHO HAVE THE FACE OF A FISH."

"Do they have the 'huh' form? Do they have a fish face and a form like us?" Lindo was curious.

"IT IS SO.""They have the form of a human being, but the face of a fish! Amazing!" Lindo

commented.

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"Do they live in water, Elder?" Bear jumped in. "SOME BEINGS LIVE IN WATER AS YOURS. SOME BEINGS LIVE IN AIR WATER, SOME LIVE IN ROCK WATER."

"Air water?" Bear was a little confused."To some beings our air is as thick as water..." Indio began. "It could be said that birds

swim through our air, like fish swim in the oceans. The wings of a bird act like the fins of a fish. In a way, they swim through 'air water'."

"Uchi..." Bear said. "1 can see that!""Then..." added Apache Boy. "...what is rock water?""Water that is probably like rock..." Indio guessed.The Elder nodded."Swimming in rock? Yee-ooww!" Bear made a face. "How can you swim through rock?""It is possible that there are beings who could say the ground we are standing on is like

water and that they could swim through it!" Indio continued his thought."What!" Bear let out. "Is that possible?"He turned to the Elder. Bear was surprised to see him nod in agreement."Whoa!" Apache Boy felt the same way as Bear. "Swimming in the ground?! Sand

sharks could really be sand sharks?!"Lindo sat back. He was stunned by the idea. Creatures who swim in the rocks, and

maybe even star beings who could do it. "Breast stroke through the sand and rocks?" he said sarcastically to Indio. "Diving into the sand dunes?"

Indio glared at him. "It is strange to all of us, Lindo..." he said sternly. "Let us not make fun of what the Elder tells us, it matters not how strange or impossible it may sound to us."

Lindo understood. But it seemed just too strange to him. "I apologize, Elder...if I have offended," Lindo offered.

The Elder sat quietly, as if he was evaluating what the apology was about. Lindo meant no harm, Indio felt the Elder knew that.

Indio sat back. "Elder...?" he wanted to pursue a different topic. "Can you tell us why you are here...in this place?"

Midnight leaned forward, he wanted to know this too. "Yes...Elder," he added his own voice to the questions. "Can you tell us why you are here? On earth?"

The Elder looked at them strangely. "I AM AT WAR. A WARRIOR AS YOU SAY. I AM HERE BECAUSE OF THE WAR OVER YOUR HEADS."

"A war, Elder?" Apache Boy sat forward. "Who is at war? Who? What are they fighting over?"

THE WAR OYER YOUR HEADS IS FOR YOUR WORLD AND YOUR PEOPLE. WHO WINS THE WAR. WINS THE WORLD."

The six young men were stunned.The Elder lowered his head, looking at the ground."Damn!" Apache Boy said."Then what the Elders told us long ago was true..." Lindo said.They all looked at each other. They knew what the old legends said. A sadness came

over them. None of the six spoke for quite some time. The Elder sat quietly with them. The wind

43

whispered gently through the trees, birds flew overhead. A squirrel played on a branch nearby. The six of them did not hear anything. The silence was deafening. "Elder ?"

It was Midnight who broke the silence. "What will your warriors do with Man if you win?" He asked.

"WE WILL DO NOTHING. MAN WILL CHOOSE HIS OWN PATH.""Whew..." whispered Bear. "I did not think the Elder to be one of the 'bad guys'. But

for a moment...""Elder?" Midnight asked meekly. "Who do you fight?" "A RACE OF 'HU' BEINGS

WITH NOT-WARM BLOOD, BEINGS OF THE REPTILE AS YOU SAY.""Reptiles!" Bear said. "Uchi!" "Why do you fight with them, Elder?" Apache Boy was not

too sure he wanted to hear the answer to his question."THE BEINGS OF THE REPTILE TOOK THIS WORLD AWAY FROM ITS KEEPERS. THE KEEPERS WAR WITH THE BEINGS OF THE REPTILE TO WIN BACK THIS PLACE." "And the Keepers would free Man...?" asked Midnight. The Elder looked at Midnight. "THE KEEPERS SEEK TO CONTROL MAN AND HIS WORLD AGAIN." "But you said your side would not control Man..." Apache Boy remembered. "I DO NOT WAR FOR THE KEEPERS." Apache Boy was confused. "Elder..." he wondered. "If you are not with the Keeper race, or the reptile race, then why do you fight?"

"WE WAR TO REMOVE THE HAND OF THE REPTILES ON YOUR WORLD." Bear's eyes were wide open.

"Reptiles have a hold on our world?" he was upset. "Are not we human beings in control of our own world? Is that not true?" He wondered. "Are you telling us, Elder, that human beings are under the control of reptiles, Elder?" "IT IS SO." "What?" Bear let out.

"Where are they? Who are they? Midnight pressed. "Why do we not see them... these reptiles?"

"THEY HOLD A PLACE AS RULERS OF THIS WORLD." "What?!" Midnight almost exploded. "Our Leaders? How is that possible? We have no reptiles in government?! How...?""Midnight!" Indio stood up. Midnight was getting to challenging in his behavior. Midnight stopped and turned to glare at Indio. "Indio!" Midnight protested. "This is too much!"

"Stop, Midnight!" Indio was getting angry. "This is not for you to challenge or question! How dare you address the Elder in this way!"

"But Indio...!" Midnight continued to argue. "It is not possible! There are no men or women in government or in any high place that look like reptiles!" Midnight refused to accept the idea.

The Elder suddenly spoke up and interrupted the exchange between the two. "WHAT DOES A MAN OF THE REPTILE LOOK LIKE?"

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Midnight was taken aback. "What?" The Elder asked him again.

"WHAT DOES A MAN OF THE REPTILE LOOK LIKE?" "They are ...well..." Midnight tried to imagine what the looks of a reptile man might be. "they would have scaly skin and yellow eyes - maybe a snake tongue. They would have claws, three toes on their feet - like that!” Bear tried to imagine what a reptile man looked like. "WHAT DOES A MAN OF THE APE LOOK LIKE? Midnight was confused. He frowned. "WHAT DOES A MAN OF THE APE LOOK LIKE? The question bothered Midnight. He looked at Indio. Indio nodded at him, encouraging him to answer the question.Midnight tried his best. "An ape-man is hairy and black..." Midnight almost snapped. "He is a big, strong, hairy, black dumb creature who lives in a home we call the jungle." Midnight turned to the others to see if they could help him in his description. "They would be short and thick..." he continued. "Long arms, bow-legs and hairy - very hairy." The Elder nodded.Midnight was relieved, he had passed the test, or so he thought. Where was this going, he wondered? He turned back to the Elder smugly. "YOU DO NOT HAVE THIS LOOK." "I am not an ape-man!" retorted Midnight.

"YET YOU ARE. YOU ARE BORN OF THE APES." Apache Boy giggled. "Gotcha!"

"Yes, Elder..." Midnight tried to explain, ignoring the Boy. "It is true we are born of apes -descended of apes - but that does not make us ape-men." "OF WHAT IS AN APE-MAN BORN?" "He is born of apes, Elder!" Midnight protested. "But I am not an ape-man! I am a human being!"

"Born of apes..." Apache Boy added with a smile.Midnight turned to Apache Boy angrily. Apache Boy ducked in mock fear, still grinning. "We are born of apes..." Indio interrupted. "This makes us ape-men. We have evolved to look as we do, but we are an off-spring of apes. That cannot be denied!"

Midnight spun to face Indio. "That is a technicality!" he protested again. "Look, we do not look like apes! Reptile men would look like reptiles!" He stopped as soon as he said it. If Man is born of apes but does not look like apes, then it was possible that men born of reptiles would not look like reptiles. Midnight was not sure what they would look like.

"If they are really here on Earth, Elder..." Midnight tried to pursue another angle. "Why do I not see them?"

"HOW DO YOU KNOW YOU DO NOT?" Midnight stared at Elder in bewilderment. He searched for a quick answer, "Because I do not see them!" he insisted. "No one here, not one of us, has ever seen a reptile man!" The Elder motioned towards Apache Boy.

"IS HE A MAN OF THE REPTILE?" "No!" Midnight answered. "He is not!"

"HOW DO YOU KNOW?" Apache Boy stared straight at Midnight.

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"He has no scales, no claws!" Midnight explained.Apache Boy made fake claws with his hands and held them up, hissing like a snake.

Midnight glared at him."MEN OF THE REPTILE HAVE NO

SCALES." "What?!" Midnight was totally surprised."See there..." Apache Boy said, hunching his back. He pretended to scratch at Midnight

with his 'claws'. "Maybe I really am a reptile man and you do not even know it!" He wiggled back and forth like a snake.

"Ooooooo! Reptile Boy!" Bear pretended to be afraid. uSsssssssss-tt!" Apache Boy hissed. He liked the idea. "Quiet, small one!" Midnight threatened Apache Boy.Apache Boy crouched down low to the ground. "Sss-sss-sss!" he hissed as he moved

from side to side."Knock it off!" Midnight warned him. The Elder continued. "AS YOU HAVE LOST YOUR HAIR AND THE LOOK OF THE APE, SO THE MAN OF THE REPTILE HAS LOST THE SKIN AND LOOK OF THE REPTILE." Midnight was speechless. "THE MAN OF THE APE AND THE MAN OF THE REPTILE MAN HAVE GROWN TO LOOK AS ONE." "We look alike? Why is that, Elder?" asked Bear. Midnight decided to remain quiet for a while.Apache Boy curled up in a ball on the ground. He raised his arm up like it was a snake

head. He was really enjoying his pretend game. Sss-sss-sss, he continued."BOTH HAVE THE 'HU' FORM. MANY SUNS PAST, THE MAN OF THE REPTILE JOINED WITH THE MAN OF THE APE. THE YOUNG ONES BORN OF THE TWO HAVE THE LOOK OF BOTH APE AND REPTILE." "What!?" this time it was Lindo who jumped up. "We have been mating with reptiles! Why? Who would anyone want to mate with those ugly reptile things?" "Ssss-sss..." Apache Boy continued. "Cause I am cute, ape-man!"

"Elder said that ape-men and reptile-men have grown to look alike, remember?" Bear said. "We look almost the same. You could be with a reptile woman, or reptile girl, and not even know it."

Lindo began to furiously search his mind for memories of any girl he had been with who might have been reptilian.

"Huta!" Apache Boy sat up from his snake position. "Have the reptiles really been mating with humans, Elder?""HUMANS AND REPTILES HAVE JOINED SINCE THE REPTILES TOOK CONTROL OF THIS WORLD. THE YOUNG HAVE THE STRENGTH OF BOTH APE AND REPTILE." "But why did they want humans to mate with them, Elder?" Apache Boy wanted to know. "HUMANS SEE ONLY THEIR OWN FORM. THEY DO NOT SEE REPTILE FORM OR APE FORM. THEY MATE OF THEIR OWN CHOOSING SOME HUMANS DID NOT CHOOSE, THEY WERE MADE TO JOIN." "I bet!" Lindo said. "We get forced to mate with reptile-beings so they can get stronger. What do we get?"

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"White men speaking with forked tongue!" Apache Boy said without hesitation. He grinned at Bear. Bear grinned back. That was funny, Bear thought.

"We had no choice, the Elder said..." Indio replied. "We have been forced to make their race stronger."

"We probably got to serve the Masters..." Lindo answered himself. "That is probably what we got."

"Hey!" Apache Boy said. "I made a good joke, come on!""Masters forcing themselves on their servants..." Lindo continued. "Right, that is the way

of things, is it not?""Hey!" Apache Boy kept trying. "Forked tongue? Snake?" He hissed and made his arm

look like a snake again."Our world is filled with half ape and half reptile men," Bear said almost sadly.Apache Boy sat down. That thought was sobering - and rather sad, he reflected.Lindo suddenly straightened up. "Elder..." he just remembered something that the Elder

had said. "Did the Keeper race force themselves on humans?"Bear looked up. "Ay, that is right..." Bear said. "There is the reptile race and the Keeper

race.""THE KEEPERS DID NOT FORCE A JOINING WITH HUMANS."

"Whew..." Lindo sighed. "For a moment I thought we would have yet another race in our background."

Bear nodded his head in agreement. "THE KEEPERS WERE THE ANCESTORS OF MAN."

"What!" Lindo was almost exhausted by the revelations. They were powerful, almost devastating. Was there no end to them?

Midnight had to sit back. The worst was not over, he was sure of it."Holy Cow!" Apache Boy looked up at the Elder."Human beings are part ape, part reptile...and now what?" Lindo was exasperated. "The

Keepers are what kind of race?""Wait!" Indio interrupted Lindo. "Wait!" He stood up. "Let us stop for a moment. Let us

take a break," he was sure they needed it. He looked at the others."But, Indio..." Bear started to protest.Indio stopped him. "There is time enough later tonight..." he told them. "We are in need

of supplies and the tending of camp. Let us do what we need to do first. We can think on what we have learned and on the questions that remain."

Indio turned to address the Elder. "Is that all right with you, Elder?" he asked.The Elder stood and nodded to him. With that he turned and began to walk back towards

the woods behind camp. After a few steps, he stopped and looked up at the stars, then turned and glanced back at the six. Indio could see in that look that a connection had been made between them. The Elder nodded once again then turned and walked into the woods.

Everyone sat silently for a moment. Then Bear and Apache Boy got up and headed for the river. An exasperated Midnight began to pull out the pots and pans for preparing the evening's meal. Lindo headed for the trees to look for wood for the fire. Indio watched them all leave. He was proud of them even though they had pressed the Elder perhaps a little too hard. He turned to look for Dare-Any. He was gone. Damn him! Indio thought. I wanted to ask him

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questions. I am sure that Dare-Any knows more than he is saying. Damn him! His disappearing act is going to drive me crazy!

Indio knew a lot about Dare-Any, but there were still many things that remained a mystery. Somehow Dare-Any always figured out or could see what the others could not. And though he was older than the others, he always had a way of doing things that forced the others to try to keep up with him. He had more experiences than any of them could imagine, and he shared many of them, but there were some he clearly would not speak about. Dare-Any was easy to get along with but he was also strange. No one was sure where he came from. No one was sure who his teachers were, no one was willing to ask.

Indio knew that his war experiences had made Dare-Any hard, 'Assassin Eyes' was his nickname in the military. Indio never wanted to be on Dare-Any's wrong side, yet, to be honest, he had never really seen Dare-Any lash out at anyone. The scars on Dare-Any's body had always fascinated Indio. They alone were a warning sign to anyone who had any thought of testing Dare-Any's patience. No, I have no of fear him, Indio thought, but I certainly have a great deal of respect for him.

Indio also felt that there was a strange connection between Dare-Any and the Star Elder. Somehow, every time they exchanged glances, Indio felt that they knew some-thing about each other that was never expressed! The two of them had something in common, he thought. I do not know what it is, but there is something there. I just know that if he was here he could tell us something about the Star Elder that he hasn't shared with us yet.

Damn! I hate it when Dare-Any disappears like he does! Now, he has the Star Elder doing the same thing. Damn it! He looked up. The stars were beautiful. This is unbelievable, Indio though to himself. We have one of the Star Beings here in camp with us! What an amazing thing! What will this all lead to?

ANTEPASADOS

Indio woke up to Bear and Apache Boy's argument."Ancestors!" Apache Boy was saying loudly."Mother Earth!" Bear countered."Que te pasa!" Apache Boy argued. "It is more important to know of our ancestors!

Uchi, Bear!""But if we know how 'Nuestra Madre' came to be, we will know of our ancestors!" Bear

insisted."Ancestors!" Apache Boy repeated. "Ancestors!""Earth! Earth! Earth!" Bear argued."Quietos!" Indio heard another voice. It was Lindo.A voice of reason, Indio sighed. Perhaps now they will quiet down, he thought."Ko!" Lindo said. " 'La lumbre' is more important!"Oh, no! Indio thought. Lindo is in this too!"Fire!" Lindo continued. "Passion, fire...the spirit of Life itself. Soul! That is what we

must ask about!"It was no use. Indio crawled out of his blankets.

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"Vivoras!" Indio heard Midnight chime in. "The reptile people is what we must ask about!" he insisted. He could not get them out of his mind.

Only Dare-Any was missing from the fray. Indio looked up. There he was, sitting on the log, watching Indio rise. Damn you, Indio thought. Why did you not keep them quiet?

"Ancestors!""La Madre!""La Lumbre!"Suddenly, Little Bear noticed his brother standing up. "Indio!" he called out. "What is the

first thing that we should ask the Elder about, brother? Tell them that we should ask of our Mother Earth first!"

"Ancestors!" Apache Boy jumped in. "That is where the Elder left off last night!""Fire and spirit!" Lindo almost yelled at Indio. "The passion of all things, the soul! The

foundation of life is the soul, the soul is the fire of life!"Indio was besieged. He looked at Dare-Any. Dare-Any, damn him, was smiling at him.

Everyone wanted Indio to be the decision maker. Indio looked at Dare-Any again. His smile was still there. Suddenly, Indio knew what to do.

"Dare-Any will lead the talks today..." he announced to the others. He turned to look back at Dare-Any. The smile was gone. Indio turned around, it was his turn to smile.

Dare-Any's eyes turned into slits, much like an assassin's eyes. Indio's smile faded away. "Or not..." he added..

Dare-Any smiled. He had made his point."No wise one..." he said. "I shall be happy to lead the questions today as you have

suggested. It will be my pleasure. Ajo, thank you!"Damn it! Indio thought. How does he always manage to surprise me with what he is going

to do? Damn it!

Bear was already sitting down in front of the Elder. An eager Apache Boy wrapped the blanket around his shoulders as he moved in next to the fire, the night was slightly chilly. Lindo grabbed a piece of meat from the fire, he was still hungry but he did not want to be late for anything the Elder said. Midnight picked up a stick and walked to the log next to the Elder and sat down too. Tonight he would try to be very calm and not argue.

Dare-Any stood in front of the Elder. "Abuelito..." he began. "Can you tell us how the universe was born, how Life came to be?"

Wow! good question, Apache Boy thought.That is a good place to start, Indio thought.

The Star Elder, sitting on his favorite log, looked at him, nodded and began his answer without hesitation. The words were simple... "UA IS A LIVING. BREATHING THING!"

'Wah? Is that a word in the ancient language of the 'Heya' Sioux or was it a word used by the star people? Indio wondered. I do not recognize it.

"UA IS ALL THINGS. UA IS THE LIGHT, UA IS THE HEAVENS, UA IS THE DARKNESS, AND UA IS THE NOTHING. UA IS ALL THAT IS, AND ALL THAT EVER WAS."

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"AS UA BREATHES, SO THE UNIVERSE MOVES. WHEN THE BREATH IS LET OUT, THE HEAVENS MOVE FROM UA INTO THE VOID. WHEN THE BREATH IS TAKEN IN, THE HEAVENS FLOW BACK INTO UA, THE BEGINNING AND THE END!" 'Wah' is the Universal God, thought Indio, the eternal God of Creation. When He breathes out, the universe flows out, that is why the stars seem to be flying away from each other. Amazing! How simple the Elder makes it sound. He leaned over towards Bear. "'Wah' must be the Great Spirit..." he whispered to him. " 'Wah' is the God of the Universe, the Creator!"

Bear nodded to him. The Elder continued. "UA BREATHED OUT; IT WAS THE TEBU OF THE FIRST LIGHT. IN THE BREATH WAS THE FIRST FIRE. IN THE BREATH WAS THE FIRST LIFE."

"FROM THE FIRST FIRE AND THE FIRST LIFE, ALL THINGS WERE BORN, ALL THINGS CAME TO BE...IN THIS MANNER, ALL THINGS WERE CREATED." "He describes the beginning of the Universe!" Indio said leaning forward. Bear nodded again to his brother. It sounded very like the Creation stories of the Elders, Bear thought. But 'taboo'? wondered Bear. What did Elder mean by the first 'taboo'? The Elder looked at Bear.

"TEBU IS TIME, IT IS ONE OF THE FOUR WAYS." Holy cow! Bear was nearly jumped. How did he know what I was thinking? "The Four Ways?" Lindo wondered. "Does the Elder mean the 'Four Directions'? I thought that the 'Four Directions' were North, East, West and South? How is time one of the four directions?"

The Elder turned to Lindo."TO THE SKY AND BELOW IS ONE WAY, ONE DIRECTION, AS YOU SAY..." Holy cow!

Lindo thought. He knew what was in my mind. Holy cow! That is amazing! How did he do that?

"TO THE FRONT AND THE BACK IS ANOTHER WAY, ANOTHER DIRECTION..." "TO THE SIDE AND THE OTHER SIDE IS ANOTHER WAY, ANOTHER DIRECTION..." "TEBU FORWARD AND BACK IS THE OTHER WAY OR DIRECTION." How simple you make it sound, thought Indio."The Star Elder is describing the four dimensions," he told the others. "To the sky and

below is up and down or height. To the front and back is depth, while from side to side is width. Height, width and depth are the three dimensions. Time - or 'taboo' as the Elder calls it, is the fourth dimension.""TEBU MOVES WITH THE BREATH OF UA. AS THE BREATH MOVES FORWARD, SO TEBU MOVES. AS THE BREATH MOVES BACK IN TO THE ONE, SO THE TEBU MOVES." When the Great Spirit breathed out, everything came out of the void, all things were born into the Universe, Indio was thinking. But the Elder is saying that Time moves forward, and when the breath is taken in...Indio suddenly sat bolt upright. What?! Time will move backward?"Elder?" he had to interrupt. "Are you telling us that, sometime in the future, the universe will turn back into itself and time will flow... backwards?" "Uchi!?" Apache Boy leaned forward. "IN THIS WAY DOES TEBU FLOW WITH THE BREATH OF UA, YES."

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"When time moves backward, then we will grow young, instead of old, Elder?" Indio was hesitant. The possibility staggered his mind."YOUR PEOPLE CANNOT TELL WHEN THE BREATH AND TEBU MOVE FORWARD OR BACKWARD." "Holy cow!" Apache Boy exclaimed. "To human beings, Time going forward is the same as time going backwards?!"

"If Time is going backwards, will I become a child again, then?" asked Bear. "What do you mean again?" asked Midnight kiddingly.

Bear made a face at him. Apache Boy smiled. Bear makes funny faces, he thought. "Will we be walking backwards and doing everything backwards?" Bear asked. "WHEN TEBU MOVES INTO THE UA, BEINGS DO NOT MOVE BACKWARDS. THEY WALK IN THE SAME WAY BUT MOVE TO A PLACE WITH LESS AND LESS HELPERS." Less and less 'helpers'? wondered Lindo. What is that? "HELPERS ARE THE THINGS THAT MOVE YOU FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER, HELPERS SHOW PICTURES FROM ACROSS THE WORLD, HELPERS ALLOW YOU TO SPEAK FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER..." Pictures across the globe? Talk from one place to another? wondered Indio. "Television!" he blurted out. "Television and telephones! That is what the Elder is talking about."

"Technology!" Midnight said in agreement. "When time moves backwards, Man will walk into a world with less and less technology!"

Dare-Any looked at Midnight and Indio. "The Elder is telling us that we will move from a world of technology to a world where we use less and less technology, to a time of the cavemen ways. That is what he tells us..." he said

That is incredible! thought Indio. Can that be?"Will we be born?" Bear wondered. "Will we born old and get younger?" "YOU WILL BE BORN AS YOU SAY, YES. THEN YOU WILL MOVE TO A PLACE WHERE YOU KNOW LESS. TO GET OLD, AS YOU SAY, IS TO LOSE WHAT YOU KNOW AT FIRST." "Holy cow!" Apache Boy nearly jumped. "We will be born with knowledge which we are going to 'un-learn' as we get older! We move from knowing what we know about the world to a place where we know less and less. Damn!"Midnight was stunned. "We would get dumber and dumber," he observed. Little Bear turned to look at Midnight. "That is not good," he said. "A world that gets dumber and dumber is not good."

"Hummmph!" Dare-Any grunted. "Is that not the way of the world now?" he asked. "Yes, we have more technology, that is true, but we are losing the Ways of the Old Ones. I would say that we are losing our natural abilities and getting dumber and dumber about who we are and what we are capable of."

"Whoa!" Apache Boy noted. "Maybe it is already happening! Maybe time is moving backwards, maybe the breath is already going back into the 'Wah'."

Indio was struck by the thought. Amazing, he thought. We could be moving backwards into time - moving backwards with time actually - but we still think we are moving forwards. That could explain why the 'civilized' world is so crazy about youth and looking young. Uchi! What an idea!

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The Elder continued. "AS THE BREATH OF UA MOVES OUT, SO TOO, THE SEBA MOVES. THE SEBA ARE THE FIRST FLOWERS OF THE HEAVENS, THE FIRST LIGHTS. MANY SEBA GATHERED TOGETHER IN CIRCLES TO DANCE IN THIS TEBU OF BIRTH. THE FIRE OF THE SEBA BEGAN TO FILL THE HEAVENS." Stars! Indio thought. 'See-ba' must be stars, the first lights of the universe! They join together to spin in galaxies.

Just then Bear piped up. "Are 'see-ba' stars?" he asked. The Elder nodded.Indio smiled at his little brother. "Very good, little brother.""So the stars moved out into the Universe and formed the spiraling stars..." Bear was

summing up. He was excited, the Elder's words were very exciting to him."How long did that take, Elder?" Dare-Any asked. He was hoping to get an idea of how

the Elder perceived time."FOR TU TEBU, THEY GATHERED." 'Too?" Bear was caught off guard. "What is 'too'?"

" 'Taboo' is time..." Indio recalled. "But I am not sure what 'too' means." Apache Boy was still watching Bear. Bear is really funny when he makes those faces, he thought.

Bear only briefly glanced at Apache Boy staring at him. What is 'too'? he wondered. One... two? Or 'to' like 'going to'?

"IF YOU MOVE AWAY FROM THE OTHERS, THEY WILL BE TU." Bear pondered the Elder's answer. He looked at the five others. "If I move away from the others, they will be five, not two! So if 'too' is not 'two' then...?" He furrowed his brow and rubbed the side of his head.

Apache Boy started giggling. Bear is really funny!"Wait a minute!" Bear said. "If I move away, it will be this many, Elder." He held up

five fingers.The Elder nodded.

"THAT IS AS IT IS." Bear looked at his hand. "Then 'five' is 'too', Elder?" he asked, his eyebrows cocked to one side.

"HEE-HEE-HEE-HEE..." Apache Boy was really giggling."For five time periods..." Indio interrupted. "Is that what you are telling us, Elder? That

it took five periods, 'too' periods, for the stars to form? It was the 'fifth' period, is that 'as it is'?"

The Elder nodded."TU IS YOUR FIVE." Bear turned to look back at his brother. He was proud of how Indio

figured things out like that.Now all I have to do is figure out how long a period is Indio thought to himself. "What happened after the 'too taboo', Elder?" Indio asked. "IN THE TU TEBU, THE FIFTH TIME OF UA, THE SEBA OF THIS PLACE CAME TOGETHER. IN THIS CIRCLE OF SEBA AND FIRE, HERE WERE BORN THE CHER-BAH BEINGS KNOWN AS THE 'SSA'."

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"The 'see-ba' - the stars of this place - came together," repeated Indio. "It must be the formation of our galaxy that the Elder speaks of.

"Whoa!" Bear exclaimed just then. His eyebrows made an extraordinarily steep 'V in his forehead.

Apache Boy's eyes popped open, then he fell over on his side. Bear looked like a caveman, he thought. He was funny! "HEE-HEE-HEE-HEE!" he started giggling.

Bear looked at him, then turned back to the Elder. "What are 'Chair-bah', Elder?" he asked.

"THEY ARE THE BEINGS OF THE MOST TEBU." "The most 'taboo'?" Midnight repeated.

"They are the beings of the most time! They are the oldest Beings in our galaxy?!" Indio was almost choking. "The greatest 'taboo' has to mean the most time! Is that it, Elder? Do you speak of those who we call the 'Ancient Ones' - the 'Old Ones'?" "THE CHER-BAH ARE THE 'OLD ONES'. THAT IS AS IT IS." Dios mio! thought Indio, he is telling us about the oldest beings in the Universe! I think they are the 'Ancient Ones' of the stars in all our legends! Bear was looking at Indio in disbelief, 'Ancient Ones?'

Indio turned and looked at the others. They were all as stunned as he was. Except Apache Boy. He was on his side, giggling. "HEE-HEE-HEE-HEE..." Indio wondered what was wrong with him.

"IN THE TEBU AFTER THE TU, IN THIS TIME, THE SSA CHER-BAH WERE BORN. IN THE STARS THAT SPIN, HERE THE SSA CHER-BAH OF UA DID WALK. THEY ARE THE ELDEST OF UA, THE ONE."

"AS THE BLOOD OF UA BECAME MANY, THEY BECAME BRAVE AND A PEOPLE OF GREAT HEART. THE CHER-BAH MADE THEIR WAY INTO THE STARS THAT SPIN, MAKING NEW HOMES. IN THIS WAY, THE SSA DID TAKE TO THEMSELVES THE KEEPING OF THE STARS THAT SPIN." "SUCH WAS THE WAY OF THE CHER-BAH..." Indio was amazed at what the Elder was telling them. He was excited when he suddenly noticed that Bear was hanging his head down, muttering to himself. "Bear!" he nudged him. "What is the matter with you, little brother? You are disrespecting the Elder when you behave as you do."

Bear looked up at him, there were tears in his eyes. "What is the matter?" Indio asked him. "What is bothering you?"Bear was almost crying. "I am having trouble understanding all the things that the Elder

says..." he whispered. "His words are good, but I am having trouble with much of what he says.""Do not be sad, little brother..." Indio tried to console him. "Let me try to tell you what I think the Elder is trying to tell us." Bear smiled at his brother.

"I think the Elder is trying to tell us that 'Chair-bah', the 'Ancient Ones', came from a place called 'Sah'. Somehow, over time, the 'Sah Ancient Ones' were able to fly between the stars, becoming great conquering warriors." Indio summed up. To make sure he turned to the Elder.

The Elder nodded at him.

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"Then, at some point, for some reason - good or bad - they moved into our galaxy. I think they moved into the heart of the galaxy or maybe near the center somewhere." He turned to the Elder again.

Once again he nodded."Ancient Ones who took over the stars?" Bear was totally in awe. They must have been

fierce warriors, he thought.Indio turned to the Elder who had paused while Indio explained the story to his little

brother. No one seemed to notice. They were completely surprised by Indio's explanation of the Elder's revelations. Everyone sat quietly, trying to take in what the Elder had said.

Indio's thoughts were racing. There was so much for him to ask. Where do I begin, he wondered.

Lindo spoke up first. "Did the 'Sah Chair-bah' move into our own solar system? Did they come to our worlds?"

"NO, THIS PLACE WAS NOT YET BORN. IT WOULD NOT FORM FOR MANY TEBU, NOT UNTIL THE 'PESH' TEBU."

Bear frowned. " 'Pesh'... what is 'pesh'?!"Apache Boy's eyes were glued to Bear."Damn it!" said Bear, frowning more. "Here we go again!" Bear's eyebrows came

together to give the appearance of one long, single eyebrow making its way across his forehead.

"YEEE-HA-HA-HA-HA!" Apache Boy exploded. He fell backwards.Indio frowned at Apache Boy."Stop that!" he commanded. "This is not funny!""YEEE-HEE-HEE-HEE!" Apache Boy kept going."Apache Boy! Stop!" Indio ordered.Apache Boy was rolling on his side, trying desperately to stifle his laughter."Just ignore him..." said Lindo.Indio turned to the Elder. "We are sorry, Elder," he said. "He does not laugh from

disrespect. He is not well, we are sure of that." Indio turned and glared at Apache Boy."Let us just go on..." Lindo advised.Apache Boy tried to sit up. He covered his face. "I am sorry. Brothers... HEE-HEE-HEE-

HEE", he tried to stop. "I am sorry, really... HEE-HEE-HEE... I am sorry, Elder."Midnight grinned at him. Wish I knew what was so funny, he thought to himself.Bear was still trying to figure out what 'pesh' was. "Is it this many?" Bear asked holding

up all ten fingers in front of him, hoping he could shorten his torment."HEE-HEE-HEE..." Apache Boy started giggling again.

"REMOVE A SILA AND IT SHALL BE AS IT IS.""What?" Bear said, screwing up his face again. "What is a 'see-la'?" Bear was getting

really frustrated. His right eyebrow raised up, looking like a fuzzy caterpillar that had just stood up.

"YEEE-HA-HA-HA-HA!" Apache Boy exploded again. He could not stand it any longer. He got up and walked away.

"Remove a 'see-la'?" Bear looked curiously at Elder. "I am holding up two hands, if I take one hand away, is that a 'see-la', Elder?"

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"IT IS NOT."Bear kept one hand up, wiggling his fingers.

"THAT IS A SILA."Bear stared at his hand, still wiggling his fingers. His brow was really furrowed.Indio smiled at his brother and walked over to him. He gently reached up and grabbed

his hand, folding all his fingers down until only his index finger remained.Bear looked at his brother, then turned to the Elder. "Is this a 'see-la', Elder?" wiggling

his single finger."IT IS THAT WHICH YOU HOLD UP."

So, a 'see-la' is one finger, thought Bear. "So, if I started with both hands up, ten fingers, then take away one finger, one 'see-la'...'pesh' must then be... nine?" Little Bear gestured to the Elder, holding both hands up with one thumb in.

The Elder nodded.Indio was trying to figure out the Elder's story. In the 'too taboo', in the fifth period, our

galaxy is born. But it is not until the 'pesh taboo', the ninth period that our galaxy was born.Bear surprised Indio as he suddenly spoke up "So... our solar system was born in the

ninth period?"Indio stared at his brother in amazement. "Well done!" he smiled at him.The Elder nodded at Bear.

Bear's mind raced ahead. "Are we still in the same time, in the 'pesh taboo', as when our sun and planets were born? In the ninth period, I mean?" "NO, WE ARE IN THE SEN TEBU OF ANOTHER MET."

"Whaaa-aa...?" Bear gave up. " 'Sen'...'Met', what is that?!" He plopped down hard on the ground.

"YEEE-HA-HA-HA-HA!" The sound came from the darkness of the forest behind them. Everyone peered into the night.

"MET IS ALL OF THE SILA YOU DID SHOW."Bear was shaking his head back and forth. What the...? Wait! All my 'seela', that means all my fingers! Ten! Bear realized. 'Met' is ten! "SEN IS A SILA AND A SILA."

One finger and one finger is two fingers... 'sen' must be two! 'Sen' is two! Bear guessed. "THIS IS THE TIME OF A MET AND A SEN TOGETHER."

"Oh, I get it!" said Indio. "Twelve, this is the twelfth period! 'Met' and 'Sen', ten and two! The twelfth period since the Creation!"

Bear smiled at his brother... that is it! He must be right!The Elder nodded. "THE TWELFTH TIME, THE... TWELFTH

PERIOD AS YOU SAY."The Elder repeated the words slowly, straining ever so slightly.He learns our words well, Dare-Any thought. How quickly he seems to grasp the

sounds. He is an exceptional person.Three time periods had passed since the beginning of our solar system, Indio was

thinking. I must remember to try to find out how long that is.Bear and Indio paused for a moment. They had much to be proud of in their analysis of

the Elder's descriptions. "We have done well together." Indio told his brother. "I am proud of you."

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"Thank you, brother," Bear answered. "I am proud of you."Midnight had listened carefully and had his own questions. "Are we born of the 'Chair-

Bah', Elder? Are we born of the ones you called the 'Sah'?""THE CHER-BAH WERE FIRST BORN. THEN WERE BORN THE 'SSA' BEINGS. AFTER MANY TEBU, THE 'ASA-ARR' WERE BORN. YOU ARE OF THE BLOOD OF THE STAR BEINGS OF 'ASA-ARR'."

Midnight was surprised at how the Elder knew this."Wow!" Apache Boy let out. "Wow! We are born of Beings from the stars. Our legends

are true!"Midnight turned to look at the boy. Without a word, he had managed to sneak back into

the circle"All right..." Lindo grinned. "Children of the Stars!"Indio looked at all of his brothers, he was pleased. Everyone seemed to be excited with

the new knowledge. They were learning, but more importantly, they were eager to learn what the Star Elder was saying. Man and Star Being were communicating.

Just then, the Elder stopped and stood up to look up to the stars. He stood motionless and quietly.

Indio could sense something had just happened. He took a quick glance over his shoulder at Dare-Any. Dare-Any was gone. That was a sure sign that something was happening.

"Huta!" Bear exclaimed. "Can you tell us more, Elder?" hoping that the Elder would not stop.

"Yes, Elder..." Apache Boy agreed. "Will you, please?"Elder turned to them, but he said nothing.Indio jumped in. The others had not noticed that something had just transpired. "Perhaps

we should let the Elder rest..." he suggested."But Indio..." Bear protested. "I want to hear more!"Indio motioned with his head towards where Dare-Any had been standing. Bear looked

towards the trees, Dare-Any was not in his usual place."Oh..." Bear realized. "Okay."Lindo and Apache Boy glanced over and noticed that Dare-Any had disappeared. They

did not wait for any instruction from Indio. They stood up and began putting things away. Midnight began putting water on the fire.

Bear turned to the Elder. He wanted to hear more but a missing Dare-Any always gave them pause.

"Can we talk tomorrow, Elder?" he wanted to know. "IS THIS AS IT IS WITH ALL OF YOU?"

Lindo and Apache Boy nodded as the continued to move. Midnight nodded as he put more water on the fire.

Bear turned to Indio. He seemed hesitant. "Indio?" Bear nudged him.Suddenly, Bear heard voices in the background. They had to be far away, but he could

still hear them. He turned to Indio, then back to the Elder."Yes..." he nodded. "Yes, Elder... this is as it is with all of us." He turned to look over

his shoulder in the direction of the voices. There was no need to concern the Elder. They would take care of the situation.

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The Elder nodded back. "THEN IN THE NEW SUN IT SHALL BE."

The Elder stood up and moved towards the forest. Indio moved with him. As they reached the edge of the tree-line, Indio looked back at Apache Boy. Apache Boy nodded. He would follow them after a moment. For now, he would continue to put things into the trees where they could not be seen. Lindo was using branches to brush away the footprints in the dirt. Midnight spread out two blankets on the ground.

The voices came closer.Bear quickly sat down by the fire and began singing, Midnight pulled out the empty

whiskey bottles and threw them into the fire. He sat down next to Bear and began singing too."Hoya - neya - hey - na - hey..." Bear sang loudly.Midnight swayed back and forth, closing his eyes as if he were in a trance."Hou Koda!" the voices said as they came closer.Dare-Any and Lindo watched from the tree-tops.Indio and the Elder moved through the trees.

VIVORAS

The morning seemed brighter to Indio. The visitors had come and gone. During their stay, they talked about the rumors that some Indians in the area had found a crashed disk, but the same rumors said that these Indians had been arrested and taken away. Indio was glad for that rumor. The visitors left later that night, Midnight and Bear had played their parts well.

The others began stirring in their blankets. Indio made coffee as Dare-Any fixed breakfast. Indio liked it when the breakfast duties fell to Dare-Any. He was a good cook.

All right! Lindo was thinking as he smelled Dare-Any's cooking. We have an excellent breakfast in the making and an excellent conversation with the Elder afterwards. This is going to be a good day.

Apache Boy and Bear came running in from the creek."Hoooo-ah!" Bear let out. "Bueno! Desayuno de Dare-Any! Let us eat, my brothers! It is

a good day!"Dare-Any's call to breakfast was eagerly welcomed. The six gathered together in front of

the fire, enjoying their meals, laughing at things they had experienced in the past, looking forward to their days with the Elder.

"Enjoy your meals..." Indio told them. "We have much to do! After we talk with the Elder, we should move our camp. We do not want to take any chances that those two visitors will come back with friends."

''Hai!" Apache Boy agreed. "I do not trust those two.""Let us finish and sit with the Elder..." Midnight suggested. "I really want to hear more."The others nodded and agreed. They finished as quickly as they could, put every-thing

into their packs then gathered together next to the Elder.As he sat down, Indio marveled at the serene but noble way in which the Star Elder always

seemed to carry himself. As he looked at his friends, he was equally proud of how the others had conducted themselves, even the two young ones, Apache Boy and Little Bear. What an

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extraordinary thing this was they were in, six 'primitives' as the world would describe and a man from the stars.

The Elder sat down."FROM THIS PLACE, ONE OF THE MOST BRIGHT GER

SEBA..." The Elder turned to them and paused."FROM THIS PLACE, ONE OF THE MOST BRIGHT GER..." He looked at the six, and

paused again. Midnight and Lindo looked at each other. What was happening? It is as if the Elder was confused. Little Bear looked at his brother. Indio motioned to all of them to remain silent.

"ONE OF THE MOST BRIGHT NIGHT STARS HAS THE CALLING OF ASA-ARR. BEINGS OF THIS STAR HAVE THE CALLING ASA-ARR-U.""Ahs-ah-roo?" Bear repeated. "Ahs...ah...roo. I cannot tell from the sound of their

name. Are they good people, Elder?""Hush!" Indio quickly ordered. "Be still! The Elder has just begun! Give him a chance to

speak!"Little Bear looked at Indio. He was frowning at him. He turned back to the Elder again.

He would try to hold still. But no promises, Indio!"THE SPINNING STARS OF YOUR HEAVEN HAVE BEEN DIVIDED INTO MANY, MANY PLACES. EACH PLACE IS UNDER THE HAND OF A STAR PEOPLE. IN THIS PLACE, THE ASA-ARR-U HAVE HAND." "I think the Elder tells us that our galaxy is divided into many places. I also think he is telling us that there are several Star people who are in charge of the different parts," Indio tried to explain. He looked to the Elder for confirmation. The Elder nodded at him.

"The 'Ahs-ah-roo' are in charge of our world..." Lindo said rather somberly. "Do they have a chief?" asked Midnight."THE ASA-ARR-U HAVE A RULER, HE IS AS YOU CALL A KING." "Wow, a King!" Bear whispered to Midnight. "A Star King!" Midnight nodded. "Yes, but is he a good guy?" Apache Boy agreed. "Kings have been tyrants!" "THE ASA-ARR-U ARE YOUR 'OLD ONES', FROM THEM COMES THE LIFE FORCE OF YOUR 'MAKH', YOUR BODY." " 'Mok' is your word for body, Elder?" asked Lindo. The Elder nodded.

'Mok' is body, I must remember that, thought Indio. Then he thought for a second, "Is the 'life force' that you speak of, is that what we call blood, Elder?" "THAT IS AS IT IS." "If we had the 'life force', if we have the blood of the 'Ahs-ah-roo' in our veins", Lindo started with a smile. "...then we have the blood of Star Kings in our veins!"

"Holy cow!" Apache Boy almost jumped. "We come from Kings from the Stars! We are descended from Star Kings! Wow!"

Bear beamed as he heard Lindo and Apache Boy's revelations. He smiled, he often felt himself a prince of sorts.

Midnight shook his head gently in near disbelief. "We have Royal Blood within us! Can you imagine that?"

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"So may be the people of our planet are okay..." Bear suggested. Apache Boy nodded. His opinion of humankind was suddenly elevated. Indio was impressed and yet hesitant. Royal blood, even if it was from the stars, does not necessarily mean the rulers are wise and benevolent.

"What are the Star People like, Elder?" Midnight asked. "The 'Ahs-ah-roo'?" It was the question that was on everyone's mind.

"Yes, Elder... please", Apache Boy joined in. "What were the 'Ahs-ah-roo' Star People like?

"THEY ARE AS YOU ARE.... ONLY MORE SO." God, I hope not, thought Indio to himself. Lindo sat up. "Do we - do we look like them?"

"YOU HAVE THE LOOK OF YOUR 'OLD ONES'." "We look like the 'Old Ones'! Then they look like humans!" Lindo almost shouted. "Uchi! Are the 'Ahs-ah-roo' as tall as we are?"

"THEY ARE NOT TO YOUR HEAD." "Are they to my chest?" Lindo continued, putting his hand at chest level. Elder nodded.

"THEY ARE TO YOUR CHEST." "Is their body thin?" Bear asked.

"THEY DO NOT HAVE YOUR BODY. THEY ARE THIN AS YOU SAY. THEY HAVETHE BODY OF ONE OF YOU WITH MET YEARS."

"What is that?" asked Lindo. "'Met' years?""Met!" Bear echoed. "I remember that! It means ten!" he said, wiggling his fingers again. Apache Boy grinned. He remembered that too. Elder nodded and confirmed Bear's guess. "Then they look like a ten-year old?" Bear said. The Elder nodded again. Midnight leaned over to Lindo."Does that not sound like the Star Elder?" he whispered. "If that is true, do you think he is

an 'Ahs-ah-roo' Being?"Lindo nodded. Let us find out, Lindo decided."Elder..." he began cautiously. "Are you an 'Ahs-ah-roo'?"

"I AM NOT OF THE ASA-ARR STARS. I AM OF THE CHU STARS." "'Chew" ...?" Bear repeated. "Chew?""Oh, I remember that!" Lindo said. "He told us before that he was from the 'Shu' stars,

not the 'chew' stars - 'Shu'!"Indio nodded his head in agreement, he had heard 'Shu' as well."Elder...?" Lindo started again slowly. "Is their face like ours? I mean, do they have just

TWO eyes...?"Apache Boy giggled. "Four eyes!" he whispered to Midnight. "Maybe six..." Lindo was almost afraid to hear the answer.

"THE ASA-ARR-U HAVE SEN..." Elder paused for a moment.

"....TWO DARK EYES." ...he corrected himself.

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Whew! Lindo sighed to himself. No eight-eyed weird people."Do they have a nose like us, Elder?" asked Bear.

"THE NOSE IS AS YOURS, YES.""Do they have hair like us?" Lindo wondered, pulling at the braids that fell down over

his shoulder and chest."THEY HAVE MUCH HAIR ON ALL PARTS OF THE HEAD."

"Hair on all parts?" repeated Midnight. "What does that mean? Wait! Wait!" he interrupted himself. "Does that mean they have beards, Elder? Hair on their chins I mean?" Midnight grabbed at his chin, stroking downwards.

'THEY HAVE BEARDS AS YOU SAY, YES. THE BEARD IS TIED AS YOURS.""The beard is tied as ours?" Midnight was confused.Apache Boy looked at Lindo's braid as he toyed with it. "Is it like that, Elder?" he asked,

pointing at Lindo's braided hair.The Elder nodded."Holy cow!" Bear exclaimed. "They braid their beards?"The Elder nodded again."Wow..." Apache Boy let out. "They actually braid their beards. Man, that must look

strange!"Indio listened with interest. "Are their skins lighter than ours?" Indio wondered. A

thought ran through his mind.The Elder stood looking at Indio.Indio knew he wasn't quite clear in his question. "Do they have as much color in their

skins as we do?" he tried again.The Elder nodded. "THEY HAVE NOT AS

MUCH COLOR, YES.""They are lighter..." Indio repeated. They could be our ancestors, for sure he thought to

himself, but then where did the 'white man' come from? And the 'black' race and the 'yellow' race? Hmmmmm?

The Elder continued. "SOME HAVE MORE COLOR, BUT ONLY A LITTLE. SOME ARE THE SAME."

Ooops, thought Indio. They come in all skin colors.Okay, Lindo thought. So maybe all the races of Earth come from them."You have lived with us for a while..." Midnight began. "Do the 'Ahs-ah-roo' act like we

do, Elder?""THE ASA-ARR-U ARE AS YOU IN ALL WAYS. THEY CONSUME THE BODY OF ALL LIFE FORMS, LEAF AND FLESH. THEY CONSUME DRINK OF ALL LIFE FORMS, BOTH LIGHT AND STRONG."

"They consume the body of leaf and flesh, so they eat meat and vegetables" Midnight reflected. "But they drink of all life forms? What does that mean? How do you drink from the life form of animals?" he wondered.

Wow, we look just like them! marveled Lindo. He looked down at his arms and legs. We are dark and light, they are dark and light. Maybe we are a little bit taller. Wait! he suddenly thought.

"Elder...?" he began again. "What about the 'Chair-bah', the 'Ancient Ones' who first came to our galaxy - are they like us? Are they as tall as we are?"

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The Elder paused for a moment. "I KNOW NOT THE WORD FOR THE ANSWER."

Indio wondered why the Elder could not find the right word. He tried to find a way to help answer the question. "Are the 'Chair-bah' to our head, Elder?"

The Elder took a moment. "THEY ARE TO YOUR HEAD."

"Then they are as tall as we are!" Lindo smiled. "NO. THEY ARE NOT TALL AS YOU SAY."

"Then they are not as tall as we are?" Lindo wondered, a little confused.Indio wondered what was wrong with his question. "Elder, I am sorry. Let me try again, are the 'Ancient Ones', the 'Chair-bah', are they to our head, Elder?" "THEY ARE TO YOUR HEAD."

"Then they are as tall as we are!" Lindo smiled. "NO. THEY ARE NOT TALL AS YOU SAY."

"Wait! Wait! I am confused!" Lindo turned to Indio. "What are we...?"Indio was confused as well. He tried again. "Elder... are the 'Ancient Ones' to our head?"

"THEY ARE TO YOUR HEAD.""Then they are as tall as we are!" Indio tried to confirm.

"NO. THEY ARE NOT TALL AS YOU SAY.""What?" Lindo was shaking his head.Midnight and Little Bear were shaking their heads as well."Don't ask me!" Apache Boy protested when Lindo looked at him.Indio couldn't figure it out. What am I doing wrong? he wondered. I am asking the...

wait! Dare-Any, where is he? He turned and saw Dare-Any leaning against a tree, there was a big smile on his face.

"What are you smiling at?" he almost demanded. "Help us. What is the Elder trying to tell us?"

Dare-Any smiled, leaning against the tree without moving. After a moment, he pushed himself to a standing position and walked towards the fire. He leaned down and picked up an ember with his bare hand.

Damn it! Indio thought. "Talk to us! Tell us what we are missing?"Dare-Any looked up at Indio. "You miss nothing", he said. "The 'Ancient Ones' of the

galaxy are to your head. It is as the Elder has told you. You have missed nothing."Indio stared at him. "What does that mean!?"Dare-Any stood up and played with the ember, tossing it back and forth from hand to

hand.Little Bear watched him in amazement. How can he do that? he wondered. How come the

ember does not burn him? He does that all the time, how does he do that?Dare-Any walked back to his tree and leaned against it again.Indio was almost furious. He is not going to tell us. This is one of his 'you-must-figure-it-

out' moments. All right! Damn it! 1 will figure it out, I will. Just you wait, I will figure it out! He turned to the others.

"Let us ask another question. We will think on the answer and try again at another time. Does anyone have another question?" he suggested.

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He turned and gave Dare-Any a hard stare.

BEN-BEN Y REPTILIAS

Midnight asked the next question. "So, they are like us, Elder? Or maybe I should say, we are like them?"

"THE ASA-ARR-U ARE AS YOU IN ALL WAYS, YES."Midnight turned to glare at Apache Boy. "Not in all ways, I hope."Apache Boy raised his hands like he had claws and hissed at Midnight.Lindo wondered, in all ways? Hmmmm.Indio listened to Elder's answer again and put his head down. Such simple words, he

thought, yet what it says reveals the fate of the Universe. If they are like us, then maybe Mankind's destiny is a foregone conclusion. Maybe nobody can help us!

Indio looked up only to find the Elder's eyes focused on him. Of course, thought Indio to himself, he probably knows what my thoughts are! Do not be so quick to see the 'Ahs-ah-roo' beings in a bad light, he said to himself. It is not right. I am sorry, Elder! I am sorry for such quick judgment.

The Elder nodded then turned to face all of them. "THE ASA-ARR-U HAVE WAYS OF LIFE AS YOUR OWN."

"In all ways?" asked Lindo, his eyebrow raised."Lindo!" scolded Indio. "Must you always think of that?" Indio turned back to the Elder,

but in the back of his head the question was about to ask stuck in his mind. He, too, was curious.

Midnight caught Lindo's question and nudged Apache Boy. Boy was smiling. Everyone turned, looking to the Elder, the same question in their minds.

Lindo leaned forward, eagerly awaiting an answer. "YES, BEN-BEN IS PART OF THEIR WAY."

"Ben-Ben?" Lindo wondered. "Ben-Ben? What is that? Is that...?""Lindo!" Indio tried to get him to stop. He was afraid the Elder would see Lindo's

thoughts. It was too late."YES. BEN-BEN IS AS YOU CALL..."

Wait! Elder, wait! Indio almost jumped up. Do not use that word! Wait!, wait!The Elder stopped. He seemed bewildered."I am sorry, Elder..." Indio apologized. "I wish not to interrupt. What Lindo wishes to

know is if the 'Ahs-ah-roo', if they..." he hesitated, "...make love."Apache Boy was grinning broadly. He and Bear exchanged glances. Even Lindo smiled

at Indio. Indio could feel himself turning red."YES, THE ASA-ARR-U 'MAKE LOVE', AS YOU SAY. THEY DO NOT SEEK BEN-BEN AS MUCH AS YOU."

"HUTA! Indio..." Apache Boy hooted. "You did have one of those dreams! HUTA, Indio!"

"All r-r-i-i-ight!" Lindo growled in approval...Everyone turned to look at Lindo.Indio scowled.

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"Oops... sorry, Elder!" Lindo quickly apologized for his slightly loud comment.Bear looked over at Lindo. "1 do not think anyone seeks 'ben-ben' as much as our Lindo

does!" he interjected.Ben-Ben? Apache Boy thought it was a funny word.Indio was shaking his head. Uchi! I hope Elder does not try to see into Lindo's thoughts.

Dios mio, what would he see in there?Pleasures of the flesh, Midnight thought. I wonder if all of the star beings and people of

our galaxy enjoy 'Ben-Ben'? Midnight turned to see the Elder staring at him. Ooops! Did he read my thoughts, I wonder. The answer came quickly.

"THE ASA-ARR-U SEEK THE PLEASURES OF THE FLESH AS YOU SAY, BUT DO NOT LET STOP THEIR WORK. YOUR WAY IS TO PLACE PLEASURES OF THE FLESH BEFORE WORK."

Ay, ay, ay! Midnight was completely surprised. I just thought about 'pleasures of the flesh' - just before Elder said it! I hope it was a coincidence!

What! Lindo was shocked. Work before love-making? They do not sound like an advanced civilization to me! "Why is that, Elder? Lindo asked. "Would not Beings of an advanced world have more time for love-making? Would not they want to make love more often?"

"WORK IS THE WAY OF LIFE OF THE ASA-ARR-U. NOTHING STOPS THEIR WORK.""I cannot believe that an advanced people would place labor before love..." Lindo

muttered under his breath. "They are as bad as the Lizard People." Suddenly, a horrifying thought ran through his mind.

"No!" he said out loud. "No! It cannot be!" He leaped to his feet"What? What?" Bear wondered. "What is the matter with Lindo?" Bear was completely

lost."No!" Lindo kept repeating. "No!" He turned to Indio. "No!"Bear and Apache Boy stared at him. "What?" they both wanted to know. "What? What

are you thinking?"Lindo almost jumped towards Indio. He grabbed him by both arms. "Indio. They cannot

be the same, can they?" he demanded. "Work is their way, labor is their number one priority! Labor, Indio, labor! Please tell me, Indio! Tell me that they are not the same beings?"

At first, Indio was not sure what he was talking about.Lindo saw Indio's face. "The Lizards!" Lindo almost shouted at him. "Labor before love,

Indio! It is the way of the Lizards! Tell me, tell me that they cannot be the same as the!"Indio stared at Lindo, his question suddenly made sense. Ay, Dios mio! he thought to

himself. It does sound like the Lizards and the 'Ahs-ah-roo' have the same type of values. Could they possibly be the same?

"Yes. Lindo. yes!" Indio answered cautiously. "It does sound like they are the same. But let us not be hasty."

"What? What?" Bear walked over to the two of them."A moment, little brother, a moment," he said. Indio turned to the Elder."Elder..." Indio was going to be careful with his words. "The 'Ahs-ah-roo', they sound

much like beings we know as the lizard people. Are the 'Ahs-ah-roo'... are they... are they the lizard people?"

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Bear turned to the Elder. His eyes were frightened.Apache Boy moved to Bear's side, Midnight and Lindo were almost frozen in their

place. Everyone stared at the Elder.The Elder stood up. He looked at them as if he knew they were

worried. "CAN YOU SEE A LIZARD FOR ME...?"Indio realized what that the Elder needed to see a lizard so that he could tell what they

were talking about. "Stop. All of you..." he said to the others. "Elder needs to see a lizard being in our heads. Imagine one, each one of you. Imagine a lizard being in your heads!"

Bear closed his eyes and tried to see a lizard being. He tried to remember all the descriptions that he had heard from the shadow hunters. Apache Boy threw his head back and closed his eyes, too. His father had been a shadow hunter, he remembered everything his father had told him about them.

Midnight, Lindo and Indio did the same. "NO. THE ASA-ARR-U ARE NOT THE LIZARD BEINGS THAT YOU SEE. WHAT YOU SEE ARE SMALL BEINGS OF THE REPTILE."

Thank God! Indio was relieved. He looked at the others, they too seemed to be very relieved. Then he turned to Dare-Any.

Dare-Any was slumped against his tree, sitting on the ground, his head hanging down. Of course! Indio remembered. That is why the Elder was so quick to see the image of the lizard beings, he saw what Dare-Any was seeing.

Dare-Any looked up and saw Indio looking at him.Indio returned his look. I am sorry, brother, he thought. I am sorry. I forgot that you

were a shadow hunter. I am sorry that I did not remember.Dare-Any nodded. He seemed to know what Indio was feeling. He hung his head down

again. Indio had seen Dare-Any's anguish before. It would be best to say nothing."Who are the small beings of the reptile, Elder?" Bear and Apache Boy chimed at the

same time."Who are they?" Midnight asked as well."Can you tell us what the small reptiles look like...?" Indio asked the Elder. "Please, it is

important to us!"Dare-Any shook his head and stood up. "THE SMALL BEINGS OF THE REPTILE

ARE THIN. THEIR HEADS ARE LARGE...""They have big, black eyes..." Indio interrupted.The Elder nodded."They are very, very thin..." Bear added. "And they smell."Apache Boy looked at Bear and nodded. "Very smelly..." he agreed."They have four long fingers..." Lindo joined in. "They are about four to five feet tall..."

he said, marking on his chest with his hand."They have no nose and no ears..." Midnight finished in a tone of sadness. "They have

no lips.""They have no soul!" Dare-Any said angrily. "They have no compassion. They take and

use human beings with no regard. We know them, Elder, we know them! There are warriors in our world who have been fighting them all our lives, sir!"

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Indio was surprised at Dare-Any's outburst. But he understood. So did all the others, they knew what he was talking about.

The Elder looked at Dare-Any.Indio stared at the two of them. What is it? he wondered. What is it that the two of them

share? They know something about each other, I am sure of that."Elder..." Indio addressed him.The Elder turned from his exchanged looks with Dare-Any."Elder, please..." Indio asked. "We know of these small reptiles. We know them as the

'Shetu', the lizard people! Sometimes we call them the 'shadow people', can you tell us what the small reptiles are called in the stars?"

The Elder paused. "THEY ARE CALLED SHETI"

"DAMN IT! Midnight yelled out."Son of a bitch!" Lindo swung around, letting Indio go."Pinche vivoras!" Bear started to stomp up and down."They are the same..." Indio said in faint voice."Aaargh!" Apache Boy ran over to the wood pile, picked a log and began to beat the rest

of the firewood with it. BAM! BAM! BAM! Splinters flew everywhere. He was small, but when Apache Boy became angry, he had the fire and strength of ten men. He could hold his own with anyone.

The others understood his anger. They were all understandably upset. Elder could not have known what he had just revealed to them.

Apache Boy was still pounding on the firewood. Midnight was pacing back and forth. Lindo and Bear were talking over the possibilities. Indio was watching all of them. He turned to Dare-Any. He was standing now. He seemed deathly calm, as if the revelation did not bother him. He is extraordinary, Indio thought to himself. The greater the anger and fury within him the calmer he seems to be on the outside. It is as if he becomes cold fire, he is amazing! Yet Indio knew Dare-Any was probably the most angry of all of them.

Indio turned back to the Elder."I think we need a break..." he suggested.The Elder nodded and turned to walk away. He stopped as he began to leave. He turned

back to Indio.Indio appreciated his concern. "We will be fine..." he assured the Elder. "There are things

we must feel, things we must express, that is all. Thank you, Elder."The Elder nodded and walked away.Indio turned just in time to catch Dare-Any's look."Yes..." Indio said to Dare-Any. "Yes, I know."

GUERRAS DE SOMBRA

The six had gathered around the fire. It seemed colder than it had been the few nights before.

"We had always wondered..." Indio began. "Now we know. It changes nothing."

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"How can you say that, Indio?" Midnight countered. "The Elder just told us that that the lizard men exist all over our galaxy!"

"Exactly!" Lindo jumped in. "We have been fighting a battle, thinking we could make a difference. We cannot!"

"Yes..." Midnight agreed. "Why should we continue? It can make no change in the way of things. The lizards are everywhere, it is worse than we had expected."

Little Bear hung his head low.Indio looked at his little brother.Apache Boy shook his head back and forth."No!" he refused. 'Wo! I will not quit! They have been stealing our women and children

for hundreds of years. All of the ancient stories speak of this. How can we let a thing like that go!? No! I cannot quit! I will not quit!"

"All of our people have stories of the lizards..." Lindo said. "All of the southwestern tribes have raised warriors to fight against them. We have all lost someone we love to them. But we must know when to retreat."

"No!" Apache Boy argued with Lindo. "No!"Midnight understood Apache Boy's anger."Boy!" he said sternly to him. "Boy! We were all raised as warriors. We must know

when to let go. Must we all be covered in blood before we...?"He stopped suddenly and looked at Dare-Any.Dare-Any looked up at him and glared."I... I am sorry..." Midnight apologized. "I meant..."Indio looked over to Dare-Any."He meant nothing..." Indio offered. "We all know what you have been through, Dare-

Any. He meant nothing."Lindo jumped in too. "Dare-Any... please, brother. Take no offense. Midnight meant no

harm."Dare-Any glared one more time at Midnight, then turned to stare at the ground.Midnight looked with apologetic eyes to the others. Everyone took a quick glance at

Dare-Any. Apache Boy snapped the stick he had been playing with in half. Yes, Dare-Any, we remember. It was not that long ago.

We all grew up with stories of the 'Shetu', of the lizard people who steal women and children. Some warriors - those who had lost loved ones - decided to hunt them, to be avenged. But the 'Shetu' hide in the shadows. They are the shadows. Our bravest men, the few who remain are truly 'shadow hunters'!

The women were taken to make children for them... their off-spring, half-human, half-lizard. Sometimes, the women came back, they were the lucky ones. Some women never came back. The children - the children never came back.

Indio hated the lizards for that. Everyone hated them. But most men feared them. That is why warriors were raised, in secret, so that they could extract some sort of justice, some sort of revenge.

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The six of them had been taught how to hunt them down, how the lizards moved and where they hid. They had learned their weaknesses and their strengths. They had all given up their lives in order to stop the lizards. They would never lead normal lives.

Normal lives, Indio thought. What must that be like, he wondered to himself.Dare-Any had suffered most. He had lost his son in the war... and two daughters. Indio

remembered his tears. What must have gone through his mind, his heart and his soul that night. When he discovered they were gone, he let out a yell, a blood-curdling yell, then he turned... and Dare-Any disappeared into the night.

They did not see him for many days. Bear had cried for him. Apache Boy wanted to go out and find him, but we could not take a chance and lose apache Boy too, Indio recalled. Five warriors were better than four.

Days later, he returned.They did not recognize him at first. He was covered with blood, his own blood. And

there something else. It was not the blood of human beings. Indio was convinced that the lizards had lost many that night. Dare-Any was crying when he walked back into camp. As he approached Indio, he suddenly slumped forward. Indio caught him in his arms. Dare-Any was exhausted and injured. There was so much blood and so many wounds. His recovery - if he recovered - would take a long time.

I do not believe he can ever eliminate enough of them, Indio thought to himself. How can he ever make up for the loss of his children. They will never come back. A wound on the body, no matter how deep, can not compare to a wound in the heart.

Dare-Any changed that night. No one had ever become the kind of hunter he was. 'Shadow Hunter' they called him back on the reservation. 'Dare-Any' the five of them called him. They all cried for him that night... and for themselves. They vowed to destroy the lizards, whatever it took.

Yes, Dare-Any. I remember, Indio thought to himself.They continued to debate for a little longer into the night, in the end, they all agreed.

Perhaps it would be wiser to pursue another path, one a little more constructive, but someone had to try to face the shadows. Someone had to enter the shadow world.

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The Elder was in camp when they woke up. He was sitting on his favorite log. "Uchi!" Bear let out. "Huta!" Brothers! The Elder is in camp! Wake up!" They all scrambled out of their blankets."Hey!" Midnight shouted. "Where is Dare-Any? He had the 'predator' watch? Where is

he?"Midnight turned to see Dare-Any leaning against a tree. He was smiling."There was no danger..." he said simply, shrugging."Huta..." Lindo said hoarsely. "Give me a cup of coffee, quick, before I hurt someone."Indio was still groggy."Elder..." Apache Boy said, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Good morning..."

"GOOD MORNING.""It is good to see you..." Indio greeted him, rising from his blanket.The Elder nodded at him."Who is cooking?" Bear asked. "Where is the food?"Apache Boy smiled. Bear was always hungry."I have made eggs!" Dare-Any answered. "They are over in the skillet there!""Wow!" Apache Boy said. "You stand watch and you cook eggs! This is a pleasant

surprise, brother."Dare-Any acknowledged at the compliment.Bear was wolfing his eggs down."Can I ask you a question, Elder?" he asked between his bites. "Can I ask you about our

Earth? How it came to be? How the reptile men and mankind came to be?"Lindo looked up and nodded. He wanted to know too.Elder looked over to Indio.Indio nodded in agreement. "IT BEGINS WITH THE ASA-ARR-U, THE

GUARDIANS OF THE PESH-METEN.""What is the 'pesh met-ten' Elder?" Indio asked. "PESH IS AS YOU SAY NINE.

METEN IS THE WAY OF TRAVEL, A PASSAGEWAY AS WAS ONCE SAID BY YOUR ANCIENT PEOPLE OF THE LAND OF KHEM."

" 'Pesh Met-ten', the 'Ninth Passageway'..." Lindo repeated.The ancient people of the land of 'Kem'? Apache Boy wondered."But, what are these passageways that you tell us about?" the question came from Indio.

"What are they actually, Elder?""THE METEN ARE THE PATHS OF THE STAR WALKERS. IN THE HEAVENS, THE STAR PEOPLE HAVE MARKED THE WAYS OF NO HARM FOR THOSE WHO JOURNEY. ONE MAY TRAVEL ON ANY METEN IF THEY HAVE THE WORD OF THE STAR PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAND OVER IT."

"Wow, pathways in the stars," Little Bear was surprised. "Traveling on trails in the stars! Uchi! That is a journey I would love to make!"

"Yes, but it sounds serious," Apache Boy commented. "You must have the 'word' of the star beings in charge. No word is a nasty way of saying 'no permission'!"

Indio thought back for a second. "What of the 'Ninth Passageway', Elder? You say our story begins with that trail in the stars?"

"THE PESH METEN CHANGED THE SHAY OF THE STARS FOR ALL TIME."

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"May I ask what 'shay' is Elder?" asked Midnight."IT IS AS IT SHALL BE." "It is as it

shall be?" Bear wondered aloud."It sounds as if it is fate, or destiny," Lindo offered. "You know...'as it shall be', Bible-

like""Thus, it changed the fate of heaven..." repeated Indio. "That is what the Elder said. It

does sound right, I agree."Elder looked at them for a moment, then nodded.

"WHEN THE ASA-ARR-U RULERS, LORDS AS YOU SAY, FOUND A NEW DANCINGSTAR IN THE PESH-METEN, THEY CAME SWIFTLY. THE NEW STAR HAD MANY RE-

U STONES." "What is 'ray-ooo'?" wondered Bear. He made a face. Apache Boy smiled at him again. A new star? Indio pondered. A new star with many stones? Could a 'ray-oo' be a planet? he wondered.

The Elder nodded before Indio could ask the question. He did it again. Why am I surprised, Indio told himself. "A 'ray-ooo' is a planet..." he told the others. "Yes..." said Bear. "That is it! It must be a planet!" The Elder continued.

"THE ASA-ARR-U LORDS, AS WAS THEIR WAY, GAVE EACH RE-U A CALLING,THAT IT BE KNOWN FOR ITS OWN." A 'calling' is its

name, Bear thought. This should be good."THE TINY STONE CLOSEST TO THE STAR, WAS

MUMU." "Mercury..." Indio said out loud."THE SECOND STONE WAS CALLED DAK-A-

MU." "Venus..." Indio continued."THE THIRD STONE, BRIGHT RED, WAS DAK-BU." "The third stone was red?" Indio

said in surprise. "That does not sound like Earth to me. It sounds like Mars?!""THE FOURTH STONE, BRIGHT GREEN IN COLOR, WAS 'AM-BU'..." "Bright green?

That sounds more like Earth..." Indio was confused. "What is going on here? Earth and Mars are in the wrong place?!"

"THE FIFTH STONE, THE LARGEST ONE, WAS 'BAR-BAR-U'..." "The largest stone?" Indio was again surprised. "That sounds like Jupiter. That is in the right place!"

"THE SIXTH STONE, A STONE WITH A CROWN, WAS 'TAR-GALLU..." "A stone with a crown? A stone with a ring around it! That is Saturn, is it not?" Little Bear beat his brother to the answer.

"Yes, brother..." Indio grinned at him. "I am sure you are right. It is the ringed world Saturn."

"THE SEVENTH STONE, BLUE AND GREEN IN COLOR, WAS 'AN-U'..." "Uranus..." Indio said.

"THE EIGHTH STONE, A BLUE STONE, WAS 'A-RU'..." "Neptune..." Indio answered. "Twin of Uranus." The Elder finished.

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"THE SUN ITSELF, WAS OF THE CALLING 'BAD-U'.""Wait!" Indio said. "What happened to Pluto, the ninth planet?"The Elder looked at him. He said nothing else.Indio wondered aloud. "There was no Pluto in the beginning?"The Elder remained still."That is it..." he was sure. "Pluto did not exist in the beginning! Amazing! Then where

did it come from? How come it is there now?""Uuuu-chi!" said Apache Boy. "Is that our solar system?""I think so," Lindo answered. "I think so." He turned to Indio. "What do you think, older

brother?""Yes, I think so..." Indio said hesitantly. "I am not sure why Earth and Mars seem to have

changed places, but I think the Elder describes our solar system.""Ho!" Apache Boy let out. "Stones, that is a strange way to call planets, is it not? And

Earth, the third one, Elder said was 'Dok-Moo'? Was that right?""That is a strange name," Bear observed. "I wonder how the 'Ahs-ah-roo' came to call

them what they did?""They sure liked 'ooo' in their names," Apache Boy said. "There is 'Bad-ooo', 'Am-boo',

'Ahn-ooo', Ah-Roo'...""That is like one of your names, is it not?" Lindo asked with a smile on his face. "Does

not Raven-girl call you her 'sweet poo'?""Huta!" chortled Bear."Oooh, Apache Boy! Oh, 'poo-oooo!" Lindo pretended that he was a high-voiced

seductress. "Oooh, 'poo-ooo' Boy!""Your name will be Poo, large brother!" Apache Boy said, standing up to face Lindo.

Though he was the smallest of the six, he was not afraid of any of the others."Hey! Wait a minute!" Midnight interrupted them. "Did anyone in this camp just hear

what the Elder said? Did you?"Everyone turned to look at him."What troubles you, Midnight?" asked Indio."Elder said that the third planet from the Sun was a red Planet! Not a green one! That

means Mars, not Earth! And if Earth is the Emerald World that Elder described, then it was right between the planets Mars and Jupiter, not where it is now!" Midnight was trying to explain. He was clearly upset.

"Hey!" Bear agreed. "Midnight is right! Elder said the third stone was red. That is not the Earth! It is Mars!"

"That is not what astronomers tell us!" Midnight pursued his point. "That is not how it is now!"

"Uchi!" Apache Boy suddenly jumped in. "Did you hear the Elder? Did anyone notice that he only named eight worlds! Scientists tell us that there are actually nine!"

Bear listened to both of them, they were both right. Indio had to agree.Dare-Any, who had been quiet, spoke up and made a suggestion."But what Elder told us may have happened millions of years ago, maybe longer!" he

suggested. "Maybe it changed somehow!"

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Dare-Any was pretty sure of his guess, but turned to the Elder for confirmation."THAT IS SO." "You see," continued Dare-Any. "Our solar system made a change

somehow! Or it was changed.""The White Man probably moved in..." Lindo added. Indio glared at him. Lindo did not like white men. "That is pretty bad!" Apache Boy frowned."Our sun is really Baa-aad!" Bear chuckled. He liked to play with names. 'Bad-ooo' in

fact!"Indio made a face at him. Bear made one right back. "Well, that is what the Elder said!" Bear tried. "Kind of..."Lindo looked to the Elder. "Can you tell us, Elder... if the planets changed? If our world

was moved?""Damn it!" Indio sat straight up. He startled Bear. "What is wrong, Brother?" Bear asked worriedly.

"The vision!" Indio said excitedly. "Do you remember Elder's vision when a huge black 'thing' came rushing at us? That was it! That was the 'thing' that caused the change in our planets. Remember? I am sure of it! That is what we saw, the changing of planets!" Indio looked to the Elder. The Elder nodded.

"I knew it!" Indio said with conviction. "I knew it!" "What was that...that 'thing', Elder?" asked Lindo. "Yes, Elder..." Bear agreed. "What was that?"

"IT WAS THE 'BLACK ONE'." "The 'Black One'..?" Bear made a face. "What is that?" "Can you tell us the story, Elder?" asked Indio.Everyone turned to listen for his answer. Bear did not wait, he immediately went and sat

down in front of Elder. Lindo and Apache Boy followed him, as did the others.Elder looked at them as they gathered before him. Without a sound, he sat down. "AS

THE NEW STAR BAD-U GATHERED TEBU, THE ASA-ARR-U LABORED ON EACH STONE. IT WAS THE GREEN STONE, AM-BU, THAT MADE TROUBLE FOR THE ASA-ARR-U.""Am-boo!" That is the green one!" Midnight jumped in. "That is the one that sounds

like it is the Earth but it is in the wrong place."Little Bear agreed with Midnight, "It is! That is as the Elder said! 'Am-boo' is the Earth

for sure... but it is not next to Venus.""Hush! Both of you..." barked Indio. "Please, Elder, if you would please continue. Excuse

these two."The Elder seemed not to be bothered. "OF THE STONES OF BAD-U, AM-BU THE

GREEN WORLD WAS THE STONE OF PLENTY AND WONDER.. THE CREATORS OF ASA-ARR-U BROUGHT MANY LIVING BEINGS - THOSE THAT GROW AND MOVE, AND THOSE THAT GROW BUT DO NOT MOVE."

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"What is that?" Lindo asked Indio in a whisper. "What living beings grow and move, grow and do not move?"

"Living creatures and plants..." Indio whispered back. Bear looked at his brother. How does he know that, he wondered. "BEINGS OF ALL COLORS AND SIZES MADE THEIR WAY IN THE SKY AND LIVED IN THE MANY GREEN TREES OF LIFE, THE THINGS THAT GROW BUT DO NOT MOVE." Bear looked at Indio. He was so smart, Bear thought! "MANY BEINGS MADE THEIR WAY ON THE LAND OF AM-BU. MANY BEINGS MADE THEIR WAY IN THE DARK OF THE WATER WORLD. MANY OF THESE BEINGS WERE BORN ON AM-BU, MANY CAME FROM OTHER STARS." Bear turned back at Indio."The Elder is telling us that there were many creatures on the land in the ancient past.

There were also lots of sea creatures. What is most amazing is that the Elder is also telling us that some of the ancient creatures came from the stars."

Little Bear's suddenly popped wide open. "The platypus!" he let out. "The platypus came from another world. I knew it! It is too strange to have been born from a creature on Earth. It is an alien, I just knew it!"

Indio smiled at his little brother. "Para, Bear! We do not know for sure, but it could explain many of the strangest creatures of our planet.""ON THE GREEN STONE AM-BU, THE ASA-ARR-U BROUGHT A BEN-SEN OF EVERY BEING OF THEIR STARS. ON AM-BU, THE ASA-ARR-U MADE NEW BEINGS OF LIFE."

"ON THE GREEN STONE AM-BU, ITS PEOPLE GAVE AM-BU THE CALLING 'TI-AMAT', 'STONE WHERE LIFE IS BORN'." "What is a 'Ben-Sen'?" asked Apache Boy. "Did Elder say that they created new life?" asked Midnight. "Tia-mat!" Apache Boy. "That sounds much like an Apache word!" They were all excited with many questions in their minds. "One at a time. Brothers," suggested Indio. "What is a 'Ben-Sen', Elder?" asked Apache Boy.

"BEN-SEN MAKE LITTLE ONES, LITTLE BEINGS OF THEIR KIND." "Parents!" Bear quickly said. "Elder speaks of parents, a man and a woman... or a male and a female!"

"Well done, Bear!" Indio complimented him. Bear smiled at his Brother's praise."What did you mean by 'new beings of life' were created, Elder?" Midnight asked again.

"Did they actually create new life?""We do it here on Earth." Indio explained to Midnight. "Our scientists breed new

animals all the time. It should be of no surprise that 'Ancient Peoples' of the stars would also breed new animals."

Midnight shrugged his shoulders. I guess so, he thought to himself. Animals... that must be what he meant. I thought for a while he had said something else, but I guess not. It would be too strange.

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Indio looked over at his little brother and noticed that Little Bear was silent. "Are you all right, my brother?"

Bear looked almost startled. "I really with I could have seen 'Am-boo' long, long ago." He turned to the Elder, "Were there mountains, Elder? With trees and lakes and rivers and oceans?"

"YES, THE POINTS OF THE LAND MADE THEIR WAY INTO THE SKY, ICE DUST COVERED THEIR SIDES. THE MANY MU, THE LAKES AS YOU SAY, WERE BRIGHT AND TALL BELOW THE SURFACE. THE WATERS FROM THE MU FLOWED IN LARGE AND SMALL GATHERINGS TO THE UA-CHUR GIANT WATERS."

'Wah-chur', thought Indio. That must mean the ocean. 'Tall below the surface', what a great way to say the waters were deep, he admired.

"THE SAHAR MADE SWIRLING SHAPES IN THE SKY BREATH.""Excuse me, Elder," Lindo interrupted. "What is 'sahar' and the 'sky breath'?"" 'Sa-har'...?" Midnight said. "I wonder if that is what I think it is?""Midnight..." Indio said. "You may be right. Try something. Try seeing what you think

'sa-har' is. See if the Elder can see it and confirm what you think.""What?" Midnight shook his head. "Try seeing the image of 'sa-har' in my head. That

sounds silly!""Just try it!" Indio said strongly."All right... all right!" Midnight answered. He shut his eyes and began to imagine what

the Sahara must look like. 'Sa-har' could be the Sahara desert.Indio watched the Elder. He never blinked but he seemed to be seeing something.

"YES. THAT IS SAHAR, THAT WHICH YOU CALL SAHARA DESERT SANDS."Ay, Ay, Ay! Indio realized. He really can see our thoughts, all of our thoughts! He saw

my thoughts when I was going to ask him a question and can respond in the language of the speaker. He just responds with our own words. Dios mio! But how can he do that? He does not have the crystal now. He must be able to do his with no assistance. Can that be? Can you hear me, Elder? Can you hear my thoughts?

The Elder did not respond. There was no hint that he heard.Wait! thought Indio. Wait! Maybe he only sees pictures, he does not communicate with sounds like we do, he thinks or reacts only to pictures. Let me try something, Elder. Let me see, I will try to envisions a cactus. A cactus, yes, one from our desert, not the Sahara. "THAT IS ALSO AS IT WAS ON AM-BU."

"What is also as on 'Am-boo'?" asked Midnight.Holy cow! Indio was surprised. Ay, Ay, Ay! That is how he does it! That is why he

sometimes does not seem to be able to understand my words. He only sees pictures! Indio had to sit down. How did I miss that?

Bear noticed his brother's face. "Are you all right, Brother?" he asked. "You look concerned... as if you have seen a ghost."

Indio looked up."Uhh...Yes, Brother, yes...I am all right," he answered. "Please go on...go on."Bear was worried about his brother."What is the 'sky breath' you spoke of. Elder?" Midnight asked.

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"It is the wind." Dare-Any said matter-of-factly. "The Elder is telling us that the sand from the dunes of the desert made swirling shapes in the wind."

Dare-Any looked to the Elder.The Elder nodded."It sounds like a beautiful place," said Bear."It sure does," agreed Apache Boy. "OF ALL THE WONDERS OF TIAMAT, MANY STAR

WALKERS WISHED TO SEE THE SKY WATER TREES.""Sky water?" Apache Boy wondered. "What is that?""Rain..." Dare-Any explained. "Sky water trees would be rain forests. I think the star

travelers must have wanted to see the tropical rain forests of long ago.""Wow! Rain forests! Apache Boy marveled.How did he do that, Indio wondered. How does Dare-Any figure things out so quickly?"Sounds like the Hawaii of the solar system," quipped an impressed Little Bear, enjoying

the story. Hey! Maybe it is Hawaii! he suddenly thought. He wanted to ask the Elder if it could be true but the Elder seemed preoccupied.

The Elder's eyes looked skyward, somewhere into the dark and starry night sky.I wonder what he looks at, Bear asked himself. Well, I shall not trouble him anymore. He

turned to look at the others. They, too, noticed the Star Elder gazing up into the night sky."Let us call it a night..." said Dare-Any.He looked to Indio. Indio lifted his head and nodded.Everyone agreed.

PESH-METEN

The Elder came back around sunset.Bear watched him come in and sit down by the low fire."I wonder where he goes?" he whispered to Apache Boy.Apache Boy wondered too. "It would be interesting to know..." he whispered back. "I

wonder if he speaks in some way to the star people up above?"Bear thought for a moment. "I bet Dare-Any knows," Bear said, turning to look over his

shoulder at Dare- Any.Apache Boy looked over his shoulder too."Yes..." he agreed. "Dare-Any would know."Bear looked at apache Boy, wondering if they should ask Dare-Any. Apache Boy shook

his head. Bear agreed. It was probably not a good idea to ask.Everyone started to gather in front of the Elder again."Can we speak of the 'Black One'?" Bear was the first to ask a question, "...and how it

destroyed or almost destroyed Earth, Elder?"The Elder nodded.Everyone leaned forward expectantly.

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"MANY STAR WALKERS CAME TO SEE THE BEAUTY OF TIAMAT AM-BU. BECAUSE OF THESE WALKERS THE ASA-ARR-U BECAME UR-KET, WITH MUCH POWER AND MANY THINGS." "Ur-ket?" Lindo repeated. "More money and power. He who controls Hawaii, has more money and more power. Walkers, even Star walkers, spend money, so the owners make money, and get power. It never changes, does it?"

"But why then would that 'Black thing' be allowed to strike the green world?" asked Bear. "Would they not prevent that comet from hitting the green world?"Indio bent over. "Let us be patient, little brother. The Elder is not done with his story yet. "THE STONES OF THE STAR BAD-U GAVE POWER TO THE LORDS OF ASA-ARR-U. THE STONES GAVE STRONG HAND ON THE PESH-METEN, THE LORDS OF ASA-ARR-U COULD CONTROL STARWALKERS WHO JOURNEYED INTO AND OUT OF THE CENTER OF THE SWIRLING STARS. IN THIS WAY, THE LORDS OF ASA-ARR-U HAD POWER OVER THE 'AST-CHER-BAH' AND THE COUNCIL OF WOMEN LORDS." "Elder, we know that the 'Chair-bah' were the 'Ancient Ones' of the galaxy..." Lindo pointed out. "But what is the 'Ast-chair-bah'?"

"Wow!" apache Boy exclaimed. "''Chair-bah' are the 'Ancient Ones', 'Ast-chair-bah' is the throne of the 'Ancient Ones'! Wow!""AST-CHER-BAH IS THE THRONE OF THE ANCIENTS IN THE CENTER OF THE SWIRLING STARS. "Elder...?" Lindo seemed excited. "The Council of Women Lords - did they exist in the center of the galaxy, in the center of the swirling stars as well? Who were they, sir?"

"THE COUNCIL OF WOMEN LORDS WERE IN THE CENTER OF THE SWIRLING STARS, YES. THEY WERE KNOWN AS THE ARI-AN-SSA EMPIRE OF REPTILIAN BEINGS." "Aree-an-sah?" Lindo repeated, a slight frown on his face."It bothers you?" Midnight asked Lindo. "That there might have been female rulers

long, long ago.""Actually, no..." Lindo answered. "The idea of a Queen, a powerful woman who leads a

world...it has a strange and strong appeal to me." Lindo smiled.Midnight had never seen anyone who was so enamored with women, really in love with

them!"WITH THE STONES OF BAD-U, THE ASA-ARR-U LORDS CHOSE WHICH STAR WALKERS MADE WAY ON THE NINTH PASSAGE-WAY INTO THE HEART OF THE SWIRLING STARS. IN THIS WAY, THEY HELD HAND OVER WHO COULD MAKE PEACE AND POWER WITH THE CHERBAH COUNCIL." The Elder paused, then lowered his head.Indio could see that he was troubled. This is something that gives Elder pain, he thought.

Why does it hurt, Elder? Is it because Star Beings concern themselves with wealth and power, and tools of destruction. I am amazed how much these Star People are like Man... or how much we are like Them!

The Elder straightened up, he was ready again. "TO HOLD HAND, THE LORDS OF ASA-ARR-U PUT WARRIORS ON THE STONES OF BAD-U. ON THE RED SANDS STONE AND THE WHITE SANDS STONE, THE LORDS PUT MANY DAK WARRIORS. IN THIS WAY, MANY STAR WALKERS WHO TRIED TO MAKE THEIR WAY IN THE NINTH PASSAGEWAY LOST THEIR LIFE FORCE."

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Brutal! Indio shook his head, Star People were just like Humans. To keep control of a passageway in the stars, the Lords of 'Ahs-ah-roo' used star warriors. 'Dark' warriors, I think the Elder said. How human-like they are. He glanced at the Elder, he seemed to still be troubled. Perhaps this is the time to change the topic, Indio thought. Which question do I ask now, he wondered?

If the red sands world was Mars as I think it is, was then the white sands world Venus? If the Elder is right, then Mars and Venus were inhabited at one time. If that is true, could some of the other worlds have had life on them too? I wonder if...

Bear interrupted his thoughts."What is the 'Throne of the Center', Elder? asked Bear.Indio turned quickly towards Bear. Thank you, Brother! You saved the Elder and me some

anguish, thank you!The Elder began again. He seemed to feel better. 'IN THE CENTER OF THE

SWIRLING STARS IS THE THRONE OF THE CHER-BAH. IN THIS PART OF THE SWIRLING STARS, THE SSA QUEENS SPEAK FOR THE CHER-BAH. THE CHER-BAH STAR QUEENS ARE THE GRANDCHILDREN OF UA, THE ONE OF ONES. THE SSA QUEENS HOLD HAND OVER THIS HEAVEN AND ARE KEEPERS OF THE WISDOM STONES."

Lindo turned to the others. "The Elder told us that a council of Ancient Ones is at the center of the Milky Way! But here in our part of the stars, there are Star Queens who control the heavens. Wow!"

Midnight marveled at Lindo. The female principle, it always excited him."They are the... the 'Sah', I think he said..." Lindo continued. "Indio, is that what you

heard? Are they the 'Sah' Queens?"Indio acknowledged Lindo, but never took his eyes off of the Elder. "Yes, Lindo, but he is

actually saying more than that! Listen carefully. He is also telling us that they are still alive today! The 'Old Ones', who are millions of years old, are still alive!"

Lindo stared at him. Is that possible?Apache Boy and Bear stared at each other. Beings who are millions of years old?!Indio wanted to know if his suggestion was true. "Are the Ancient Ones still alive, Elder?"

He was almost afraid to hear the answer."Could that be, Elder?" asked Bear, his head nearly spinning with the idea.Apache Boy stared at the Elder with wide-open eyes. Even Lindo leaned forward.When the Elder nodded, it seemed to all of them as if he had answered in slow motion. It

was a momentous revelation.Lindo quickly stood up."Are the 'Ahs-ah-roo' still alive too, Elder?" he asked.The Elder nodded again."Jeeez...!" Apache Boy let out."Uchi!" Bear said with a great exhale."Wait! Elder, are they still here... still in our solar system?" Apache Boy jumped in. "Are

they still in the Ninth-Passageway?"This time the Elder did not answer.

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"Elder...?" Apache Boy asked again.The Elder made no movement, made no reply.Everyone looked at each other. Why is he not answering they all wondered?Only Dare-Any remained quiet. It was not yet time for them to know, that is why the

Elder did not answer. Or perhaps - perhaps it was best for them not to know. In either case, it was best not to press for an answer.

"Ask the Elder about 'Wah', the one he called the 'One of the Ones'..." Dare-Any suggested. "It is something I think we all might be interested in."

How does Dare-Any know that? Apache Boy wondered."Very well..." Midnight volunteered. It appeared they were not going to get an answer to

their other question. "Elder, you spoke of 'Wah' as the 'One of the Ones'. Can you tell us what that means?"

The Elder looked at Dare-Any, then Midnight. "'UA' IS THE 'ONE' OF THIS 'PLACE OF ALL THINGS'."

"What?" Little Bear and Apache Boy said at the same time. Midnight and Lindo had frowns on their faces.

" 'Wah' is God of this universe..." Dare-Any explained to the others. "The universe we live in is the 'Place of All Things'."

Midnight looked at Dare-Any, How did he know that? "THAT IS AS IT IS."

Midnight looked at the Elder and back at Dare-Any. It is like they know what each other is talking about. It is like was watching a tennis match, these two. "THERE ARE MANY 'PLACES OF ALL THINGS'..."

"There are many universes..." Dare-Any continued.Apache Boy just stared at Dare-Any. Damn! How does he do that?"What!" Midnight could not hold himself back. "There are many universes, how can that

be?!"Indio's mind was racing... again. Many universes, these are parallel universes... of course!

"SOME 'PLACES OF ALL THINGS' HAVE NOT AS MUCH TEBU, NOT AS MUCH TME."Our universe is one of several, each one is a different age, Indio said to himself. Ours

might be older than others, maybe even younger? Then it hit him. Ay, Ay, Ay! If there are many universes... then there are... many Gods! People believe there is a God of this universe, if humankind ever finds out that there are many universes, I wonder if they will be able to accept mat there are many Gods! What a thought!

Indio sat stunned, he could not say a word. The others had not seemed to notice what the Elder had said. Indio was turning around when he noticed Dare-Any. He was looking at Indio. Damn you! Indio thought. You know what I am thinking, do you not? Damn you!

Dare-Any said nothing."Where actually was the Green World, Elder?" asked Little Bear, hoping he might still be

able to learn more about Mother Earth. "I am not too sure where it really was. Was it between the 'red sands' world and the 'white sands' world?"

"IN THE BEGINNING, AM-BU GREEN STONE HAD THE RED SANDS STONE ON ONE SIDE AND THE STONE OF THE RED STORM ON THE OTHER SIDE."

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"The world of the Red Sands!" observed Lindo "There can be no question that it is Mars the Elder speaks of."

"And the world of the red storm?" Bear asked."It is Jupiter..." Midnight told him. "There is always a red storm cloud on its face,

remember? The red spot of Jupiter?."Indio was relieved. The topic of universes and gods had changed. He was proud of

Midnight and how he figured out the worlds."But..." continued Lindo. "...that still puts Earth in a place between Mars and Jupiter?

That is not right!""That is right!" Midnight joined Lindo."Lindo! Midnight!" Indio said to them. "Let Elder finish his story!"Lindo and Midnight looked at each other. "We are sorry, Elder..." Lindo said for both of

them.The Elder nodded, and continued. "THE RED SANDS STONE WAS A HOME OF THE

DAK. IT ALSO WAS A STONE OF BEAUTY AND LIFE FORCE AS TIAMAT AM-BU."

"I remember them!" said Bear. "The 'Dok' Warriors! They sounded really mean! Fearsome warriors!"

"And they lived on Mars?! Lindo added. "Can you believe that? Warriors on Mars long, long ago!"

Indio heard something that did not sound right."Elder?" he asked. "You just said that the Stone of the Red Sands was like the world of

'Tee-ah-mot'. Does that mean it had trees, lakes and things that grow?""What?" Little Bear exclaimed.The Elder nodded."What?" Bear let out again."But, Elder?" Indio continued. "There is no life there now! We know there are canals,

many people say that they see them, but there are no signs of trees, lakes and streams as you say."

"THE STONE OF THE RED SANDS WAS TURNED TO DUST IN THE WAR OF THE STAR BEINGS. ALL THAT ONCE WAS IS NOT."

"A war between Star People!" Midnight said aloud. "Is there no peace anywhere? Must war always exist? I thought the Star beings would have been smarter."

"Were there survivors of the Star World Wars, Elder?" Lindo asked. "THE FEW WHO LIVE ARE IN MANY PLACES IN THE STARS."

"There are still survivors living somewhere in the stars?" Bear was surprised."Where did the survivors go, Elder?" Lindo asked. "Did any of the survivors go to the

'World of the Storm'?""ON THE STONE OF THE STORM THE LIFE FORCE OF STAR BEINGS CANNOT BE. THE PULLING FORCE OF THE RED STORM STONE IS TOO STRONG."

"In other words..." Dare-Any explained. "You would weigh so much you would be crushed. Apparently star beings are not built to withstand such a force."

"Uchi!" Apache Boy said.

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Lindo looked at Little Bear sitting on the log. "Perhaps the 'pulling force' under Bear is as strong here as it would be on the World of the Red Storm," he said smiling.

"Huta!" Bear jumped up, making a fist. "Say that again, brother with the big mouth, and I will be the 'punching force' that will send you to the ground!"

"Anda 'le!" Lindo stood up, pretending to make ready for battle."Quietos!" Indio cautioned them.They both glowered at each other, then smiled.The Elder continued. "BAR-BAR-U IS THE STONE OF THE RED STORM WITH

NO END THAT DEVOURS ALL IN ITS PATH. THE STONE OF THE RED STORM IS WHERE THE MAKING OF THE STAR METALS TAKES PLACE."

"Star metals? What is that, Elder?" asked Apache Boy. "STAR METALS CANNOT BE ON THE SMALL STONES. SMALL STONES HAVE NOT HAVE ENOUGH PULLING FORCE TO MAKE THE STAR METALS."

"I do not understand, Elder?" said Apache Boy, frowning. He looked over at Indio, hoping he could explain.Indio caught his glance. "I think it must take a lot of gravity to make 'star metal', whatever that is. The small stones, meaning the small worlds of our solar system, do not have enough gravity to make the 'star metal'." "THAT IS AS IT IS."

Elder appreciated the confirmation."So, if people cannot live on the world of the Storm..." Lindo was curious. "How are the

star metals made? Who makes the star metals, Elder?""THE STONE OF THE RED STORM IS THE HOME OF THE TIBIL, MAKERS OF THE STAR METALS. THEY LABOR ON THE LUNA-STONES."

"Luna-stones?" Midnight wondered. "Does the Elder mean the moons of Jupiter? Are there beings on the moons of Jupiter?"

"That is what it sounds like..." Indio answered. "But what kinds of beings can live on the tiny moons of Jupiter? The gravity, the lack of oxygen, the intense cold... how could anyone live there?"

"Are there really star-beings on the moons of Jupiter?" Bear wondered after hearing what he and Midnight had just said.

Indio turned to Dare-Any to see what he thought.Dare-Any was leaning against his tree, his head hung deep in thought."What do you think?" Indio asked him. "What kind of beings could exist on the moons

of Jupiter?"Dare-Any raised his head."Perhaps they are not beings as we think of beings..." he started.Bear furled his brow. What does that mean, he wondered?"The gravity forces of Jupiter, the coldness of space and the lack of air would suggest

that the beings must live inside the moons. The size of the moons and what they would need to be able to complete their labors means that they must not be very big. It may be that they are very short, maybe only a foot tall - maybe even smaller."

Bear was really amazed. Tiny little star beings, what a thought!

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"Are there other beings on other worlds - other stones - in our solar system, Elder?" Apache Boy suddenly chimed in.

"THE STONE OF THE RED SANDS IS HOME TO STAR BEINGS. SOME BEINGS OF THIS WORLD ARE ALSO THERE!"

Indio jumped up, he could not believe what the Elder had just said. "What?!" Indio exclaimed. "There are people of Earth on Mars?!"

The Elder looked at him."What?" Indio wondered. "What have I said wrong?"Indio looked over at Dare-Any.Dare-Any shrugged his shoulders."Can you tell us what you said again, please, Elder?" he asked. "SOME BEINGS OF

THIS WORLD ARE UNDER THE SURFACE ON THE STONE OF THE RED SANDS."Indio hesitated, "There are humans...on Mars?!"The Elder nodded."Wait!" Indio insisted. "Wait! How can that be?!"Indio wasn't sure he wanted to ask anything else. How could humans be on Mars? This

was 1947. The horrors of world War II had just ended. There were huge flying planes that could fly hundreds of miles per hour! But no one had ever gone to the Moon - much less Mars! It just simply couldn't be!

The others were in total disbelief. They looked at Indio, hoping he had an answer.The Elder was also looking at him.Indio started twirling the stick he held in his hand. No, damn it! he protested. That is not

right! How can it be? There are no humans on Mars! Have White Men been lying to us about travel in space? No! There cannot be people on Mars, there cannot!

"Indio?" Bear was speaking to him.Indio turned to Bear, his eyes were intense."Indio, Brother, are you all right?" Bear asked."No! Damn it!" he almost shouted. He twirled the stick faster and faster. "Why have we

not heard of this?! Why do I not know this?"The Elder's revelations were getting to Indio."I do not know, Brother..." answered Bear. "But the Elder would not lie to us.""This is something we should know about!" Indio fumed. He was actually beginning to

get angry.Dare-Any interrupted Indio's thoughts."Indio, my brother. How could we know?" he asked. "Has not the White Man's world

always lied to us? Has not the White Man's world always denied the existence of the Star People? Why would they tell us, they think we are savages? The White Man keeps everything from his own!"

Indio had to sit down."Do not let this make you angry..." Dare-Any continued. "All Native people know that

Star People have visited the Earth. The Elder has confirmed what we already know and have known for many, many years."

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Indio knew what Dare-Any was saying was true, but to find out that Humans were on other planets - that - he was not ready for! He had never even considered it. He had not considered many Gods and many universes. He had not considered control of the planet by the shadow beings. He had not considered any of these things! And now this! This is too much!

The others saw his anguish."Do not worry, big Brother," Bear assured him. "We will make changes, we will bring

the truth out!"Indio was shaking his head back and forth. No, you have no idea, little brother, what the

truth really is!"I must take a break now..." Indio said.Midnight agreed."It is well we do so," he said. "Perhaps a swim in cold stream waters would do us all

some good."Everyone agreed."Do you agree, Elder?" Midnight was asking, as he turned to face the Elder.He was gone."Where did he go?" Midnight asked."I did not see him leave..." said Apache Boy.Damn it! thought Indio. How did he do that? We are the ones who should sneak in and

out, not him! The Elder had an uncanny knack of behaving like Dare-Any. Oh please, do not let that happen!

The stars were bright that night.Elder was gazing upwards when Indio saw him standing in the darkness. Indio wondered

what he was thinking. Surely Elder must miss his people, his loved ones."Elder?" someone called to him.For a moment the Elder's eyes seemed to linger."Elder?" came the call again.Elder turned around and came back into camp.The Elder's gaze came back to the young men sleeping by the fire. His black eyes

sparkled in the firelight."Elder...?" came the gentle call.It was Bear. He was still awake. The others had fallen asleep under their blankets.The Elder turned and faced him, acknowledging him."Elder..." Bear began. "I wish to apologize for my ways of questioning you. I have a

hard time understanding all of your words. I mean you no disrespect. I am sorry."The Elder nodded to him and bowed slightly.Indio looked out from under his blanket, he was proud of his little Brother."Elder...?" he wondered. "Are the words you speak...are they from the tongue of the

'Heya' Sioux? We have not heard the words you use before.""THE VISIONS ARE OF THE 'EA-SU'. THE WORDS ARE OF THE 'BLACK-FOOT'."

"Uchi!" Bear whispered. "The Blackfoot! Elder uses the words of the 'Blackfoot' people!"

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Apache Boy lifted his head from his blankets. The sound of Bear's voice woke him. He tossed the blanket off and sat up, reaching for the coffee pot next to the fire.

"What?" he asked groggily.Bear turned around, excited at the newest revelation."The Elder said he uses the words of the 'Blackfoot'!" he told a still half-asleep Apache

Boy."Really?" Apache Boy replied. "Blackfoot?" Was not Lame Deer, the Medicine Man

from up north, was he not Blackfoot? Or was that Black Elk?""They were both Sioux!" interrupted Lindo. He had been awakened by the whispers.

"That is what is important! Let us not forget that they were Sioux!""Oh, yes..." Apache Boy added. "Let us not forget that! Gee, I wonder why that is so

important. Lindo!"Bear decided to give Lindo a hard time too."Hmmm..." Bear feigned ignorance. "I wonder if anyone in our camp has any Sioux in

them? Hmmm...I wonder?"Lindo tried to ignore them."No!" said Apache Boy. "There are no smells in the air or crickets roasting on the fire.

No! Not possible!"Lindo glared over at Apache Boy. "Weigh your words carefully, little frail brother..." he

warned. "There may be Apache drumsticks on the spit in the morning.""Oooooo..." Bear smiled. "Could it be? Have we made an error? Is there Sioux blood in

our circle?""No, my brother..." Lindo turned to Bear. "But these words you speak may lead to Navajo

blood or Apache blood in our circle.""Huta!" Apache Boy warned. "Words, Brother! Just words!"Lindo stood up."Join me in the river tomorrow, Brother..." Lindo nodded to Apache Boy. "We shall see

whose words will remain and whose will wash away."Indio interrupted them."All right, you two!" he stopped them. "Take your words to the waters in the morning.

We have heard enough tonight. It is the words of the Elder I wish to hear."Lindo sat down. He tried to hide his smile.Apache Boy and Bear looked at each other, and smiled.Bear reached over and shook Lindo's hand. So did Apache Boy. They enjoyed taunting

each other."Elder...?" came the voice.It was Midnight. He was awake, rubbing his shoulder."Can you tell us more about the 'Ahs-ah-roo', Elder?" Midnight asked, "...about our

Ancestors?"The Elder had been standing with his back to the fire. He turned and sat down, then began

again.

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"THE ASA-ARR-U WERE LORDS OF THE NINTH PLACE. THEY HAVE HAD MANYSTRONG RULERS. ON THE STONES OF BAD-U, WHEN MAN WAS CREATED, THERULER HAD THE CALLING 'AN'. SOME CALLED HIM 'AN-U'."

"An-oo!" thought Lindo. What a simple name for a powerful king."IN THE WAYS OF LIFE, THE RULER AN-U WAS THE 'UR-TE-T', THE 'GREAT HAND',

THE 'KEEPER OF THE WORD'." Lindo was curious, "Does the 'Way of Life' mean your religion? Or does it mean what you do within the tribe?"

"Yes..." Apache Boy agreed. "If he was the 'Keeper of the Word', he could have been the priest, like the cardinal or the Pope."

"YOUR WAY OF LIFE IS WHAT YOU DO FOR YOUR PEOPLE. AN-U WAS THE

'GREAT HAND'." "The 'Great Hand'?" asked Lindo. "That means he was the 'Ruler'. He was the one who told others how they must act and what they must do."

"AS AN-U SPOKE, SUCH WAS THE WORD! ALL MUST FOLLOW THE WORD!" "Oh, yes..." Lindo said. "Of course. He is King!" "I guess he was the boss, huh?" said Bear sarcastically. Indio wondered if 'An-oo' was the one that Man called God.

"THE LORD OF LORDS WAS AN-U. HIS MATE WAS THE LADY AN-TU. UNDER THEHAND OF AN-U, THE BEINGS THE ASA-ARR-U STARS BECAME STRONG IN THESTARS." "Did he have a family?" asked Bear. "Did he have sons or

daughters?" Apache looked at Bear and nodded. Good question, he thought.

"THE FIRST SON OF LORD AN WAS LORD EA, GREAT MASTER CREATOR OF LIFE.THE SECOND SON OF LORD AN WAS PRINCE AN-EN, LORD OF THE HAND TO-BE.THE DAUGHTER OF LORD AN-U HAD THE CALLING OF NIN-HUR-SAG, A MASTER

CREATOR OF LIFE AS WELL." Three children, thought Indio to himself. Is a 'Master Creator of Life' what I think it is? Could they really create life?

"IN ALL THINGS, THE CHILDREN AIDED THE GREAT LORD AN-U. UNDER THEHAND OF LORD AN-U, THE ASA-ARR-U TOOK HAND OVER MANY STARS AND

STONES. THEY WERE THE WORD IN THESE PLACES." They conquered many worlds! Right, thought Lindo. On all of these conquered worlds they were the 'Word', they were the Law!

Damn! Indio was thinking. They are just like us."The Word'? wondered Bear. Is that the 'Word' that was in the Bible?

"THE ASA-ARR-U GAVE FEAR TO ALL BEINGS OF THE PESH METEN STARS. IN THE

PESH METEN, THEY WERE THE HAND OF THE CHER-BAH SSA QUEENS." "Wait!" Midnight interjected. "The Elder is telling us that while many beings of the stars were afraid of the 'Ahs-ah-roo', they were actually working for the 'Sah' Queens! They answered to the 'Chair-bah' Queens!"

"Wow!" Bear let out. "The powerful Lord 'An-oo' was working for the Queens at the center of the galaxy. Wow!"

Indio listened very intently to everything being said."TO HOLD HAND, THE DAK WARRIORS OF THE LORDS OF ASA-ARR-U USED THEAR, THE ‘AI ‘ FROM ABOVE, THE ‘AI ‘ PUT FEAR IN THE BEINGS OF ALL STONES."

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"What was it?" Little Bear wondered. "What was the 'Eye' thing that the Elder speaks of? Was it really an eye? Maybe it was a spaceship of some sort?""Wow!" Apache Boy said. "Can you imagine what kind of spaceship the 'Dok' warriors used? What kind of thing would scare everybody on a planet?" "Indio..." Bear asked his brother. "What do you...?"

"The 'Eye' of the Lord in heaven wreaks fear in the hearts of the unfaithful..." Indio said in a hushed tone.

Apache Boy and Bear's outbursts were suddenly cut short. "Oh, my..." Midnight began.

"I do not know, brothers..." Indio explained. "I do not know what kind of ship or machine could cause such fear, but I believe whatever it was may have given birth to some of the ancient legends in the Bible and other religious books."

Indio turned to Dare-Any. Dare-Any nodded in agreement.Midnight was shaking his head. "The Eye of God..." he repeated. "The Eye of God. It

was real.""MANY STONES..." The Elder paused. "MANY WORLD STONES FELL BEFORE THE DAK WARRIORS AND THE 'AI' OF THE GREAT LORD OF ASA-ARR-U." "The Elder is learning our ways of talking..." Midnight leaned over to Lindo. "FOR MANY TEBU, THAT IS AS IT WAS. UNTIL THE DAY OF THE DEATH OF THE GREEN WORLD STONE." "The death of the Green World?!" Bear nearly jumped. "How can that be? Indio, how can that be? The Green World is us, we are still here. What happened?"

'"Elder...?" Midnight began slowly. He wanted to make sure of what the Elder had said. "Is the Green World that you speak of, is it our Earth?"The Elder momentarily dropped his eyes, then looked directly into Midnight's eyes. Midnight thought he saw sadness. "IT WAS...AND IS NOT." Midnight was completely confused. "It was and is not??"

Apache Boy looked over at Bear very quickly, hoping that he would make one of his faces. Bear did not disappoint him. It was and is not? The answer made Bear open his eyes wide. Apache Boy loved those faces, they were so funny.

Indio looked at his little brother. It was obvious he was very confused. Lindo was sitting on a log, his head was shaking back and forth. He was confused as well.

"Elder, we do not understand. How can that be?" Indio asked for everyone. "It was and is not?""MAKING A PATH THROUGH THE SPIRALING STARS WAS THE PESH METEN. IN THE NINTH PASSAGEWAY LIES THE ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION." "How does the Ninth Passageway help us, Elder?" Midnight asked. "It is a trail throughout the stars. How do we understand the Green World question?"

"THE BIRTH OF THE DANCING STAR BAD-U, WITH ITS NEW WORLD STONES GAVE THE ASA-ARR-U LORDS STRONG HAND OVER THE PESH METEN. IN THE EARLY TEBU, THE WORLD STONES GAVE HOME TO MANY WHO LEFT OTHER STARS..."

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"Wow!" Lindo let out. "Our solar system had beings from other stars living here!" Settlers, Indio was sure. Unhappy settlers from other worlds. "IN THAT TEBU, THE GREAT LORD OF ASA-ARR-U WAS LORD AL-AL. LORD BEFORE AN-U, UNDER HIS HAND THE DAK WARRIORS WERE SENT TO DAK-MU, WORLD OF THE RED SANDS, AND DAKA-MU, WORLD OF THE WHITE SANDS." The cavalry establishes its forts, Lindo thought."Warriors on the Red Sands world and the White Sands world..." Little Bear said aloud.

"On Mars and Venus? That is so hard to imagine.""BAR-BAR-U, WORLD STONE OF THE RED STORM AND SIM-U, WORLD STONE OF THE RING BECAME THE CENTERS FOR MAKING STAR METALS." Mining operations, of course, Lindo was thinking. They made the 'star metals', whatever that is.

"Did you hear that, brothers?" Midnight turned to the others. "The world of the Red Storm, Jupiter, was 'Bar-bar-oo' and the world of the Ring - that must be Saturn - it was called 'Sim-oo'.""IT WAS THE GREEN WORLD, AM-BU TIAMAT, THAT WAS THE CENTER OF POWER FOR THE ASA-ARR-U LORD AL-AL." "I remember what you told us about it..." said Bear , "It sounded as beautiful as my Grandfather described our planet before the 'civilized man' came to make it 'better'.""The visions you allowed us to see with the crystal, it made the Green World look more beautiful than any place I have ever seen..." added Indio. "I hope that we can look at her again - the Green World - if we can, Elder." "YOU SHALL...YOU ALL SHALL." Bear was happy. To once again see the wonders of Earth as Tiamat, that was something he could wait for.

"But what happened. Elder?" Midnight asked. "What could have changed the places of our worlds in such a powerful way?"

"Yes," Apache Boy agreed. "How did the Green World go from between the red Sands world and the world of the Red Storm to a place between the Red Sands world and the White Sands world?"

"THE MOVING OF THE STONE WORLDS WAS MADE BY THE 'BLACK ONE'." "Damn!" Apache Boy said. "What?" Bear turned quickly.

"The 'Black One'!" Apache Boy reminded Bear. "Remember? The vision?" "The vision? What vision?" Bear could not recall. Bear frowned as he tried to imagine what Apache Boy had made reference to. He stared hard at him. Apache Boy stared back in disbelief.Suddenly, the memory came back to Bear. "Oh..." he recalled. "That 'vision'! Of course I remember that! That big black 'thing' must be what we saw! The 'Black One'!" Dare-Any stood up

"Elder?" he asked. "If what you tell is true - and we believe you - how is it that there is no life on the other worlds in our solar system? Did you not say that early Earth was a paradise?" Dare-Any continued. "Mars and Venus were homes to fierce warriors, so they must have been

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good worlds to live on. Even Saturn and Jupiter - or at least the moons - had star beings on them. I cannot see how all these worlds were destroyed."

Indio interrupted him."If there were people on the other worlds, they have fled into the skies to some other

world! If the vision of the Elder is right, then perhaps it was a giant black comet that flew through the solar system, destroying life on all the worlds. The vision we saw showed our Mother Earth being struck by that large Thing! The Star Beings must have seen the Thing coming and fled..." he suggested.

"But, there is something wrong with that, Indio..." Dare-Any responded. "If the Star Beings had the ability to fly through the stars, then could they not have stopped the comet or whatever it was."

"That is right..." Little Bear said softly. "They could have stopped the Thing!""Perhaps they could not..." Indio countered. "Perhaps it was too big.""There is something else..." Dare-Any continued. "How can one comet - one that is the

size of a small planet if the vision is right - how can one comet destroy life on all the worlds? All of this destruction cannot have been the result of one comet. There is something we do not know here, there is a missing piece to the puzzle!"

Dare-Any turned to the Elder."With respect, Elder,' he asked gently and with honesty. "There is something you are not

telling us. Please, can you tell us?"The Star Elder turned away from him and went to the pile of stones on the ground.Dare-Any knew the Elder was hiding something."Please, Elder," he almost begged. "We are unlike anyone you will find. We are strong

and we will hold our tongues, if that is what you wish. But please, tell us. Perhaps the six of us can assist you. Perhaps we can do something!"

Caution! Indio thought. Dare-Any is pressing the Elder's tolerance! If he pushes too hard, the Elder will leave!

"Dare-Any!" he tried to stop him. "Wait!"'Wo!" Dare-Any protested, facing Indio. "There is something more here!" he insisted. "I

know it!"The Elder rose from the pile of stones and turned to face Dare-Any.

Dare-Any looked down. Elder had placed two round stones before him. How did he do that? he wondered. "SIT!"

Dare-Any was surprised. The Elder had not spoken with a force like this before. He sat down.

"ALL OF YOU!"They quickly gathered around and sat down. Bear was nervous, Apache Boy and

Midnight were fidgeting as they sat. Lindo thought that they may be in trouble. Damn you! Dare-Any!

Indio came over and joined his brothers. I do not know, brother Dare-Any, if what you do is good or not. I compliment you, you have moved the Elder onto a path that it seems he did not want to pursue.

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The Elder raised his head to meet their eyes. "UNDER THE HAND OF THE GREAT LORD AL-AL-U, THE LORD AN-U HELD BY HIS SIDE. WITH TEBU - IN TIME - LORD AN-U MOVED TO TAKE THE HAND AWAY FROM AL-AL-U. THE GREAT LORD AL-AL-U ESCAPED THE WARRIORS OF LORD AN-U AND FLED TO THE STONE WORLDS OF BAD-U. ON THE STONE WORLD OF AM-BU TIAMAT, HE WAS ABLE TO FIND SAFETY." The Elder pointed at the lighter of the two stones that were in front of Dare-Any. "Hey!" Bear said excitedly. "I bet that stone is us! The King that flew away came to Earth!"

"Why did he come here, Elder?" asked Lindo. "Why did the Lord 'An-oo' come to 'Tee-a-mot'?"The Elder looked at Lindo. "THE STONE WORLD OF AM-BU TIAMAT HAD FAVOR FOR THE LORD AL-AL-U. UNDER HIS HAND, THE STONE WORLDS OF BAD-U GREW STRONG. THE DAK WARRIORS OF THE RED SANDS AND WHITE SANDS STONE WORLDS HAD HEART FOR THE GREAT LORD AL-AL-U AND WOULD STAY WITH HIM." "The King came to 'Tee-a-mot' because the people here would remain loyal to him..." Bear reasoned. "That is good. He helped them in the beginning, they helped him when he needed it."

Indio smiled at his little brother. "Well done..." he complimented Bear. "I think that is exactly what the Elder is telling us."

Lindo had a sudden inspiration. "Then the 'Al-al-oo' Lord was the Lord of our solar system, the Creator of our solar system?"

"In a manner of speaking..." Midnight suggested. "He built the solar system, he created the opportunity for life to be here, but he did not really create the planets."

Lindo continued with his idea. "Did the Lord 'Al-al-oo' build a great temple or big building of some sort, Elder?""ON THE STONE WORLD OF AM-BU, HE DID BUILD A GREAT PLACE. 'AL-AM-BU' WAS ITS CALLING, IT WAS THE GATHERING PLACE OF THE GREAT AL." 'Al-am-boo' thought Indio. 'Al-am-boo', that sounds very familiar. "What happened to the Lord 'An-oo'?" asked Apache Boy. "He must not have been very happy with the other king he tried to kill.""THE GREAT LORD AN-U DID SEEK TO REMOVE THE LORD AL-AL-U IN ALL WAYS. TO THIS END, HE DID SEND THE GREAT 'AI' OF THE ASA-ARR-U TO FIND AND REMOVE LORD OF TIAMAT, AL-AL-U. IT WAS THE TIME OF THE WAR OF THE STARS." "Ooops!" Apache Boy said. "There it is! There was a war. That is how all of the worlds were changed. It was a war of Star Beings!"

Indio was not surprised - disappointed, but not surprised. "Boy!" Bear asked his friend. "Let the Elder finish." "IN THE CIRCLE OF THE STAR BAD-U, THE WAR OF THE TWO LORDS OF THE STARS BROUGHT HARM TO THE STONE WORLDS FOR MANY TEBU - FOR A LONG TIME. IN THIS TIME, LORD AL-AL-U GREW OLD AND PASSED AWAY. THE WAR OF THE STARS WAS THEN MADE BY LORD ZU, GRANDSON OF LORD AL-AL-U. "The grandson continues the war..." Midnight observed. "How fitting."

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"LORD ZU, NOW LORD OF AL-AM-BU, MADE GREAT THE NEW WORLD. BUILDING A TEMPLE TO HONOR HIS GRANDFATHER. THE TEMPLE-PALACE OF THE GREAT AL-AL-U HE WOULD GIVE THE CALLING OF AL-AM-BUS.'"

'Al-am-boos'? 'Al-am-boos'? I know this name, Indio thought. Why does it seem so familiar?

"ON THE STONE WORLDS OF ASA-ARR-U, THE GREAT LORD AN SENT THE ‘AI’ TO STRIKE DOWN LORD ZU AND THE PALACE AL-AM-BUS. LORD ZU AND THE DAK WARRIORS MADE STRONG WAR WITH THE 'AI' AND PUT THE MARK OF DEATH ON IT."

"The Lord 'An-oo' sent the 'Eye' to destroy the world of 'Zu'?" Apache Boy asked. "That is the thing that brought fear to all of the worlds of the 'Ahs-ar-oo'."

"Wait! Wait!" Lindo jumped up. "That huge black Thing in Elder's vision, that comet or whatever it was... that must be the 'Eye' of the Lord. It is not a space ship, it is a giant asteroid thing!"

"That is it!" Midnight looked up at Lindo. "That black Thing was the 'Eye'!""It was not an asteroid..." Dare-Any spoke up.Everyone turned to him."I am not sure..." he continued. "But somehow, in some way, the 'Eye' of the Lord 'An-

oo' either looked like a comet, or it was a comet transformed."Indio marveled. Of course, he thought. That is probably right.Lindo and Midnight looked at each other. A space ship that looks like a comet, what an

idea!"You must be right..." Apache Boy said to Dare-Any, nodding his agreement.Dare-Any was now shaking his head back and forth."Is there something bothering you?" Indio wondered.Dare-Any looked up. "Yes, brother..." he answered. "Elder has just told us that Lord

'Zu', the Lord of this solar system put the mark of death on the 'Eye' of the Great Lord 'An-oo'. If it was dying, how did it still manage to change the worlds?"

"Look!" Apache Boy just noticed the two stones on the ground. "The second stone is a dark one. That is the 'Eye' I think!"

Dare-Any bent over in front of the stones. "What happened, Elder? Will you tell us what happened?"

The Elder leaned down to the two stones. With a short motion, he pushed the dark stone against the lighter stone.

Dare-Any knew what it meant. "Dios mio!" he said. "The dying 'Eye' of the Great Lord 'An-oo' made a suicide crash into the world of Tee-a-mot'."

Bear was wide-eyed. No, he was thinking. No! Why did the 'Eye' have to crash into the Green World?

That is what I saw in the vision, Indio thought."Uchi!" Apache Boy whispered, turning to Dare-Any.Lindo and Midnight also turned to stare at him."It was the destruction of "Al-am-bus'..." Dare-Any said, still staring at the two stones. "It

was the war of the Lords of heaven and the fall of 'Al-am-bus' the temple of the Lord 'Zu'."

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That is it! Indio thought. That is it! That is why it sounds so familiar. Lord 'Zu' and 'Al-am-bus'! Indio admired Dare-Any's bold move. He had somehow made the Elder tell them something he did not want to talk about.

Dare-Any and the Elder looked at each other. Neither of them made a move.The silence seemed to last for an eternity.

ERIDU

The Elder was moving through the darkness. The night was very still.Back in camp, the young men had eaten their meal and were gathered around the fire. The

embers glowed red as the burning wood crackled. Sparks rose into the air with the smoke, looking and flitting like fireflies in the night.

Little Bear and Apache Boy sat staring at the fire, watching the flames make shapes. Lindo and Midnight sat with them, but they would occasionally glance into the night sky, staring in wonder, wondering where the Star Beings were.

"Look at the fire," said Bear. "Look how it jumps from ember to ember, as if it was playing."

Apache Boy grunted his agreement, fire was the marvel of marvels to him. It was hypnotic in the way that flames moved and how the fiery colors changed their brilliance.

"Dare-Any was brave..." Bear said quietly.Apache Boy did not look away from the fire."Dare-Any will do as his name says..." he said. "He will 'dare anyone', he fears no one. I

admire that."Lindo turned to Apache Boy."Dare-Any almost made the Elder angry..." Midnight said.Lindo nodded in agreement."I do not think so..." Indio joined them. He had been standing watch. "The Elder may

have been taken by surprise, but I do not think he was angry with Dare-Any or with any of us. Were it not for Dare-Any's questions, we would not have found out about the fate of 'early Earth'."

Bear agreed with him. "It is as if those two had some sort of connection..." a very bewildered Bear suggested. "They seem to talk together without words."

"Hmmpphh..." Apache Boy grunted. "Silence is the most powerful language, words cannot convey as much as a silent look can say."

"Where is Dare-Any?" asked Lindo looking around."He is being Dare-Any..." answered Apache Boy."Hush!" Indio warned. "I came to tell you that Elder returns!"They all turned in anticipation. Perhaps there would be new stories, new ideas to

entertain, revelations that would amaze.The Elder came in from the darkness. He made no noise.Damn! I hate when he does that. It is almost as if he moved like Dare-Any.

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It was late, very late. But, the Elder seemed ready to talk more. The five gathered around him again.

"Where is Dare-Any?" wondered Bear."Do not fear..." Apache Boy said to him. "He will be in our circle when it is right for him

to be here."The Elder began where he had left off. "THE END OF THE WAR OF THE STARS CAME

ONLY WITH THE END OF THE STONE WORLDS OF BAD-U. THE GREAT LORD AN-U WISHED NO PART OF THE BEINGS ON THESE STONE WORLDS TO REMAIN."

Bear barely heard the twig crack. It was Dare-Any.Our solar system had once held an ancient civilization, Indio reflected. How incredible!

Mars and Venus had life! The moons of Jupiter and Saturn were alive! The grandson of a displaced king of the stars fought with beings from the old kingdom. His people fought proudly, but ultimately lost the war. A paradise world was destroyed, its sister worlds made barren.

LORD MASTER CREATOR

"IN TIME, THE GREAT LORD AN-U WISHED TO BUILD AGAIN THE STONE WORLDS OF BAD-U. TO THIS END, HE SENT HIS FIRST SON, LORD EA, THE MASTER CREATOR OF LIFE." "It was time to rebuild the worlds..." Lindo remarked. "A Master Creator..." Little Bear said in wonder. "How amazing!" "Elder?" Midnight had a question. "When the War of the Stars ended, was the world of 'Tee-a-mot' still in the same place?"The Elder looked at Midnight, he almost looked surprised. "WHEN LORD EA CAME TO THE CIRCLE OF BAD-U, THE STONE WORLD OF TIAMAT HELD PLACE WITH THE STONE WORLD OF THE RED SANDS ON ONE SIDE, THE STONE WORLD OF WHITE SANDS ON THE OTHER." "That is it!" Lindo blurted out. "The world of 'Am-boo' changed places! Some-how, the planet moved! That is it!"

Apache Boy agreed. "Yes, Lindo is right! That is it, the world changed its place somehow!"

Bear was the first one to ask. "Elder, how did the stone world of 'Am-boo' move to another place?"

The Elder looked at Bear and answered simply."IT WAS THE 'BLACK ONE', THE 'AI' OF LORD AN-U." "The vision..." Indio spoke up. "It was

the vision that we all shared. Remember? The huge black Thing! Somehow it moved the world of 'Am-boo'."

"You are right, big brother..." Little Bear agreed. "The 'Black One' pushed or moved the world of 'Am-boo' in some way."

"Uchi!" Apache Boy said, a look of surprise on his face."What do you think, Dare-Any?" Midnight asked, turning to the always quiet one.

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Dare-Any turned to Midnight, then looked back to Indio."The Elder has already shown us what happened..." Dare-Any said to the others. "Do

you remember the two stones on the ground, the light one and the dark one?"Indio and the others nodded."The Elder made the two stones collide, remember? He pushed the dark stone against the

light one." Dare-Any continued. "When the 'Black One' and the world of 'Am-boo' collided, the 'Black One' knocked 'Am-boo' out of its place!"

"That is right..." Apache Boy remembered.The vision suddenly came back to Indio. "Now I remember..." he started slowly.The others turned to him."What I thought I saw in the vision was that the world of 'Am-boo' was, falling towards

the sun..." he continued. "But what was really happening was that the sun was pulling 'Am-boo' towards it, saving it from hurtling out into space. Somehow the gravity of the sun reached out and pulled 'Am-boo' into its new orbit. That is what the vision really was. That is how the order of the planets was changed! That is how 'Am-boo'' became the Earth!"

Indio turned to the Elder, hoping he was right.The Elder's words were once again very simple.

"THAT IS THE WAY IT WAS."Dare-Any nodded to Indio.Indio nodded back, returning the compliment.Bear smiled at both of them. He was proud to be their brother."Well done..." Midnight said to the two of them.Lindo was amazed at the story. Then he recalled something he had heard and asked,

"Elder, what happened when the Master Creator came to our solar system? If the stone world of 'Am-boo' had been struck by that huge black 'Thing', and sent flying out into space, he must have fixed the world somehow?"

The Elder nodded. "LORD EA WOULD PLANT THE SEEDS OF LIFE. UNDER HIS HAND THE STONE WORLD ONCE TIAMAT WOULD ONCE AGAIN HOLD LIFE. TO PLANT THE SEEDS, LORD EA CREATED A NEW SKY. NEW LIFE HE MADE TO TAKE ROOT, MANY CREATURES HE BROUGHT TO THE NEW WORLD. IN TIME, THE STONE WORLD OF BECAME BEAUTY AGAIN."

Bear sat upright. He knew it! Earth had to have been re-built. She was too beautiful! She was too wondrous!

"Lord 'Aya' must have been a 'Master Creator'..." Apache Boy observed. "He was able to create a new sky and new plants, he even brought new creatures from somewhere. Wow!"

"New creatures?!" Bear sat up. He loved animals. "Uchi! I wonder where they came from?"

"The platypus!" Lindo piped up. "That could explain the platypus, that beaver kind of thing with the duck bill that lays eggs. Wow! A creature from outer space!"

Bear sat in admiration. "What a great creator he must have been, to rebuild the destroyed world of 'Am-boo'."

The Elder looked at Bear. "THE CALLING IS NOT AM-BU TIAMAT."

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"What?" Bear wondered. "Is it not the stone world 'Am-boo Tee-a-mot'?" The Elder shook his head."NO LONGER." "No longer?" Bear asked. "Why did the name change, Elder?" "THE GREAT LORD AN-U DID NOT WISH ANY CALLING OF LORD AL-AL-U TO REMAIN. LORD EA MADE THE CALLING OF THE STONE WORLD ERIDU." "Airy-doo?" Bear asked. "Why 'Airy-doo?', Elder? Does it mean something?"

"IT IS SAID THAT ERIDU MEANS 'LAND CONQUERED'." " 'Land Conquered?" Bear reflected. "1 guess the name tells it all.""Elder...?" Indio heard something that was strange. "You say that 'it is said' the name

means 'Land Conquered'. Do you think it means something else?""THE CALLING BY MAN IS NOT AS IT IS. IN WORDS OF THE STARS IT IS 'MOUNTAIN OF MASTERS'. "Wow!" Apache Boy said with surprise. "I like that much better. 'Mountain of Masters'! That is so much more powerful!"

"Elder?" Midnight leaned forward. "Can a 'Master Creator' really create life? Or does he sort of mix two different kinds of creatures to get a new one?""A MASTER CREATOR. CAN MAKE ONE BEING FROM ANOTHER, AND BRING A NEW BEING FROM TWO! SO TOO A MASTER CREATOR BRINGS LIFE FORCE TO A CREATURE WITH NO LIFE FORCE.'"Uchi!" said Apache Boy, "To bring a new being from two is having babies, right? But how do you make one being from another?"

Indio sat quietly, thinking about what the Elder had said. "The Creator must be able to change the body of a creature into another form. How he would do that I do not know. I also think that he must be able to take two creatures - not parents - and combine them into another type of creature..."

"Whoa!" Bear said with great surprise. "That is a good creator! Changing a body from one form to another is amazing!"

"Wait!" Lindo stopped Bear. "Did you not hear what the Elder said? He told us that the Master Creator 'Aya' was able to bring life force to a creature with no life force! Do you know what that means?"Bear looked at him with a frown on his face. "What are you talking about?" "The Master Creator can bring a creature back to life, Bear!" Lindo almost yelled. "Lord 'Aya' can bring someone back to life."

"Double Whoa!" Bear said under his breath.Dare-Any spoke up. "To bring the dead back to life is called 're-animation' by scientists.

It is something they speak of, but cannot do! To create one being from two is called 'hybridization', the same thing we do with mules, an animal born of a donkey and a horse. To make one creature from another is called 'cloning', something the scientists think we shall do someday. It may be possible to create one creature from another by simply taking some blood or some cells and growing it to reproduce exact duplicates of the original.""Well said..." Indio complimented Dare-Any. And, he thought to himself, you did well not using the word 'resurrection'. Indio turned back to the Elder.

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Elder nodded his approval.Slowly, the Elder rose to his feet. Picking up a stick, he made a mark on the ground in

front of the campfire."THIS IS THE MARK OF THE MASTER CREATORS OF LIFE."

All six rose to look at it."It looks like two snakes..." Midnight guessed, twisting his head, trying to make sense of

it. "Two snakes on something.""Yes..." Apache Boy agreed hesitatingly. "But it looks as though they are doing

something, like they are swirling together.""Maybe they are not snakes, maybe they are two wires?" Lindo suggested."The mark of an advanced electronic society, perhaps?" Midnight added."Maybe the upward spiral of life?" Indio offered. "Growth?""No..." Dare-Any interjected.Indio looked at him, he seemed so sure. Dare-Any moved to the drawing on the ground

and knelt down in front of it. He traced his finger over the figure."No, my brothers. Look, it is the very ancient symbol of the two inter-twining serpents

used by the physicians long, long ago, it is the very same symbol used by doctors today!" he explained. "In other words, it seems like the doctors of today use the symbol that was used by Beings from another world!"

"Of course!" Indio agreed, pointing at the mark on the ground. "This is the symbol all medical doctors use to this day! It is the 'caduceus'!"

Indio turned to look at the Elder.The Elder nodded, then moved to his favorite log and sat down.

ANNAKI

"TO BUILD AGAIN ERIDU, LORD EA HAD MASTERS OF MANY WAYS AT HIS SIDE. THE SKY AND LAND OF ERIDU TOOK AWAY LIFE FORCES WITH SPEED. TO BE ON ERIDU, THE MASTERS OF EA HAD HEARTS OF GREAT SPIRIT AND LITTLE FEAR." Whew! thought Lindo. Poison air and dangerous lands, I do not think I would want to work on 'Airy-doo'."FROM SMALL BARI IN THE SKIES OF ERIDU, LORD EA AND THE MASTERS LET FALL SEEDS OF LIFE. IN THIS WAY, THE STONE WORLD OF ERIDU HAD LIFE AGAIN. FROM THE NEW GREEN LIFE, THE SKY OF ERIDU GAVE BREATH." "The new green life was plants..." Lindo figured it out. "The plants gave out oxygen so that creatures could take breaths. Amazing!"

Apache Boy made a face. "But what are the 'Bar-ee' that the Elder mentioned." Bear looked at him and shrugged his shoulders."If they were in the sky..." Midnight guessed. "They must have been some sort of

spaceship or something."Indio agreed. "They must have flown through the sky and dropped the seeds, like the

Elder said."

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"Then came the plants and oxygen," Lindo summed up."THE MASTERS OF EA GAVE LIFE A PATH ON EARTH AGAIN." "They were Masters for

sure, but they must have been the best of the warriors as well," Midnight commented. "In order to do what they did, I mean." "They were Master Warriors!" Lindo said confidently.

It is the story of Gods who created a new world, Dare-Any thought. I do not think it would be wrong to think of them as Gods."FROM THE BARI IN THE SKIES, SOME MASTERS CAME DOWN TO THE KI. LORD EA GAVE THEM THE CALLING OF 'ANNAKI'. THOSE MASTERS WHO REMAINED ABOVE, I-KI-KI WAS THEIR CALLING." "What is 'key', Elder?" asked Apache Boy. "When you say they descended to the 'key', does that mean they descended to the ground, to Earth?" "THAT IS THE WAY IT IS." "Well done, Boy..." Indio congratulated him. Apache Boy beamed.

"What does 'Ee-key-key' mean?" asked Bear. "They are the ones you say stayed up in the sky?""I-KI-KI ARE ONES IN THE SKY ABOVE ABOVE." "What does it mean

'above above', Elder?" Bear wanted to know."THAT WHICH IS ABOVE THE SKY."

"Above the sky?" Bear wondered."I think it means in outer space..." Indio suggested. "The 'Ee-key-key' must have remained, not

in the sky, but in outer space."Uchi! Apache Boy let out. In outer space? "Is there a word for what we call outer space, Elder?"

he asked."IT HAS THE CALLING AN." "That is the name of the Great Lord, is it not?" Apache Boy remembered. "THE CALLING OF THE STAR HEAVENS MUST BE THE CALLING OF THE GREAT LORD OF THE ASA-ARR-U." "The name of the Great Lord is the name of outer space..." Apache Boy said. "The Great Lord has a great ego, does he not?"

"Hai!" Bear and Midnight both agreed in unison."The Great Lord is strict on the new world..." Lindo observed. "His name and his name only is

the way to think of heaven.""Thou shalt have no other Gods before me..." Indio said gently. Dare-Any nodded at him."What of the Masters who landed on the surface, Elder?" Lindo asked. "What happened to

them?""THE LABORS OF THE ANNAKI WERE MANY. ON THE FACE OF ERIDU WAS MADE INTO BEAUTY AND QUIET. IN THE HEART OF ERIDU REMAINED MUCH ROCK FIRE. AS ROCK FIRE MOVED BELOW THE FACE, THE SPIRIT OF THE ROCK FIRE MOVED OVER THE FACE OF ERIDU. THIS IS THE WAY OF STONE WORLDS, AS ROCK FIRE MOVES BELOW, SO THE ROCK FIRE SPIRIT MOVES ABOVE."

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As the rock fire moved below, so the rock fire spirit moves below? What can the Elder be saying, wondered Indio. No one spoke a word, it seemed that everyone was wondering what the Elder had said. Everyone seemed to be quite baffled.

"Is the 'rock fire' lava, Elder?" asked Bear leaning forward and putting his hand on his chin.

The Elder nodded.Indio turned to look at Bear quickly. "Well done, little brother..." he said. "At times you

do surprise me, little Brother."Apache Boy was also looking at Bear, who seemed to be in a pose much like the statue of

the Thinker."Does it hurt?" asked Apache Boy.Bear looked at him for a second, then ignored him."If the 'rock fire' is lava below the surface of the ground, is the 'rock fire spirit' that

follows the lava below something like heat, maybe like a hot wind?"Good question, Indio thought. "THE SPIRIT OF ROCK FIRE IS AS LITTLE LIGHTNING

AND BIG LIGHTNING, IT FLOWS IN ALL THINGS. THE SPIRIT FLOWS IN THE SKIES, AND FLOWS IN THE AN HEAVENS. THE SPIRIT BONDS A THING TOGETHER AND PULLS ONE BODY TO ANOTHER."

"Big lightning and little lightning?" wondered Bear. "What is that?""Whatever it is, it bonds things together..." Midnight said."Spirit glue?" Apache Boy said with a puzzled face. "What spirit glues things together?"It suddenly came to Indio. "It bonds one body to another!" he turned to the others. "The

Elder said it bonds one body to another!"Midnight and Lindo looked at each other."Gravity!" Indio blurted out. "Do you not see? Gravity bonds things together, it pulls one

body to another, just like the Elder said!""Hai!" Midnight agreed. "That is so, but what is the 'big lightning' and the 'little

lightning' that Elder speaks of?""Gravity is a force that is generated by electricity..." Indio began. "I am not sure how, but

when electricity flows there is a kind of gravity around it. Molten lava - 'rock fire' as the Elder calls it - generates electricity when it moves. That is why there are lots of lightning bolts when a volcano erupts, like in Mexico City that time. When molten lava moves, it makes electricity that makes gravity that moves along with it. Somehow, the Elder is telling us that gravity follows molten lava as it moves below the ground!"

"How?" Lindo asked."I do not know..." Indio said in an almost exasperated tone. "I do not know. But

somehow a trail of gravity follows along the surface as lava moves below."Indio turned to the Elder in hopes he had understood.The Elder seemed to agree."So, if that is true..." Indio continued with his idea. "Over the surface of the Earth, a ship

could be flying along, and be suddenly pulled downward, or thrown sideways, by a river of

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gravity that is flowing along, following the movement of lava below the ground. Can you imagine how dangerous that would be?""And..." added Lindo, who had always thought about being a pilot someday, "...even if it did not pull the plane down, it would make the instruments of the plane act very strange. A pilot would not be to know how high he was or where he was." "That is bad..." Little Bear accepted the idea.

"I had no idea..." Midnight was shaking his head. Then another thought raced through his mind. "Wait! A ship on the ocean might not know where it is and maybe sink into the waters! It would disappear mysteriously!"Lindo understood what Midnight was hinting at. They had had many talks about some of the strange events of the world. "Yes! And planes might disappear, pulled down into the waters and telling their base that they did not know where they were!" "Huh?" Bear was confused.

"But, Elder..." Dare-Any stood up and interrupted the conversation. "Is it true, as you say, that the Spirit moves through the sky as well?"

"THE SPIRIT LEAVES A TRAIL IN THE SKY WHEN IT MOVES." "And you say the Spirit is as 'big lightning' and 'little lightning'?" Dare-Any continued.

"THAT IS AS IT IS" "Then a trail of lightning moves through the sky much like a river?" Dare-Any tried to understand.

"THAT IS AS IT IS" "A trail of lightning?" wondered Apache Boy. "Can you see it? Can you follow it? How do you know it is there?""THE BARI-SHIPS OF THE MASTERS IN THE SKY AND THE STAR-SHIPS OF THE ASA-ARR-U FOLLOW THE SPIRIT TRAILS IN THE SKY." Indio was lost. A trail of energy in the sky? How could there be a trail of energy in the sky for ships to follow? Perhaps in time we will find out. The Elder interrupted his thoughts. "WITH TIME, LORD EA MADE A PLACE FOR THE FIRST HOME OF THE ANNAKI. IT WAS A PLACE WHERE MANY OF THE SPIRIT TRAILS CROSS."

Many Spirit trails? What is that? wondered Indio. What in the name of heaven are these invisible trails of energy?

EDEN

"ON THE LAND, GREEN LIFE HELD MANY PLACES, ICE BLANKETS HELD MANY PLACES AS WELL. IN A PLACE OF WARM SUN, WHERE TRAILS OF SPIRIT CROSS, AND MANY TALKING STONES LAY IN THE GROUND, LORD EA MADE HIS FIRST HOME. IN THIS PLACE, LORD EA MADE A 'GARDEN OF LIFE' AND A 'HOUSE OF SPIRIT'." "Glaciers and energy trails..." Indio tried to imagine what the primitive Earth must have looked like. "In a place where Spirit trails cross the Master Creator built a home for the beings from the stars."

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"He built a garden!" Apache Boy exclaimed. "The Creator built a garden! That is where Life first started, in a garden!"

Midnight focused on the same thing. "Of course, a Garden of Life as the Elder has said. Some of our old stories are true!"

"Talking stones!" Little Bear said with surprise. "Talking stones! It is as our Elders have always said, the stones talk to those who can hear!"

Amazing! thought Indio. It is amazing how the Elder is always confirming what our Elders have spoken of. He knows of 'talking stones', how incredible!

The prophecy of the 'Talking Stone' is true, Dare-Any thought to himself.Before another question could be asked, the Elder continued. "LORD EA, THE

MASTER CREATOR WHO BROUGHT LIFE TO ERIDU, GAVE THE MASTERS AT HIS SIDE, A NEW CALLING IN THE 'GARDEN OF LIFE'. IN THE NEW SUNS OF THE ERIDU GARDEN, THEIR CALLING WAS DI-IN, MASTERS OF THE NEW MOUNTAIN."

"Holy cow!" Apache Boy jumped up. "That is our name for our Medicine Men! 'Dee-inn' the Elder called the ancient Masters. We call them Di-yin! Holy cow!"

Apache Boy could hardly contain himself, moving back and forth, from one spot to another. Diyin! he kept repeating over and over. In the Apache world, a powerful person was Diyin! A Master of the stars was called 'Dee-inn! Apache Boy kept thinking. Our ways are the same ways as the ways of the Masters of the stars! Huta!

None of them were prepared for the next revelation by the Elder. "ON ERIDU, THE PLACE OF LORD MASTER CREATOR EA AND HIS DI-IN WAS CALLED E-DIN."

Now it was Midnight who jumped up. "Eden!" he repeated for everyone. "Eden! The place of the Creator and his Masters was Eden! Uchi! The Master Creator built a Garden of Life in the place where the Masters were. It was Eden! Did you hear that?"

Midnight grabbed Indio by the shoulders. "Eden, Brother! Eden! Huta! he kept repeating over and over.

Little Bear watched Midnight with Indio, then turned from them to Apache Boy. Apache Boy was dancing around saying, "Diy-in! Diy-in!"

Both Apache Boy and Midnight had turned into parrots he thought to himself. Both were jumping around, repeating themselves over and over. The only time he ever saw his friend Midnight move like that was at a Pow-wow. He was one excited Indian! It was good! But it was funny!

Huta! the two of them kept calling out.Dare-Any was watching everyone as well. With two simple words, the Elder had lit a fire

under the two young men. Yet, Dare-Any had to admit that he had been surprised, too. Dee-in and Eden, how simple! Yet both words answered many questions! But it also posed just as many, if not more! I must learn the language of the Elder, he thought to himself.

Lindo and Indio were sitting by the campfire. The morning chill was in the air. The smoke mixed with the morning mist. The night was short, daylight had appeared too soon for them. They were still tired.

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Midnight and Apache Boy lay in their blankets, they were up most of the night and were trying to find another few minutes of sleep.

In his blanket, Bear slept soundly. A light smile was on his lips.Dare-Any was restless in his blanket. He had dreamt he was in the Land of the Gods, and

though they were speaking to him, he could not understand their words. It was frightening, he kept thinking. What am I missing?

As they gathered together around the fire, Midnight made no effort to hide his excitement. "Can you believe it?" he asked. "What else does the Elder know that the White Man has lied about?"

Indio looked up at him."Perhaps..." he said solemnly. "...they do not know."He turned back to the fire. "Has it occurred to you that our white brothers may also have

been deceived?"Midnight sat in silence, staring at Indio. Could it be, he wondered? Could it be that the

White Man has also been deceived? It was a difficult thought for Midnight to entertain.At that moment, the Elder emerged from the trees.

"What was it like, Elder?" asked Little Bear. "Eden, I mean? Can you tell us where it was?"

Lindo nodded, wanting to know as well."The Middle East..." guessed Indio. "It seems that the scholars of our planet believe that the Garden of Eden was in the Middle East." They all looked to the Elder.

"THE PLACE YOU SPEAK OF WAS NOT THE FIRST HOME OF THE MASTERCREATOR. IT WAS THE FINAL HOME OF LORD EA." "Did you hear that?!" Midnight

asked. "The Middle East was the last Eden, not the first! Huta! The Master Creator and the Garden of Eden were in other places first!" Indio sat in silence. The last Garden of Eden? Then where was the first? Apache Boy greeted Midnight's enthusiasm with equal glee. Before anyone could say a thing, the Elder began again.

"MANY WERE THE SPIRIT TRAILS IN THE SKY ABOVE THE FIRST GARDEN OFLORD EA AND THE ANNAKI. IN THAT LAND, A 'SPIRIT HOUSE' THEY DID BUILD.THEN THE 'BIG HOUSES'. THE MASTERS OF THE BENEATH USED THE ATL LIGHTTHAT CUTS AND THE ATL SOUND THAT CARRIES. EACH LORD MASTER BEGAN

THE WORK OF HIS WAY." A 'spirit house', Indio wondered. A building having to do with gravity or electricity. Wait! That is it!

"A generating plant!" he blurted out. "A house of 'Spirit' is a generating plant! They make electricity! They make 'Spirit'!"

Bear grinned. "You are smart, brother. That is it, for sure.""But what is a 'big house', then?" Midnight asked.Indio shook his head. That one was beyond him."With all the tools they had, it sounds very busy," said Little Bear.

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"I would love to see a 'cutting light'..." Lindo said. "What did Elder call it? A 'waddle' light?"

"I think so..." said Midnight."Atl..." Dare-Any corrected. "Atl... like the weapon that was used by the Aztec Indians so

long ago. An Atl.""I remember that..." Midnight said. "It was like an axe or something." "What was the 'sound that carries'?" Apache Boy asked."It sounds as if there was an Atl light that could cut and an Atl sound that could carry

things..." Dare-Any added. "How amazing!"Lindo was staring at the Elder. "An Atl?" he said simply. "FROM THE TRAILS OF SPIRIT IN THE SKY AND IN THE GROUND, THE ATLS OF THE MASTERS TOOK POWER. WHEN THE SPIRIT TRAILS MOVED OR WERE NOT STRONG, THE ATLS MADE NO SOUND TO CARRY AND NO LIGHT TO CUT." "The changing magnetic forces..." Indio commented. "It must have been very frustrating for the Masters.""WHEN THE TRAILS OF SPIRIT GAVE NO POWER TO THE ATLS, THE MASTERS OF THE BENEATH AND THE OUTLANDS USED THE TEHEN, THE STONES OF POWER FOR THE ATLS." "Power stones! Did you hear that?" Midnight asked. "They were crystals, I bet!" Te-hen, Indio repeated. I must remember that. "How did the 'Te-hen' stones hold power, Elder?""IN THE HOUSE OF SPIRIT THE MASTERS GATHERED THE BIG AND LITTLE LIGHTNING FOR THE TEHEN STONES OF POWER. THE TEHEN STONES HAVE A BODY THAT HOLDS LIGHTNING." "They could be crystals..." Midnight suggested. "They were, I bet!" "Stones that provide power for tools..." Bear marveled. "It is like they are some kind of battery or something.""Batteries made of stone..." Apache Boy said in astonishment. "Wow!" "Tools of light and sound are more than my mind can understand..." Lindo spoke out. "And the 'House of Spirit' that generates electricity is easier to accept, but what were the 'Big Houses', Elder?"

"IN THE BIG HOUSES THE MASTERS OF THE MANY WAYS MADE THEIR TALK ON THE WAY OF BUILDING. "Were there other kinds of houses, Elder?" Indio asked. "THE MASTERS OF THE BENEATH HAD MANY WAYS TO REMOVE THE STONES OF GREAT DESIRE. FOR A LONG TIME, THEY DID LABOR FOR THE GREAT LORD AN-U WITH GREAT HEART." "They sound like hard workers..." said Bear.

"Perhaps we could use them to build us a new adobe house to live in..." said Apache Boy. "If they worked with great heart..." Midnight observed, "...then it must mean that they were loyal and faithful to the Great 'An-oo'."

"THE LORD CREATOR EA HAD MANY HOUSES. IN THE GREAT HOUSE OF SPEAKING, THE WORD VISIONS CAME DOWN FROM THE SKY."

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"The 'House of Speaking'..." Midnight had to ask. "It is a place where 'word visions' come from the sky. How can a vision be sent through the sky? I understand we can send words but can we send visions?"

"They must be able to..." Dare-Any guessed. "Can you imagine being able to send a vision through the sky? What would a picture sender look like?"

"Where did the 'word visions' come from, Elder?" Apache Boy asked. "ABOVE ERIDU, THE MASTERS OF THE SKY WAITED. WHEN THE STONES OF GREAT DESIRE WERE MADE READY, WORD VISIONS WERE TO THE MASTERS OF THE SKY WERE SENT. IT WAS THEY WHO TOOK THE STONES TO THE STARS OF THE GREAT LORD AN-U. IT WAS THE MASTERS OF THE SKY WHO GUARDED THE MASTERS ON ERIDU." "What are the stones of great desire, I wonder?" Bear asked. "Precious stones...?" Midnight guessed. He looked over at Indio. Indio nodded his head in agreement."So the 'Masters of the Sky' waited in a ship way up in the sky, far above Earth? Is that

right, Elder?" asked Midnight."THAT IS AS IT IS. THEIR PLACE OF WAITING WAS IN A BODY OF HEAVEN."

"Uchi!" said Apache Boy. "What a view they must have had!""Wait a minute!" Indio stopped everyone. "The Elder said they waited in a 'heavenly body'! Does that mean they were up in the sky in a spaceship...or a moon...or a planet?" "The Elder meant a spaceship..." Midnight asserted.

"How do we know..." corrected Indio. "He said a 'heavenly body'. That could be anything from a spaceship to a moon or planet in the solar system!"

"They must have been on our Moon!" said Bear. "That would be a good place to wait for precious stones."

Before anyone could ask the Elder, Dare-Any spoke up. "What was the 'House of Life', Elder? Did they really have the power to heal Life and Death?"

"IN THE HOUSE OF LIFE, THE HEALING OF LIFE AND DEATH WAS DONE." Lindo made a face. "Healing of Life and Death? What is that?" he asked. Midnight wondered aloud, "A House that heals Life, that would be like a hospital I guess. But a House that heals Death, can you do that?"

Indio stared at the Elder. Is it possible, he thought in complete amazement. "Is it possible that the Star Beings have learned how to heal Death?" he let out.

Bear saw his older brother's astonishment. "But if they can create Life, brother, is it not also likely that they can heal Death? Is not Death just another form of Life?"Indio looked at his brother. "That is a very smart thing to say, little brother..." Dare-Any remembered the stories he had heard of ancient beings from the stars who could bring people back to life.

"How did they do that, Elder?" Midnight followed his question. "IN THE HOUSE OF LIFE, MASTER CREATOR LORD EA PLACED A MOST DESIRED TEHEN STONE INTO THE TIESH, THE MOST HEAVENLY PLACE IN THE HOUSE OF LIFE. IN THE TIESH, THE BODY WITH NO LIFE FORCE WAS PLACED. UNDER THE HAND OF LORD EA THE LIFE FORCE MADE ITS RETURN."

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"He brought people back to life??" Midnight said in disbelief. He turned to Indio. "Can that be, Indio!? Can Life be put back into a dead body?"

"I do not know..." Indio answered. "If the Elder says it was done, then we must accept that it was done. Stories of resurrection are in many holy books across the world."

Dare-Any asked a question that was bothering him. "What did the 'House of Life' look like, Elder?""THE HOUSE OF LIFE WAS AS A STONE MOUNTAIN OF LIFE. IN SOME PLACES THE HOUSE WAS RED, IN SOME PLACES IT WAS WHITE. IN THE LIGHT OF THE SUN, THE HOUSE OF LIFE COULD BE SEEN BY THE MASTERS OF THE SKY ABOVE. IN THE LIGHT OF THE STARS, THE LIGHT OF THE TEHEN AT ITS SUMMIT MADE THE HOUSE OF LIFE A FIRE TO FOLLOW." "Huta!" said Bear. "It sounds like a beacon during the day and even at night! What a place it must have been."

"And such things inside!" Apache Boy added. "The science of the Masters was more like magic!"

Indio agreed, it was a miraculous place. I wonder where this place might have been, he thought. Actually, the Elder has said there were some in red and some in white. That means there were many. Ay, Ay, Ay! I wonder where they were."Chambers for life healing, again that I can understand..." said Midnight. "But, chambers for death healing, I cannot imagine what that is? How do you deal with death?" 'TO THE MASTERS OF LIFE, DEATH IS AN ILLNESS. AS ONE CAN HEAL ILLNESS, ONE CAN HEAL DEATH." "Uchi!" Apache Boy was the first to say anything.

Bear turned suddenly to Indio, looking at him wide-eyed. "Brother..." he started with great concern. "Bringing Life back to a body, is that not resurrection?"Indio looked in his brothers eyes. He had hoped that word would not come up. Indio glanced back at the others, they, too, were caught by surprise. Midnight and Apache Boy were just staring at each other, their eyes glazed. Dare-Any was not looking at anyone, he stared at the ground. Lindo was in a daze, his eyes were glued to the fire. But everyone - everyone - was silent!

They heal Death! Indio reflected. They practice resurrection! The idea was almost too much to consider. Indio was overwhelmed. As were his brothers.

No one said anything. When Indio looked back for the Elder, he was gone!

The Elder was still away. They were all sitting next to the fire. They were chilled, but it was not the approaching winter air that made them shiver.

"Indio..." Little Bear looked to him. "Can that be true? About the curing of death, I mean?"

"The Elder had said that the beings from the stars were immortal, remember?" Indio said. "All of our religions on earth say that the Gods from Heaven are immortal. If they could make dead bodies come back to life again, that is a good way to be immortal."

"So perhaps we should look for a house of white or red stones!" joked Midnight. "Then we too could live a thousand years or more!"

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Dare-Any suddenly stood up."That is it!" he exclaimed excitedly.Dare-Any turned to look at a very confused Midnight."That is it!" he said, jumping to his feet, slapping his brother Midnight on the back. "Ho!

Thank you, Little One!"God! I hate it when he calls me that, thought Midnight."What is it?" asked Little Bear.Dare-Any started to pace as he talked. "Remember? The Elder told us that the 'House of

Spirit', where the healing of Life and Death happened, was bright white, remember?""Yes. So what does that mean?" Lindo replied."It looks like a mountain, remember?" Dare-Any reminded them. "A bright white

mountain! Think about it!"Everyone looked at each other."The Pyramid!" Dare-Any answered quickly. "The Pyramid! The Pyramid in Egypt was

once covered with white limestone!""So what?" Midnight challenged him."Keep going!" said Indio, leaning forward.Well... think about it!" Dare-Any was gesturing with his hands, placing them on his

temples. "When the Pharaohs from ancient Egypt died, they believed that they would be reborn, if they were buried in the Pyramid! Do you see? They could have been trying to imitate the Masters of Life by using the Pyramid for healing death!"

Indio stood up with him. He was getting excited too.Dare-Any kept going. "I believe that the ancient Egyptians may have seen one of the dead

'An-ak-ee' Lords, killed in an accident or something, taken into the 'House of Life' and then, after sometime, he walked out! Do you not see? They saw a dead Lord come back to life!"

"Then..." Indio started. "Then if that...""Yes! Yes!" Dare-Any was encouraging him."Then you are saying that the white stone 'House of Life'... was the Pyramid, the Great

Pyramid of Egypt! The Great Pyramid!!!""Yes!" Dare-Any exclaimed, jumping in place. "That is as I have come to think as well!

Yes! It was the Great Pyramid!"Indio became excited too. "It explains a lot," he agreed. "Re-birth... Egyptian pyramids and

Egyptian Gods! The entire concept of dying and living again. It all could have been because a memory of the Masters of Life having the ability to re-animate!"

"Yes!!!" Dare-Any exclaimed, almost shouting."Wow!" Apache Boy remarked."Ho! Brothers!" Little Bear suddenly interrupted.Indio and Dare-Any turned to him."What if it is not the Great Pyramid?" he asked. "What if the 'House of Life' is something

- or somewhere - else?"Indio and Dare-Any looked at each other. Neither one wanted to let go of the idea but

Little Bear had made a good point.

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Indio spoke up, "Well done, Little Brother! We must not leap too quickly. You have kept us wary and questioning. It is the Way of the Warrior! Thank you!" Both Dare-Any and Indio nodded to him. Bear felt good.

The afternoon was quiet. Each of the six was captured by his own thoughts. Immortality, resurrection, ancient worlds destroyed and re-born. The Elder had taken them on the most challenging quest ever! Nowhere on earth could this happen, nowhere but with the Elder. Only in this time, and only in this place!

Bear went to the fire to get a cup of coffee. He turned and saw Dare-Any and Indio talking together. That was good! he thought. They were both smart, it is good they talk with each other instead of challenging each other as they usually do. I wish I was as smart as they are, he thought.

Bear turned to see Lindo and Midnight talking together. Midnight would always take the opposite side of an argument just to challenge you. Lindo? Well, Lindo would always thing about girls whatever the situation. Ben-Ben, I think the Elder called love-making. Maybe he should call it 'Lindo-Lindo'.

Bear looked for Apache Boy. He was nowhere to be seen. Then Bear heard a sound in the trees above him. He glanced up. There was Apache Boy, hanging upside down by his legs, high up in the trees. As he watched, Apache Boy started doing sit-ups! Uchi! he is crazy, thought Bear. Sit-ups in a tree? They are hard enough on the ground. But 'Boy' was like that. He always had to do the hardest physical things he could find. No wonder he is so skinny, Bear thought.

Bear put his coffee down as a butterfly flew near him. I am here little one, he said. The butterfly flitted and twisted in the breeze. Then it turned directly towards him. Gently, and without fear, it landed on Bear's knee.

Apache Boy let himself hang for a moment. He looked at the ground and noticed Bear by the fire. He was talking to a butterfly on his knee. Uchi! Bear is like that, Boy thought. Always with the creatures, always with the beasts or the animals. Bear is truly an animal shaman. I tease him, but he is a good brother!

Bear looked up and saw Apache Boy looking at him. Then suddenly Apache Boy let go of the branch with his legs! He was falling! Before Bear could yell, apache Boy grabbed hold of a branch and somersaulted to the ground.

"Damn you, Apache Boy!" Bear yelled at him. "One of these days you will really fall! It would serve you right!"

Apache Boy grinned at him.Bear looked back at the butterfly."Worry not, little one..." he told the butterfly. "The craziness is not catching. I will

protect you."Apache Boy sat down next to Bear.They smiled at each other.

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The day passed. When the Elder returned, the sun was going down. It had been a good day. As Elder walked over to his favorite seat, Bear grabbed another piece of the rabbit Dare-Any had grilled. He was going to enjoy a tasty snack as he listened."THE MASTERS OF THE BENEATH USED THE ATL LIGHT TO CUT STONE FROM ITS PLACE IN THE EARTH. TO MOVE THE STONES, THE ATL SOUND THAT CARRIES WAS USED." Lights that cut and sound that carries? Bear thought to himself. What smart people our ancestors were!Masters of the beneath? wondered Midnight. Stoneworkers, miners probably. I wonder who these Masters were? Apache Boy wondered. I wonder if they are still around. Uchi! I wonder if they are still around.

"It was a good thing they had amazing tools to make the work easy..." Bear said.'ALL WAS NOT EASY. SPIRIT TRAILS MOVED, THE ATLS COULD NOT LABOR."

"Whoa!" said Apache Boy. "Bad news!""Oh, but they have the 'Te-hen' stones..." Bear reminded him. "They are the stone batteries that can power the ' Waddle' things." "Atl..." Lindo corrected him. "SOME LABORS USED TOO MANY TEHEN STONES. THE MASTERS HAD NOT ENOUGH. TO COMPLETE THE LABORS, THE MASTERS CREATED THE 'AL'. A CUTTER FOR USE BY THE HAND. THE LABOR OF THE HAND WAS NOT THE WAY OF THE MASTERS. TOO SMALL THE BODY TO REMOVE THE STONES, THEY COULD NOT COMPLETE SOME LABORS." "Holy cow!" Apache Boy jumped in. "If the 'Al' cuts the stones, I want one!" "Did you hear?" Little Bear smirked. "The Masters do not have the body and muscle to work in the mines. They must use tools and technology. Without weapons and tools, perhaps they are not as fearsome as I see them.""YET THE HEARTS OF THE ANNAKI WERE PROUD. MANY STONES OF DESIRE THEY SENT TO GREAT LORD AN-U. LORD AN-U WAS PLEASED WITH THE ANNAKI. MASTER CREATOR LORD EA AND THE ANNAKI MADE ERIDU A PLACE OF UR-KET, WEALTH AND POWER ONCE AGAIN." "Is that what this is all about?" wondered Lindo. "Does it always return to wealth and power? Is the White Man right in his placing money before all else?" It was Little Bear who interrupted Lindo's thoughts.

"But what about the animals on 'Airy-doo', Elder? Did the Masters not bring them to 'Airy-doo' to make the world beautiful again?" he asked. "How could they use animals for wealth and profit?"

Indio looked at Little Bear with admiration. Bear was a remarkable young man, always worried about the animals. His ability to speak to animals was better than anyone Indio had ever met. He smiled, he was proud of Little Bear."FROM THE HEART AND MIND OF MASTER CREATOR LORD EA, WAS BORN THE GARDEN OF LIFE, THE GARDEN OF E-DIN ON ERIDU." "Are not 'Eden' and 'Airy-doo' the same place, Elder?" was the next question that came to Little Bear's mind.

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"LORD MASTER EA MADE MANY PLACES ON ERIDU. EACH OF THE PLACES HAD THE CALLING OF E-DIN. ALL OF THE E-DIN PLACES AS ONE WOULD HAVE THE CALLING OF ERIDU." 'Airy-doo' was like the state, thought Indio to himself. The many Edens were like the cities. Many Edens... that will someday surprise most people.

CANCIONES DE HONOR

"THE GREAT LORD AN-U WAS MOST PROUD OF THE MASTER LORD EA AND THE ANNAKI MASTERS. TO HONOR THEM, THE GREAT AN-U HAD MANY SONGS OF THE ERIDU MASTERS MADE." "Master Creator Lord 'Aya' must have loved that!" Bear said. Elder shook his head in disagreement. "No?" Bear was surprised.Dare-Any was watching the Elder. A sudden realization came to him. "No..." he began.

"Master Lord 'Aya' would not enjoy that! I am beginning now to understand you, Elder... and Lord 'Aya'. The making of songs was an act of politics, was it not, Elder? That is what it was. The Man of Wisdom, he cares not for praise or glory. That was never the Way of the Medicine Men. What 'Di-yin' do, what all Medicine Men do, is to take honor and pride in that which he does, not from the songs and words of others. No, Elder. I know that Master Lord 'Aya' was not proud because of the praise, he was proud because of the labors."

Indio nodded. "I agree with you..." he said to Dare-Any. "The Way of Honor is in the footsteps one takes, not the words others sing."

"Why was Master Lord 'Aya' not proud of the honors, Elder?" Bear wondered. "He and the others had worked hard.""MASTER LORD EA WAS OF ANOTHER WAY. THE LIFE HE MADE IN THE GARDEN WAS HIS GREAT HONOR. DANCING WORDS DID NOT GIVE HIM HEART. THE NEW LIFE ON THE LANDS AND IN THE WATERS OF ERIDU WAS HIS HONOR. THE BEAUTY OF THE NEW SKY AND MOUNTAINS WAS HIS HONOR. LORD EA, MASTER CREATOR OF THE BEAUTY OF ERIDU, HAD HONOR IN HIS LABORS." Little Bear was proud of the Master Creator. If Bear had been of the world of the 'Ahs-ar-oo', he, too, would have chosen to become one of the Masters. He would have loved to have been a Lord Master of Animals. Then he wondered, "If the 'Black One' destroyed 'Tee-a-mot', did all of the animals on 'Airy-doo' come from the stars?""MANY CREATURES OF THE SEA LIVED ON TO SWIM IN THE WORLD OF ERIDU. CREATURES THAT CAME FROM 'AN' BECAME PART OF LIFE ON ERIDU. IN THIS DAY, THE LOOK OF CREATURES OF THE STARS AND CREATURES OF ERIDU ARE THE SAME." "You mean that some of our animals on this world were born on another world millions of years ago?" asked Little Bear. The Elder nodded his head. "Huta!" Bear said. "Can you imagine that?"

"Some of our creatures look like alien beings," Midnight commented. "They look unlike any other animals."

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"So do some our humans, " joked Lindo, looking at Bear again. "Truly they look like aliens!"

Indio shot a quick concerned glance at Dare-Any. Dare-Any returned his glance. Neither spoke a word, neither made a gesture.

"Only the Sioux!" Bear snapped back.Lindo stood up and glared at Bear."Quietos! Both of You!" Indio ordered them.Bear and Lindo stopped for a moment."Hai!" Apache Boy trying to change the situation. "The Elder said that creatures of

'Airy-doo' and the creatures of the stars look the same now. After maybe millions of years, it would not be possible for us to tell them apart."

"That is true..." Midnight joined in. "To recreate an atmosphere, create new plant life, fix the world and make new animals.. .that must have taken millions of years!"

"At least!" added Little Bear."But that would make the Master Lord Creator that old too!" Midnight surmised.Fitting for the Creator to be millions of years old, thought Indio."He must have been tired..." Little Bear said.

"FOR SU TEBU..."The Elder stopped and began again. "FOR SIX PERIODS OF LABOR, THE LORD

MASTER MADE HIS WORK. IN SEFEK TEBU, IN THE SEVENTH PERIOD OF LABOR, THEN DID HE REST."

"He created the world in six days, says the Bible..." Bear remembered. "And on the seventh day, he rested."

"Then the Lord of Creation of the Bible must be about Master Creator Lord 'Aya'!" Lindo said. "If there truly is a God, it must have been him!"

"It appears that is the case..." Indio agreed."And just think..." Little Bear added. "Master Creator 'Aya' the One who maybe we call

God, actually walked on the face of the Earth, just like us!"He walked on the face of the Earth! Indio thought. He walked on the face of the Earth!

Could it be? Could 'Aya' be 'Iesu', the name only slightly changed? And he was the son of the Great Lord An, the Supreme Lord of the Stars! Can it only be a coincidence that all these things the Elder from the stars is telling us almost match the Bible?

Lindo interrupted Indio's thoughts. "Lord 'Aya' lived at Eden, Elder, could he have walked the Americas?"

The Elder turned his head slightly."He does not understand..." Dare-Any told Lindo. "Say it again differently.""Did Lord 'Aya' walk on these lands we are on now?" Lindo tried again. "MASTER

CREATOR LORD EA WALKED ON ALL THE LANDS OF ERIDU. SO TOO, HE WALKED THE OCEAN BENEATH. LORD EA WAS STRONG OF HEART IN THE TWO PLACES BUT HIS PLACE OF DESIRE, THIS PLACE WAS IN THE BENEATH WATERS."

Little Bear made a face. "I do not understand. He preferred to live under the water? Is that not strange? He actually preferred to live under the water?" "THAT IS SO."

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"Elder?" Lindo wondered. "Were not the Gardens of Life that the Lord Master Creator made on the land somewhere?"

The Elder nodded."But you say his favorite place was under the water?" Lindo continued.The Elder nodded again.Lindo felt as if he had missed something."So..." Indio tried to pick up the thought. "The Gardens of Life were on the land but Lord

'Aya's favorite home was under the water? Is that correct, Elder?""THAT IS SO. MANY HOMES HAD LORD EA, HIS HEART WAS WITH THE BENEATH WATERS PLACE.

"Can you tell us, Elder..." Indio asked. "Did the 'beneath waters' home of Lord 'Aya' have a name, have a calling?"

"THE BENEATH WATERS HOUSE OF LORD EA HAD THE CALLING 'TI-ESH'."I remember that, Indio thought. "The most sacred chamber! Like the chamber in the

'House of Life', remember? The 'tee-esh' is the most sacred chamber."Dare-Any had a thought. "Elder...?" he began. "Does the 'Sacred Chamber' of Lord 'Aya'

look like a pyramid?""No, wait!" he stopped himself. "Does the 'House of Life' have walls that look like

triangles?"Elder looked at Dare-Any without answering.Dare-Any drew a triangle on the ground.The Elder looked down. "THIS HOUSE OF

LIFE HAD THIS FORM.""I was right!" Dare-Any exclaimed. "The Healing of Death took place in the pyramid!

The chamber that the Elder called 'tee-esh'!"Dare-Any made a quick spin, one of his pow-wow moves, as he tried to think how to ask

another of his questions."Can you tell us, Elder?" he continued. "Did the Lord Creator have a calling for the place of his home? I know his home was 'tee-esh', but did the place have a calling?" "THE CALLING WAS 'ATL-AN', 'POWER OF HEAVEN'."

Little Bear made a face. "Atl-an?"Lindo and Midnight turned to look at each other. Their eyes were open in great

astonishment. Apache Boy looked at Bear and wondered if he had heard what he had just said. The words he had used should have sounded familiar.

"Is that where the 'tee-esh' of Lord 'Aya' was, Elder?" Dare-Any tried to press his idea home.

"THE PLACE AND FAVORED HOUSE OF LORD MASTER CREATOR EA WAS 'TI-ESH' OF 'ATL-AN'... THAT IS SO."

Dare-Any stood stunned. His hypothesis was right.Indio sat down hard! Lindo and Midnight continued to stare at each other. Apache Boy

got up and walked to his blanket. Little Bear suddenly realized what the Elder had just said.The Elder continued to stare at Dare-Any. Dare-Any said nothing.Without a word, Indio stood up and walked into the trees.

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Bear watched him go. Very well, Brother, this time, it shall not worry me... much. He turned to the Elder to ask if they could adjourn for the night.

The Elder was gone.Uchi! thought Bear. He is beginning to act like Dare-Any more and more. Indio is not

going to like that.

ES MI VIDA

Hours later, Indio walked back into camp.Midnight was locked in one of his many wrestling matches with Apache Boy. Lindo was

in a conversation with Bear, half-heartedly watching Midnight and Apache Boy raising dust. Dare-Any was not in sight, probably on one of his many solitary ventures into the darkness.

The Elder was also gone.Lindo saw Indio first. "Are you all right?" he called out to Indio.Apache Boy and Midnight stopped to look at Indio."Yes!" answered Indio. "Yes, thank you!"Bear stood up and walked over to his brother."Are you all right, brother?" he pressed."Yes, Bear, yes..." Indio reassured his brother. He was very happy he had a little brother

like Bear.Midnight stood up and picked up Apache Boy, dusting him off. Then he knocked him

down again walked over to the campfire."Hey!" Apache Boy yelled at him.Midnight picked up a piece of meat and offered it to Indio. "We saved some of the rabbit

Dare-Any fixed. Are you hungry?"Indio made his way to the fire."Yes, thank you, Brother..." he said. "I am quite hungry.""We worried about you..." Lindo told him. "You seemed very disturbed. We saw the look

of a startled stallion in your eyes.""Spooked!" Bear added. "Very spooked!""Thank you, Brothers..." Indio answered them. "It is just that at times what the Elder tells

us is very hard to accept and believe. Though he answers many questions and I have no doubt he is telling us the truth because it all makes sense, at times it is just a little overwhelming!"

"I know the feeling!" Little Bear agreed.Lindo and Midnight nodded their heads, they too knew what it felt like to hear the many

revelations of the Elder."It is as if I must unlearn everything that I was taught in school..." Little Bear explained."That is exactly what we must do!" Indio said, appreciating the word Bear used. "You are

very, very right, Little Brother! We must un-learn all that we think we know.""We must learn to stop thinking as humans!" came a voice from the woods.Everyone turned around. It was Dare-Any.

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"Damn you!" Lindo snapped at Dare-Any. "Why do you feel you must always sneak up on us like that?"

Dare-Any grinned."Sneak up on Indians?" he smirked. "Is that possible?"He walked in and sat down next to Indio."We must learn to stop thinking as we have been taught. We must leave the world of

reasoning like Humans!" he said. "To capture the deer, we must think like the deer. To find and capture the coyote, we must think like the coyote. The ways of the Star Beings cannot be ours, until we begin to think, and reason, as they do. We cannot deny the existence of something, just because we cannot understand it. If we are not able to understand the workings of the 'House of Life', we must not deny it exists."

He paused for a moment.The others listened carefully to him, they knew his 'Way of the Warrior' had made him a

powerful Medicine Man. Though he had rejected the right to create his own 'Way', the wisdom he possessed was the Wisdom of Elders.

"Open your minds, Brothers..." he told them. "Those in the world of the White Man deny that the flying disks exist. Because of this thinking, the disks will always be invisible to them."

Indio nodded in agreement. Dare-Any was right."I have heard 'Heya Sioux' words like these before..." Indio told the others."Did you grow up with these words, Dare-Any?" asked Bear.Dare-Any looked at Bear, the memories came rushing back."I was asleep on the ground..." he began. "I woke up to see my Grandfather sitting next to

me. He had taken me to his favorite hillside to see the dancing stars in the sky. I looked up at them, they were wondrous! They were so beautiful when they twinkled! I turned to my grandfather to see that he saw me looking at the stars."

Dare-Any smiled."He told me the stars were 'Spirit Dancers'..." he told them. "They suspend themselves in

the sky and let their feet come down to the ground lightly. 'That is the way they dance', he said. 'That is the way you must dance at a pow-wow', he told me. 'In this way of dancing you shall be as they are."

Dare-Any looked at all of them again."I have never forgotten that..." Dare-Any said. "It has become the way I dance at a pow-

wow. I do not dance on the ground and reach for the sky. I dance in the sky and reach for the earth. It is for my grandfather that I do this..."

The others were hypnotized by his words."It has taught me this..." Dare-Any continued. "Man has trapped himself on earth because

he looks up. Freedom will come to those who look down from the skies.""Remember! Up is down, black is white, and everything you have ever been taught is a

lie! Accept nothing, reject everything and challenge everyone! The Warrior chooses his own path - of his own mind and of his own heart!" he told them.

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"We are Warriors! Each one of us!" he continued. "Feel what the Elder tells us, see it in your minds! We have the Blood of Warriors, the Minds of Warriors, the Spirit of Warriors! Let us do honor, let us be the honor, for our Ancestors and ourselves!"

Little Bear stood up. He lifted his hand to Dare-Any. Dare-Any grasped Bear's forearm in a Warrior handshake. Lindo came forward. He placed his hand on the forearms of the other two. Then Apache Boy and Midnight placed each of their hands on the others. They looked at Indio. He walked forward. As he placed his hand over the arms of the others, he was proud!

"Let our eyes look down from the heavens..." he said.

The afternoon had been very frustrating for Indio. He had wanted to talk to the Elder, to clear up what he had told them, or, at least what Indio had thought the Elder had told them.The others had gone for supplies, only he and Lindo were in the camp. While Lindo was cleaning up, Indio went to see if he could find some wood for the fire. But picking up the pieces of wood only reminded him of picking up the pieces of knowledge that the Elder was giving them. Indio wanted more and more, his thirst for information and revelations grew as he took in what was being offered, Where could the Elder be right now? "I AM ALWAYS HERE."

The voice made Indio jump and drop his load of firewood. He dropped to the ground and scanned the tree line around him. Nothing was there. He waited quietly and motionless, straining every sense, trying to hear or see something. Suddenly, he saw motion. It was to his right. Then the figure was visible. It seemed to glide towards him. Still, he waited for the right moment to make himself known.

What if it was the Elder, he suddenly thought? His body relaxed for a moment.And in the split second that he paused, a body was suddenly on top of him. It had attacked

from behind. A sudden blackness came over him.Wait a minute! he thought. What...?It was just then Midnight and Apache Boy burst out in uncontrollable laughter. Indio

struggled with the sack over his head. Then he heard Dare-Any and Bear laughing as well. He realized he had just been fooled.

"Get this thing off of my head!" he yelled.This only made the others laugh harder.Finally, as he ripped the bag off, he felt Midnight lift up off his back."Ho! Brother!" Midnight said. "You are getting slower!"Indio gave him a dirty look."Perhaps he is getting old..." laughed Apache Boy.Indio stood up, brushing the leaves off."I think we may have scared the words right out of him..." Lindo suggested. "He says

nothing, he does not protest.""Indio? Out of words?" smiled Midnight. "Impossible!""Tell us, Brother..." said Apache Boy. "Why do you lie on the ground out here?"Indio looked at all of them, trying to think of a way to explain the voice. "I... I thought I

heard something."

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"Uchi!" Apache Boy said. "Be thankful it was not one of the hungry creatures of the forest!"

"Ah, but it was!" Lindo countered, looking at Midnight."Be careful, Brother..." warned Midnight. "Lest I devour a careless Sioux not mindful of

his words.""Let us go..." Apache Boy said, picking up the bags. "I am getting hungry with this talk."Everyone picked up a bag and started back to camp. As they began to make their way

throught the trees, for a moment, Indio paused and looked back.It was quiet.

ATLANTIS

The stars seem dull tonight, thought Indio to himself. Perhaps they are tired, as I am. He turned to the others, they were resting. Apache Boy had cooked an excellent mean tonight, everyone iss very full.

"It is still tonight..." Lindo said as he came over to sit next to Indio. "Very silent."Indio nodded. He wondered where the Elder was.Everyone had started to talk again about some of the Elder's revelations."There is so much I want to ask..." Lindo said."As do I..." Midnight echoed."As do we all..." Indio added."What do you want to ask about...?" Bear asked Lindo."I think I would like to ask more about..." Lindo started."Ben-ben!" Bear and Apache Boy answered in chorus.Lindo made a face at them."What would you like to ask?" Midnight turned to Indio"I think I would like to ask about the underwater home of Lord 'Aya'..." Indio began. "I

wanted to ask if the 'Tee-esh' home of Lord 'Aya' in the place of 'Atlan' could be 'Tee-esh Atlan'?"

"IT IS.""What the...!" Indio nearly jumped out of his skin."Uchi!" Bear fell over."Holy cow!" Apache Boy let out.Everyone had been totally surprised.The Elder was sitting on his log right next to Indio!"Holy sh..." Lindo nearly let out. "How did he... Where did he...?!"Damn it! Indio thought to himself. Damn it! Damn it! How did he do that?!Little Bear picked himself up. "How did he do that, Indio?" he asked. "Where did he

come from?""I don't know!" Indio snapped.Realizing his error, he apologized. "I am sorry, little brother. I was surprised by the

Elder. I did not mean to be so harsh on you." He patted his brother on the shoulder.

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"Wow! Wow! Wow!" Apache Boy was saying. "What a trick. That was great!""Whew!" Midnight shook his head.Indio sat back down. His heart had stopped beating so fast. Ay, Ay, Ay! That was most

certainly a Dare-Any trick."Wow!" Apache Boy said again. "Elder, that was excellent!"The Elder nodded at him. Indio wasn't sure if he was smiling at them or not."Elder...?" Indio began. "We humans have a legend about an ancient land that was

called... 'Atlantis'.""Holy cow!" Apache Boy exclaimed. "Atlantis! Holy Cow!"Indio shrugged off Apache Boy's interruption."It is a place..." he continued. "...that sank below the waters because of an earthquake or

something. The home land of Lord Master 'Aya', could it have the calling of 'Atlan Tee-esh'?""Holy cow! Apache Boy repeated. "Atlantis! Holy cow!"Indio motioned him to stay still. Apache Boy was beyond himself with surprise. He could

not sit still."Holy cow..." he leaned towards Bear. "Atlantis!""Elder?" Indio asked again. "Could the 'beneath-waters' place of Lord Master Creator

'Aya' have the calling of 'Atlan Tee-esh'?""THE CALLING COULD BE AS YOU SAY."

"Holy cow!" Apache Boy could not believe it. The tales of Atlantis had been some of his favorite legends.

Uchi! Bear was stunned."Can you tell us more about this place, Elder?" Indio asked. "THE TI-ESH OF ATL-AN

OF LORD MASTER CREATOR EA WAS OF GREAT WONDER. IT WAS THE PLACE OF THE FIRST LU-LU, THE FIRST HUMAN MEN."

"Then it was real!" Apache Boy was excited. "Plato wrote about it and he was right! Atlantis existed!"

"But you say there was more than one, Elder?' Indio kept pressing his questions. "How many were there? Where was...? Where were they? Are they still...?"

"Whoa!" Bear tried to calm his Brother. He had never seen his older Brother as excited as he was now. "Hold on, big Brother! Slow down! You act as if you were me or Apache Boy."

Indio looked at him. Bear was right, he was getting too excited, but he could not help himself. "I am sorry, Elder..." he apologized.

Bear smiled at his older brother. It was good to be able to tell him something once in a while.

"THE UA TI-ESH OF ATL-AN WAS THE MOST DESIRED HOUSE OF LIFE OF LORD MASTER EA. IN THIS PLACE, THE GREAT WATERS HELD THE HOUSE SAFE. IN THE WAR OF THE STARS, THE HOME OF LORD EA WAS DESTROYED. THREE MORE TI-ESH OF ATLAN WERE MADE BY MASTER CREATOR LORD EA. ONE TI-ESH OF ATLAN WAS NEAR THE PLACE MEN SPEAK OF."

The six were stunned.Dios mio! thought Indio. Atlantis was real! But not just once... four times!"Uchi!" Apache Boy let out. "Atlantis! Four different Atlantis colonies! The world will

not believe it! They will not believe it!"

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"Ni siquiera!" Bear agreed.They all sat quietly for a moment, reflecting on the revelation. Lindo was the first to break the silence."What was it like, Elder?" he asked. "Was the place of 'Tee-esh' like? Our stories say

that the 'Tee-esh' of 'Atlan' was a place of wonder.""THE BEAUTY OF TI-ESH ATL-AN NO MAN HAS SEEN. A PLACE OF DANCING LIFE AND MUCH WONDER, A PLACE THAT ONLY A LORD MASTER CREATOR COULD MAKE REAL." "But some men got to see it, Elder..." Lindo said. "Or they could not have written about it, is that not so?""NO HUMAN VISITED UA TI-ESH OF ATL-AN, THE FIRST GARDEN. THE WORDS OF THIS PLACE CAME FROM ANNAKI THAT WERE THERE." "But did not the 'First Man' live in the Garden?" an unsure Midnight asked. "Many of our stories say that Man, the 'First Man', came from the Garden. Is that not true, Elder?" "THAT IS AS IT IS." "But you just said no human visited the first garden?" Midnight challenged. "How is that possible, Elder?"Bear was surprised at Midnight's boldness. "THE FIRST MAN AND HUMANS ARE NOT THE SAME. BOTH ARE A BEING WITH THE LOOK OF EACH OTHER BUT ARE NOT THE SAME." "Holy cow!" Apache Boy let out. "The first men of this planet were not humans! Then it is as our legends say. The men of the First World were different than we are today! Huta! Our Elders speak of an old legend that was really true!"

Bear smiled. He was proud that the Elders knew the truth. Their legends were right, the White Man was wrong!'THE STORIES OF MEN ARE OF THE KEMET TI-ESH OF ATL-AN, THE THIRD GARDEN OF LIFE." Indio pondered what the Elder had just told them. It was the third 'Atlantis' that the stories of Man had come from.

"Elder..." he wondered. "Our stories about Atlantis say that it was destroyed. Some of the people who lived beyond the death of Atlantis were our 'Ancient Ones'. Is that right, Elder?"" 'SOME OF THE 'OLD ONES' OF MAN HAVE COME FROM THE TI-ESH OF ATL-AN, THE THIRD GARDEN OF LIFE." "So some of our 'Ancient Ones' walked with the Gods?" Midnight reflected. "It must be where we got the idea of heaven, I bet.""And the Masters of Lord 'Aya' were the Gods of the ancient books..." Apache Boy added. "Beings from the sky, angels from heaven." "But to us they were Gods..." Lindo said. "Como no..." Bear agreed.

"Are these the Gods that Man worshipped, Elder?" Lindo asked. "Are these the Gods of our ancient religions?"

"LORD MASTER CREATOR EA DID NOT PERMIT ANY ANNAKI TO HAVE HONORS ABOVE OTHERS IN THE TI-ESH OF ATL-AN. ONLY HIS FATHER, THE GREAT LORD AN-U, WAS THE OBJECT OF PRAISE."

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"Huta!" Bear was surprised. "Lord 'Aya' did not permit worship of Masters in the Gardens! A heaven with Men and Gods but no worshipping! Huta! The priests could not have been very happy with that!"

"Nor the Gods..." muttered Midnight.A world without religion, pondered Indio. Could that be? If that is so, how and when did

the idea of worshipping Gods begin?"Where was the last 'Tee-esh' of 'At-lan', Elder?" asked Apache Boy. "TIME WILL

BRING THIS TO YOU. NOW WE MUST SPEAK OF TIARRA, HEART OF TI-ESH OF ATL-AN."

"Tee-arr-a?" repeated Apache Boy. "That sounds like I have heard it before."Indio was puzzled too. Tiarra was not a name he knew but it did sound familiar. "IT

IS FROM TIARRA THAT THE NAME OF THIS WORLD IS BORN. YOU ARE TIARRANS'."

"Uchi!" Apache Boy leaned forward."Tee-arr-a!" He almost shouted. "Tierra! That is the name for earth or ground in

Spanish! Holy Cow! Holy cow!" Apache Boy was excited. He jumped up, he could not stand still. 'Tierra!' he kept repeating. 'Tierra'!

Everyone was watching Apache Boy.Bear thought Apache Boy was funny when he was excited."Cal'ma te!" Midnight told Apache Boy. "Calm down, Boy!"Apache Boy couldn't hear him."Tierra! he repeated, running over to Midnight and looking him straight in the eye.

Apache Boy was excited with the revelation.Lindo was watching Apache Boy intently. Indio caught his look. Lindo seemed to be

frowning, as whatever he was thinking about bothered him."What is it, Lindo?" asked Indio.Lindo turned sideways to look at Indio."I was wondering..." he began."What, Brother?" Indio urged him on."I was wondering..." Lindo started again. "Elder seems to know where many of our words

come from. 1 wonder if he, I mean, I wonder if he would know where the name 'Sioux' is from. How it came to be, I mean?

Indio turned to the Elder."That is a good question..." Indio said. "Elder? Could you tell us if you know where the

name 'Sioux' comes from?"" 'ZU' IS THE CALLING OF THOSE WHO ARE MASTERS OF KNOWING. 'SU' IS THE CALLING OF THOSE WHO HAVE MUCH KNOWING AND IS THE CALLING OF THOSE WHO SHOW THE WAY OF KNOWING TO OTHERS."

"Holy cow!" Apache Boy was caught up in his enthusiasm. "Hey, Lindo! You bring 'knowing' to our circle! In the Sioux is the wisdom of the Star People! Huta! Con mucho lumbre! Congratulations, Brother! And thank you!"

Lindo beamed. Now he was really proud!Midnight paused for a moment. He hesitated asking about his heritage.

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"Elder, what of the 'Dineh'?" he asked carefully. The 'Dineh' people were called Navajo by others."

The Elder turned to him. "THE 'DIN-E' WERE MASTERS OF LORD EA IN THE GARDEN OF E-DIN."Apache Boy jumped up. Again!"Huta!" he yelped. "Hutal"Midnight smiled. He was of the blood of those who lived with the Lord Creator in the

Garden of Eden long, long ago.Apache was jumping up and down. Midnight was surprised. Apache Boy was actually

jumping up and down for Midnight and Lindo."What is with you?" Midnight asked him. "You are not of 'La-kota" or 'Dineh' blood.

Why do you celebrate?""Do you not see, Brother?" Apache Boy was grinning. "You are descended of the Masters

who lived in the garden of Eden! Huta!"Apache Boy jumped away from Midnight and began making dance moves like the ones he

used in pow-wows. Then he jumped up and down. Then he danced. Bear stared at him. He liked it when Apache Boy did his jumping up and down. He was so funny, Bear thought.

Midnight was smiling as he turned to Indio. Indio smiled back at him. Lindo came over and patted Midnight on the shoulders.

"We should both be very proud, Brother..." he said.Bear looked nervously at Indio. Indio saw him. He knew what he was thinking. They

were not 'Dineh', they had Hopi blood in their veins."What of the Hopi name, Elder?" asked Indio. "Is there a link to the Garden of the Lord

Creator in the calling?"Bear turned to the Elder, hoping that there was a connection.. " 'HAPI' IS A CALLING OF LORD MASTER CREATOR EA. AS A LORD TO

MASTERS BA-AL, HE HAD THE CALLING OF 'HAPI'. THE 'HAPI' ARE OF THOSE WHO ARE IN SERVICE TO LORD MASTER CREATOR EA."

"Huta!" yelped Apache Boy again. Bounce! Bounce! Bounce! Apache Boy was filled with endless energy.

"Bear!" he yelled. "You, too, have the blood of those who walked with Lord Master Ea! Huta!"

Bear was smiling. His grin nearly went from ear to ear. Indio walked over and hugged him. Bear was almost in tears.

"Huta! Huta!" yelled Apache Boy again and again.Lindo watched Apache Boy jumping up and down. He looked much like a grass-hopper

he thought."Apache Boy!" Dare-Any interrupted his revelry."What, Brother??" he wanted to know. Apache Boy was very excited for his Brothers, he

could not understand Dare-Any's interruption."Apache Boy!" Dare-Any tried to interject."Yes, Brother! What?" he asked, a frown on his face."Are you not curious about our own people...?" Dare-Any asked him.

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Apache Boy was stunned. His joy for the others had made him oblivious to his own roots. "Holy cow!" he said. "Yes! Yes!" He turned to the Elder.

"My Brother Dare-Any and I are Apache, Elder..." he said. "Can you tell us of our people? Did they know of Lord 'Aya'?' Dare-Any looked to the Elder.

"'TCHE' IS WISDOM. LORD MASTER EA HAD THE CALLING 'HAPI'. THE TEACHERSOF THE WISDOM OF HAPI HAD THE CALLING 'HAPI-TCHE.'" "Huuutttaaa!" yelled

Apache Boy, leaping in the air. "We are of Lord 'Aya' too! We all are!"Indio smiled. Apache Boy was dancing, really dancing!"There, Brother!" Boy almost shouted at Dare-Any. "Is it not an honor? We are

descended of the Teachers of the Wisdom of Lord 'Aya'! Huta!"Everyone was proud to find out their heritage had such impressive roots. They all beamed

and congratulated each other.Dare-Any, however, did not take his eyes off of the Elder. The Elder turned and looked back at him."Huta!" yelled Apache Boy again and again. Bear was really excited. Even Indio was

excited."Wait!" Midnight suddenly stopped. "Wait a minute!" "What?" Lindo was wondering what Midnight was doing. Bear and Indio turned to look at Midnight. Midnight had furrowed his eyebrows. "Wait..." he repeated."Elder...?" he started to ask. "Are all Indian peoples - all 'red men' - are we all descended

of Lord 'Aya'?""IN THE PLACE OF LORD MASTER CREATOR EA, THE EYE-LIGHT OF DESIRE HASYOUR CALLING OF RED." "Eye light?" repeated Apache Boy. "What is that?" The Elder looked at Apache Boy for a moment."IN THE PLACE OF LORD MASTER CREATOR EA, THE COLOR OF DESIRE HAS THECALLING RED." "Eye light means color..." repeated

Apache Boy. "Wow!"The light that enters the eye is red, thought Indio. What an excellent way to refer to the

colors we see."IN THIS WAY, THE CHAIR OF HONOR OF LORD EA WAS RED, THE HEADCOVERING OF LORD EA WAS RED AND THE HOME OF LIFE OF LORD EA WAS RED.LORD MASTER CREATOR EA HAD THE CALLING LORD MASTER OF THE RED." I

wonder if Lords of the stars are like kings, Lindo thought."If Lord Master 'Aya' was like a king on Earth, does that mean that the 'chair of honor' was a 'throne', Elder?" asked Lindo. The Elder paused for a moment.

"THAT IS AS IT IS."

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"The 'chair of honor' of Lord Master 'Aya' was a throne that was red..." Lindo said. Thinking it out a little further, he observed, "Then the 'head covering' was a crown that was red."

Midnight jumped in."Then the 'House of Life' which we believe to be the Pyramid..." Midnight began with

some hesitance. "It sounds like it was... red???"Indio was baffled as well. Midnight had made a good point. Was the Great Pyramid red?

They had never heard that the Great Pyramid was red. Perhaps it was yet another pyramid hidden somewhere that was actually red.

"THE MASTERS OF LORD MASTER CREATOR EA WERE KNOWN AS MASTERS OF THE RED THRONE, MASTERS OF THE RED CROWN AND MASTERS OF THE RED HOUSE OF LIFE."

"TO BRING FORTH MAN, LORD MASTER CREATOR EA USED LIFE WATER UNLIKE THAT OF THE ANNAKI. THE LIFE WATER OF MAN WAS RED. IN THIS WAY, LORD MASTER CREATOR EA MADE THE FIRST RED MAN." "Life water..." Indio said out loud. "It must be blood." "Holy cow!" Apache Boy said, completely surprised. "Uchi!" Bear agreed with Apache Boy. "Ay, Ay, Ay!" Lindo said under his breath.Indio looked at Lindo. "You took the words right out of my mouth." "So that is why..." Midnight began, his thoughts raced ahead of his words. "Wow!" Apache Boy said. He was still overwhelmed."If that is true..." Midnight began again. "Then not only is the Indian a 'Red Man' but so

too are all men descended of the first 'Red Man'."All of us, all men are Indians?" Bear asked confused at what he had heard. "No..." Indio told his brother. "All men are descended of the first 'Red Man'. We are called 'Red Men' because of an explorer who had to find a way to describe us in a way others could understand. We are called Indians because of an explorer who thought he was in India and was confused. All men are not Native American 'Indians'."

"Thank you confused explorers for making our world more confused..." Bear said with some exasperation.

The Elder startled the six."NOT ALL MEN ARE DESCENDED OF THE FIRST RED MAN." "What?!" Midnight was the first to react. "Then where did they come from?" "Who did they come from?" Lindo added. Everyone turned to face the Elder. "THERE ARE MEN OF EARTH WHO ARE BORN OF OTHER LORD MASTER CREATORS." Midnight wanted to know more. "Can you tell us who they are, Elder?" he asked. "LORD MASTER CREATORS OF THE BLUE THRONE MADE MEN OF THE BLUE LIFE WATER." "Holy cow..." Apache Boy said. "Blue bloods!" Midnight nodded, his eyes transfixed.

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"Royals of the Earth...?" Lindo wondered. "Are the stories true?""Blue bloods who have justified their thrones with the blood of comman man..." Indio

offered."1 wonder if there were other types of bloods..." Midnight wondered.At that moment, Dare-Any stepped forward."Elder...?" he asked. "You have told us that the calling of Wisdom is 'Tche', is that

right?""THAT IS AS IT IS."

"Elder...?" Dare-Any continued.Indio could feel something coming, he knew Dare-Any."We call ourselves 'men'..." Dare-Any started. "Would it be correct to say that a 'Man of

Wisdom', one who knows of the ways of Lord 'Aya' would we be right in calling him a 'Tche Man'?"

"Holy cow!" Apache Boy nearly jumped up again.Indio's jaw nearly dropped. A'shaman'! Of course!

"THAT IS AS IT IS."Damn! thought Indio. So that is where that comes from!"Huta!" Apache Boy could not get over the idea.Bear looked at Dare-Any.Dare-Any showed no emotion."Huta!" said a very excited Apache Boy. "Our teachers were 'Men of Wisdom'! Our

teachers were 'Tche-Men'! Yeee-aah!"Midnight and Lindo were grinning. Little Bear and Indio put an arm around each other's

shoulder."Our ancestors..." Bear turned to the others. "Truly we can be proud of them. They were

born of the stars and carried forward the wisdom of the stars!'Apache Boy was excited. He was dancing around, he wanted to pow-wow."Pow-wow!" Apache Boy yelled. "Pow-wow!"Lindo and Midnight looked at each other."Fry bread!" they echoed.Little Bear was smiling from ear to ear. Fry bread? he heard.Even Indio smiled. "It would be good..." he said. "We should take time to dance and

celebrate. We should take a break. We shall talk of this in the morning."Dare-Any stood behind the others. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the Elder

moving away. Dare-Any smiled. Good move, he thought.

Midnight really felt like he needed a cup of coffee. He hated the stuff, but he needed something really strong. He fought the drowsiness. He had not had a very good night's sleep. Atlantis kept jumping in and out of his head. Red men and shamans, men and Gods in a Garden long, long ago. A Lord Creator from the stars, a war in the solar system, dying planets and a re-born Earth. What an amazing story. Think of it, a world of Gods and men, where no

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worship was permitted. He could actually imagine a world like that. It would be just like the world his grandfather had described long ago. "THAT IS JUST AS IT WAS."

"Ptooooo!" Midnight spit the coffee out in a stream. He nearly jumped out of his skin. "Whaa!!?" he spluttered, falling to the ground. "Who...!?"

Lindo was walking in from early morning 'predator' watch. He heard Midnight jump and saw him fall to the ground. Lindo crouched down and made his way carefully over to Midnight.

"What is it?" he asked in a whisper. "What do you see?"Midnight looked around. He could see no one... nothing!Lindo scanned the tree line to the west and north."What!?" he asked Midnight again. "What is it? What do you see""I... I..." he tried to make sense of what had happened. "I guess I was... I think I... I mean

I..."Lindo could see he was confused."I guess I am still tired..." Midnight finally said. "I probably saw nothing. Forget it,

brother."Lindo stared at him. He knew that was not true."Very well, Brother..." Lindo said. "Drink your coffee. This is a difficult time for all of

us. We hear things that are unlike anything we have been taught is true. Our heads are spinning."

Midnight nodded his head. He put the cup to his lips to sip it gently. How true, brother, how true.

"Besides..." Lindo said, turning to find his blanket. "You had more fry bread than I have ever seen you eat before?"

HOMBRES Y DIOS

Apache Boy really wanted to know.When the Elder returned to sit with them, Apache Boy was ready to ask his question."Elder..." he began. "Can you tell us why Man was made?"The Elder sat motionless. He lowered his head.Midnight wondered if the question had upset the Elder. Perhaps we should not be asking

this question.The Elder turned to Midnight. "DO

YOU WISH THIS KNOWING?"Midnight turned to Indio.Indio sensed that there might be more to the answer than they expected. He looked at Bear

and Midnight, then Apache Boy and Lindo. Dare-Any was ready to accept his look when Indio turned to him. Dare-Any nodded at him. Indio accepted the acknowledgment, then turned to Midnight.

"Ask..." he told Midnight.

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Midnight turned back to the Elder."Yes... yes, Elder..." said. "Yes, I am sure."Apache Boy shivered. What did I just ask, he wondered.

"MAN WAS CREATED TO SERVE THE STAR BEINGS." Serve the Star Beings or serve God, is there really any difference, Indio wondered. God is, by definition, a being from the stars.

"To serve the star beings...?" Apache Boy said. "That is not so bad. 1 wonder why the Elder hesitated to answer."

Perhaps you did not understand what the Elder really said, Dare-Any thought to himself. "Did 'God' create us, Elder?" Bear asked.

"THIS CALLING IS NOT IN MY KNOWING." "God is what we call the final power in heaven..." Indio tried to explain. "God is the first being of the universe... of the void."

"Wah...?" Midnight remembered. "Were we created by 'Wah', the 'One' of this universe, Elder?""UA, THE ONE, DID NOT CREATE MAN. MAN WAS OF THE MAKING OF LORD MASTER CREATOR EA AND LADY MASTER CREATOR NIN-HUR-SAG." "Lord Master Creator 'Aya' and his sister?" Midnight let out. "We were created by two Master Creators?"

"Just a moment..." Indio interrupted. "Do you know the calling 'God' in the words of the star beings?""IT IS THE CALLING OF A MASTER CREATOR OF LIFE. THE CALLING IS 'KAD'. THE MASTERS DESTROYERS OF LIFE ARE THE 'DAKV "The calling 'Kod' is almost the same as the calling 'God'..." Indio said. Then Indio thought for a second."Is the calling 'Kod' the reverse of the calling 'Dok'?" he wondered. "Uchi!" Apache Boy just realized. "The name 'Dok' is the opposite of 'Kad', the 'Master Creators of Life' are the opposite of the 'Master Destroyers of Life'." Indio was surprised by Apache Boy's analysis of the words.

"Is that right, Elder?" Indio asked. "Is the name of a destroyer the reverse of the name of a creator?"

Dare-Any leaned forward to hear the answer."IN THE WORDS OF THE STARS, THAT IS

AS IT IS." "Wow!" Apache Boy was surprised. "I was right?!""Do other callings have reverse meanings, Elder? Can you give us another example?"

Indio asked."THAT WHICH IS OF THE SKY IS CALLED 'BEK', THAT WHICH IS OF THE GROUND IS CALLED 'KEB'." To say the sound one way is the opposite of saying it in the reverse way. Amazing, how simple, thought Indio. The Elder continued. "THAT WHICH IS OF THE STARS IS CALLED 'SEB'. THAT WHICH IS OF BELOW THE GROUND IS CALLED 'BES'."

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"So then..." Lindo commented, "...the title 'God' comes from 'Kad', a creator, is that right, Elder?"

"THAT IS AS IT IS.""Then the word 'God' is just a title, it is not a name, is it?" Lindo continued. "If I say

'God damn it!', I am not using 'God's name in vain, because it is not his name!""Very good..." Midnight nodded his approval."Uchi!" Apache Boy joined in. "The priests are not going to like that idea!"Indio stood up. A sobering thought came to him."Then Lord Master Creator 'Aya' really was the 'God', or 'Kad' that created Mankind in

the Bible!" it occurred to him. "But he was not the 'God', but a 'God'! And, if his sister helped him create Man, then she too is part of the 'God' in the Bible! 'God' in the Bible is really the Lord Master Creator and his sister!"

Midnight was shaking his head. "No wonder it is so confusing...""Yes..." Apache Boy said, almost relieved, "...and then if another creator helped in any way, then that 'Kad' would also be part of the Genesis myth! Wow!" "THAT IS AS IT IS."

Indio was astonished. No wonder Man was so bewildered.Midnight stood up."Heeee-Yaaaaah!" he yelled, making fists and shaking them at the sky. He gave everyone

quite a start."Whoa!" Apache Boy leaned back on his log away from the shouting Midnight. "What

the...""Yeeeaaaah!" Midnight finished, shaking his head wildly from side to side. His fists were

clenched tightly. He stood in his defiant position.Everyone stared at him."Huta!" he said to them. "Do you see, brothers! It is as I have said all along! The White

Man's world is a lie! It is a world of deceit and trickster pranks."He reached up and pulled the tie from his hair. With a sudden lean forward, he nearly

touched the ground with his head, then threw his head back so that his hair went flying around his head.

"Heee-yaaah!" he let out proudly. His hair was all over his shoulders. "Let the 'civilized man' wallow in his 'truths', the 'truths' made up of lies. The 'savages' of the world have carried the 'Truth' for many lifetimes! Huuuta!"

Indio watched Midnight's explosion of passion. He was always that way. He blamed the 'White Man' for everything. His family had been decimated by the wars of long ago. The memories haunted Midnight. Indio always believed that this was the reason Midnight was trying to destroy the lizards, it was an excuse to also destroy the 'White Man'.

"Midnight!" Indio started.Midnight turned to him and beat his chest with a fist."Heeeyaaah!" he yelled again, looking at Indio defiantly.Indio could see it would do no good to say anything.Apache Boy jumped up and grabbed Midnight's forearm in a Warrior handshake. He too,

became caught up in Midnight's feelings.

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Indio turned to the Elder."Has Mankind been used, Elder?" he asked simply.The Elder stared at him."Has Man been told untruths by star beings?" Indio re-worded his question.Midnight and Apache Boy stopped to watch the exchange. "THE UNTRUTHS YOU SPEAK OF ARE BORN OF MEN WHO CLAIM THEY HAVE

KNOWING. THE KADS AND THE DAKS HAVE KEPT KNOWING FROM MAN. IN THIS WAY, MAN WAS MADE TO MOVE AS WAS DESIRED."

Indio nodded. He turned to Midnight."Do you see, brother?" he said sadly. "All of us have been lied to, mostly by those who

claim to know the ways of the Gods in heaven. But at times, Mankind has not been told the truth in order that we may serve the Gods in heaven. The White Man is no wiser nor more knowing than anyone else. But he too was manipulated!"

Apache Boy turned and looked at Midnight.Midnight did not take his eyes off of Indio. His eyes suddenly became narrowed.Ooops, thought Indio. He is still ready to fight."Yes..." Midnight began. "Yes, brother, you are quite right. Mankind has been deceived,

that is true. But, you see, there is a difference. 'White Men' have given in to the lies, they have embraced them; the 'savage' continues to fight against the lies and trickery. It is the way of the Warrior, it is the way of the Indian, it is the way of the Zulu, it is the way of the 'primitives' of the world. We can tell the difference between 'a hand that helps' and a 'hand that controls'!"

Indio stared at Midnight as he finished. He felt very sad. Midnight was probably right in his assessment.

Midnight could see he had made his point."Yeeee-Haaa!" he yelled again. He grabbed Apache Boy and hugged him hard!The two of them began to shout loudly. Shouts made in pride and with anger, sounds

made in confirmation of their pride and with anger, sounds made in confirmation of their Warrior spirit. It was a time to be proud, in their eyes, their position of anger and frustration with the White Man's world was vindicated.

Indio was saddened still. And what you will you do? Indio wondered about Midnight, when you find out we, too, became victims of the deceit. He turned to look at Dare-Any.

He was gone.He turned quickly to the Elder.He was gone, too.Did we frighten you? Elder, he thought to himself. Is our show of emotion scary? Are we

'beasts' in your eyes?Bear walked over next to his brother."They need to let it out, brother.." he said. "It is a way to get out the feelings which have

been all messed up inside of us. The Elder has made us feel as if we sit way up on a tree-top. We are dizzy from the height and almost sick from the swaying of the tree in the wind."

Indio was surprised at his brother's insight."They just need to let it out, brother..." Bear said.

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Indio nodded."I am going for a walk..." Indio told his brother. Bear smiled. He put his arm around Indio. "Thank you for telling me..." he smiled.

When morning came, Indio was still gone.Bear was standing watch as Lindo woke up."He has still not come back?" asked Lindo, still wrapped up in his blanket."No..." answered Bear. "Neither did the Elder."Lindo rolled over. "Damn!" he said.Bear looked up into the trees. The morning mist covered the tops, hiding them from view.

Bear was glad he had gotten 'predator' watch, the 3 a.m. to dawn watch was the best. He couldn't sleep anyway, he was worried about Indio and too many things were going around in his head. He couldn't sleep even if he wanted to. Bear had even helped take part in Midnight's earlier 'coyote' watch.

Bear got up and walked over to Lindo. "Want some coffee?" he asked.There was no answer. Lindo had fallen asleep again.Bear walked back to the fire, and stood with his back to the flames. It felt good in the

morning chill. Then he made a face."Damn Indians and Star Beings sneaking around in the forest..." he said under his breath.

"Uchi!"

Breakfast was quiet, no one said much."What shall we do?" asked Apache Boy.No one answered.Lindo got up and poured himself another coffee."I think we should wait," he said sitting down. "We are wise to wait for both Indio and

the Elder.""To wait for the Elder is not a choice..." Dare-Any said.Midnight nodded.Dare-Any suddenly stood up."What?!" asked Bear, he had seen Dare-Any move like that before. "What?!"Dare-Any smiled at Bear, "I know what to do!"Bear watched him as Dare-Any began putting everything into his pack. Bear knew that

meant they were going to pack and leave camp."But what about Indio?" Bear asked."We will leave him a sign..." Dare-Any replied."What about the Elder?" asked Apache Boy worried.Dare-Any looked at him, then turned to the others."Elder will know what we do..." Dare-Any said.Apache Boy looked at Bear, wondering how the Elder would know."He always does..." Dare-Any said to them over his shoulder.

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The early morning was a couple of hours old. Indio walked back into camp. Everything had been packed up and hidden away. Where did they go, he wondered? There were no visible signs anywhere. Then he saw it.

Attached by a fine thread to an branch hanging slightly above him was a plume, a small white fluff of a feather. He knew where the feather had come from, he knew what it meant. He smiled. It was Dare-Any, he was sure. It was, of course, the right answer.

Indio walked over to the feather that was moving with the breeze, and carefully removed it. Well, he thought, I shall go join them. I think I need it. He paused for a moment and then turned to go. He paused for a moment, feeling as if he was forgetting something. As he walked away, he started getting excited. After an instant he began running. He felt really good about it!

The camp was quiet.From the trees, the Elder watched Indio leave.

As the six returned to camp, they were laughing.Apache Boy and Midnight were dancing together, they were moving like twins, mirroring

each other's moves.Little Bear was teasing Lindo as they walked. "So how many times did a marriage

ceremony take place for you, Brother?""Not once!" Lindo answered."I counted three!" Bear came back. "Three times!"Indio smiled at the two joking back and forth."I married none of them!" Lindo protested, turning to look in front of them as they moved

throught the trees.Bear made a face at him."But..." Lindo added. "I did dance the night away with each of the three young ladies!""Uchi!" hooted Bear. "All three! Danger, Brother! You court danger by dancing with

three!""At least I danced with someone!" jeered Lindo.Bear smiled a devilish smile, then looked towards where the camp was in the distance."Hey!" Lindo sensed something. "Is there something you are hiding? Did you...? Wait a

minute! Bear! Tell us!"Bear kept smiling and looking forward. Even Indio and Dare-Any were leaning forward

to look at Bear."Let me simply say..." started Bear dragging out his few words, stepping over a branch,

"...that as you danced in the circle, I danced in the moonlight a distance away!""What!" Lindo exclaimed. "You were in the foothills? A girl danced with you in the

moonlight?"Bear increased his pace, making Lindo chase him."Bear!" Lindo was trying to catch up to him.

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Bear turned to Lindo, then started running."Bear, wait a minute!" Lindo called after him, as he ran after him. "Para! Stop!" Indio and Dare-Any laughed as they watched the two disappear into the forest ahead of them. It was good they both agreed.

LUMBRE Y OTRO DISKO

At base camp, they took everything out of its hiding place. Home was once again ready for living. That night, as they sat around the fire, they were still laughing at the events of the last two days. They were all much happier now, even Bear's cooking tasted good to them.

As they sat, finishing their meal, Dare-Any suddenly turned around."He is coming..." he said simply.Indio turned to look where Dare-Any's eyes were focused. "Yes..." he said. "I think I can

feel him too."They waited for a moment, then they saw him.He came in to the circle and sat down.Dare-Any smiled at how comfortable he was with them now.

"YOU ARE OF BETTER HEART NOW?""Yes, Elder..." answered Midnight. "We are better.""We went to a Pow-wow!" Bear announced proudly.Elder looked at him questioningly.Bear glanced at the others, wondering how to explain."The Pow-wow is a dance, Elder..." he explained. "It is a place we go where all troubles

must be set aside. There can be no arguments, no politics. There can be only celebration of life! Only laughter... and play... and dancing!"

"Yes!" Apache Boy added. "The drum is the 'Pow'! And the dancer is the 'Wow'! Huta!""It is a place of passion... of fire!" Midnight joined in. "In the dance circle, the spirit is

made to fly. The dancer becomes one with his fire!""Yes," smiled Lindo, "It is a place of... passion and fire!"Bear looked at Lindo, shaking his head.Lindo caught his look. "What???!"Indio turned to the Elder."It is a place where we become one with what is inside of us..." he explained. "Deep

within us we feel fire, Elder. Even if we cannot describe what it is, we know there is something in our hearts... a fire of sorts."

That made no sense, thought Indio. The way in which man was created by Lord Master Creator 'Aya' does not allow for that idea. Man was a servant of the Gods, not a being of Spirit. So how could he feel a fire in his soul?

"Elder...?" Indio began. "THE FIRE INSIDE YOU IS UNLIKE THE FIRE OF A STAR BEING."Bear stopped. "How are we different, Elder?" he asked worriedly.

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"THE FIRE OF STAR BEINGS HAS DIRECTION. THE FIRE OF HUMANS IS ONE OF CHANGE. HUMAN FIRE HAS NO PATH."

Indio was confused . Fire with no path?They all sat looking around at each other. No one could understand what the Elder had

just said.Dare-Any was tending the fire. He began speaking, never lifting his eyes from the flames.

"A fire that is tended can be used to cook with, or heat a home with..." he said. "That is a fire with direction. A fire that is not tended can kill a person or destroy a home. That is fire with no direction. Both fires have power, only the direction makes the difference. The Elder says Humans are of fire with no direction."

"Whew..." Apache Boy almost whistled."We are of the same fire as star beings..." Dare-Any was continuing. "But, we have not

learned to give our fire direction. We can destroy the very thing we want with a fiery, uncontrolled burst of emotion. We allow our emotions to run wild. We have no discipline."

"Uchi!" Little Bear added. "Do you remember the stories of the stallion within us? The stallion that is born inside all of us? It is like that."

Lindo remembered the stories."There is a spirit stallion born in each of us..." Bear continued. "That stallion is ours. We

can do anything that we want with it. But... it is our to take care of. Whatever we eat, it eats. Whenever we run, it runs. Whatever we do, the stallion does. That is why we must eat well, why we are always taking care of our bodies and why we keep running. This stallion of spirit must be strong and healthy!"

Apache Boy loved that story. He was always running with his stallion inside him! He could not only feel it, he could actually see it!

"Someday that stallion will carry us anywhere we want..." Bear was telling his story with pride. "We can cross any river, climb any mountain and some day, if we choose, our horse will carry us into the stars. There is a problem however. There are many people who would like our stallion to pull their plow. There exist those who want our stallion working for them!"

Bear was becoming agitated."It is my stallion!" he said with a measure of anger."Huta!" Apache Boy said in agreement."I choose the fate for my stallion!" Bear said. "This is as it shall be for me! My stallion,

and my fire, are the same thing! I will rein my stallion, I will direct my fire! That is the way of Little Bear!"

"Huta!" Apache Boy hooted for him.Bear stood up and looked at all of them.Indio was proud of his little brother."Huta!" they all chimed in.Bear sat down.Indio looked at him. He was young, he was proud and he was wise.Indio turned to the Elder again. "Have the star beings learned to control their fire?" he

wondered. "Are they always in control?"

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"THAT IS AS IT IS. THAT IS ALSO WHY THEY SEEK THE FIRE OF MAN. FIRE WITH NO PATH CAN GO IN ANY DIRECTION."

"They seek uncontrolled fire?" Midnight repeated. "What would they want to do that? It can be dangerous."

Bear could not figure it out either. He turned to Indio in the hopes his brother had an answer. Indio looked at him and the others. He could only shake his head 'No', he had no idea what the answer was.

Dare-Any was still poking at the fire. "Unpredictability..." he said simply, looking at no one

Lindo walked over to him."What did you say, brother?" he asked him, kneeling down next to him. He picked up a

stick and played with the fire."They seek unpredictability..." Dare-Any explained. "It is what beings born and raised in

a 'system' do not have. A world where everything is planned, where everything is a product of careful planning, allows for nothing new. There is no such thing as that which is unpredictable, everything is known. That would be boring, would it not?"

"Madre..." Lindo said. "That is right! The system must be made up of beings who always follow rules. That is how a system survives, by predicting what its beings will do - at all times and in all things."

"And so you have rule after rule..." Midnight added. "A system must have rules, the more the better! Does that have a familiar ring to anyone!? Do you see how I am right!?"

"Hai!" Apache Boy quickly agreed.Dare-Any shook his head."No..." he answered Midnight, "If breaking rules is the wrong thing to do, then why do

they want our fire? Why would they want to break rules?"Midnight paused in his train of thought.Lindo looked at him."That is right, Midnight..." Lindo said. "If we are the unpredictable, the unwanted, why

do they want our fire?"Midnight had no answer.Indio looked at Dare-Any. He had an answer, he was sure of that. Dare-Any had already

figured it out. "Why do you think they want us, brother?" he asked.Dare-Any looked over his shoulder at Indio, then turned back to the fire."Dare-Any...?" Indio said again.Lindo nudged Dare-Any.Dare-Any threw the stick in the fire. He turned to face all of them. "Because we have

emotions they do not have!" he answered almost angrily. "We have the most unpredictable emotion the universe has ever seen! Love! Damn it! Love!"

The five were stunned."Holy cow!" Apache Boy said. "That is true! Love is the most unpredictable emotion we

have!""Tell me about it!" Lindo made a face. "Whew!"Midnight narrowed his eyes again.

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"Do you mean..." he asked as if setting a trap. "...they cannot love!?"Dare-Any looked at him."That is it, is it not?!" Midnight challenged him. "The star beings cannot love!""They seek us out... because they cannot love?" Bear had to repeat. "Indio... brother... is

that true?"Indio was considering what Dare-Any said."I do not know, little brother..." he answered. "But it would make sense. It would be an

experience they would not have. It would be like a ride on a roller coaster."Lindo just kept nodding his head. "Yes..." he said. "That is exactly it! Yes... just like a

roller coaster!""And they want that!?" Bear wondered, looking at Lindo."It seems strange..." Indio had to agree.Apache Boy looked at Dare-Any. He was still angry."Tell us, brother..." Apache Boy asked him. "Why does that anger you so?"Dare-Any glared at him. "You do not see, do you?!" he glowered at all of them.Everyone remained silent."That is why they steal our women!" he nearly yelled at the five. "They are trying to breed

'love' into the system of theirs! They think it is in our blood! Unpredictability is like an adventure! It is new to them! They are so very bored with their lives, they want excitement, anything that is a change!"

Indio was astonished by Dare-Any's words."Our lives are unpredictable and can be changed!" Dare-Any was still explaining. "Their

lives are part of the God awful system and cannot change! Every day of their life is planned and predictable! Their marriages are the result of careful planning, not love! Their lives are based on the formula that achieves success for the system, they do not take the job they want, they take the job they must!"

"Yuck!" Bear said.Dare-Any smiled at Bear's simple remark."They want to breed unpredictability back into..." Dare-Any started to say."Damn!" Lindo stopped him."They are stealing our women...in order to breed them!" he almost yelled. "That is what

you are trying to say! The lizards are stealing our women so that some star race, whoever controls the lizards, can breed 'love' back into their lives! Is that it, brother?! Is that what you are trying to say?!"

Dare-Any looked at Lindo and said nothing."God damn it!" Lindo yelled. "God damn it! God damn it! The pinche lizards! Damn

them and their star Lords!"Apache Boy stood up. His fists were clenched. Can that really be the truth?Midnight turned and stared at Dare-Any. He did not want to believe.Bear got up and went over to Indio. "Indio..." he almost pleaded with his brother. "Is that

true? It is?"

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Indio put his arm around his little brother. "I do not know..." he answered him gently. "If Dare-Any is right, it is all the more reason for us to continue our war on the lizards. We must not stop."

"Pinche! Pinche! Pinche!" Lindo could not stop himself.Apache Boy started kicking the wood-pile.Midnight walked angrily over to Dare-Any. He pulled on Dare-Any's sleeve, making him

stand up."Get up!" he ordered Dare-Any.Dare-Any stood up quickly and squared off on Midnight. Before Indio or anyone could do

anything, Midnight and Dare-Any were chest to chest, almost nose to nose."You knew this!" Midnight challenged him. "You knew the truth and said nothing! Who

the hell do you think you are!"Midnight raised his fists. Dare-Any grabbed both wrists before he could strike. For a split

second, they glared at each other. Apache Boy started to run over to them. He was sure Midnight did not know what he was doing.

"You knew!" Midnight continued. "You knew, you dirty...!"Dare-Any stared at him.Apache Boy came over and grabbed Midnight."You bastard!" Midnight yelled at him."Midnight!" Apache Boy shook him. "Stop!"Midnight straightened up.Dare-Any let go of Midnight. He hung his head. "I saw them..." he said quietly."Saw who?!" Midnight was still angry, shaking Apache Boy's hand off of him."Midnight!" Apache Boy tried to make him stop.Dare-Any looked up at him. "I saw the women that night..." he said."You saw what women...?" Lindo came over.Indio and Bear joined them."I saw the women they had taken..." Dare-Any explained. "I saw them in their

underground place. They were there..."Tears formed in Dare-Any's eyes."They take women..." he almost cried. "They take them, and they use them. And then, if

they serve no more purpose, they let them... they let them..." He could not finish the sentence. He turned away.

Midnight had only seen Dare-Any like this once, the same night he disappeared and came back covered with blood.

"Damn..." he said softly. "I am sorry brother."Lindo and Apache Boy looked at each other. They knew what Dare-Any had not finished."They let them die..." Indio finished for his brother.Little Bear sat down. He knew too.Dare-Any would not turn around.Everyone knew. He had seen the women who were taken in the underground caves. Indio

was sickened by the thought. They take the women and put in embryos of some unknown beings. Sometimes the women come back to the reservation and have no idea that a fetus is

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inside them. Not long afterwards, the lizard demons return and steal her back. But this time, they take the embryo away. If she is still healthy and can be used a second time, they send her back until they need her again.

The lizards do not ask, they simply do as they please. They violate every human being who they visit. It is that simple, Indio thought to himself. And so long as that happens, we shall fight the lizards with every breath.

"Let us take a break..." Indio suggested."No! I do not wish to wait!" Apache Boy protested."Let us take yet another day to think on what Elder told us..." Indio was trying to persuade

him. "There is too much now! Let us sleep on these things.""Indio!" Apache Boy insisted. "None of us can sleep now! After what he has told us,

after what Dare-Any told us, none of us will ever sleep!""And perhaps he will say yet more to unsettle us..." the very adamant Indio countered."Then we will not be any worse off than we are now!" was Apache Boy's answer.Indio looked at his pleading eyes."Very well..." Indio agreed. "If that is what everyone, and I mean everyone, wants, then I

shall go along with you."He turned to the others. They nodded their approval.Indio turned to the Elder.He was gone."Very well, let us all simply keep in our minds that we wish a talk with Elder at

sundown..." Indio suggested. "He will see this, wherever he is, and he will be here, that we can be sure of."

"Thank you, Brother..." Apache Boy said."It is as we all wish..." Indio responded. He rose from the circle. "In the meantime, let us

prepare for a long night. Some supplies are needed from town, and we need more firewood..." he began. "Who is the cook tonight?"

"I am..." said Midnight. "But I feel like a meal with a little 'pica', a little bite!"He turned to Dare-Any. "How about it, Brother?" Midnight asked. "Can you bring us a

big fat, juicy rattler?"All right!" said Lindo. "Can I go with you, brother?"Dare-Any stood up. He smiled. "Done. Brothers!"He turned to Lindo. Vamonos!" he said.

Indio watched Apache Boy and Midnight approaching camp. They were walking and talking rather excitedly, he thought. As he waved to them, Apache Boy suddenly started waving something - it looked like a newspaper - and he began yelling. "Another one was sighted!" he shouted.

He and Midnight ran towards Indio."Another disk!" Apache Boy announced breathlessly.Bear stood up. "Oh, no!" said Bear. "Do you think the Elder might have gone to see? Do

you think he has gone away?"

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Indio grabbed the paper. He flipped through the pages."It does not say if it came down..." Indio said. "It is only saying that something was

sighted. No one is sure what it is... just a bright light.""Was it close?" asked Bear."It does not say anything about where it was..." Apache Boy told Bear, "...just that it was

close by.""Saw what?" came the voice.It was Dare-Any and Lindo. Lindo was carrying it, a big nearly four foot long rattlesnake."Saw what?" echoed Lindo."A ship was sighted..." Apache Boy told him. "But we do not know if it crashed. No one

at the village said anything about any soldiers moving around again.""Damn it!" Lindo cursed. "Do you think the Elder went to go see it? Do you think maybe

the disk came for him?""That is what we all wondered..." Midnight said.Bear was worried. He looked at Indio."I do not know, Brother..." Indio answered his eyes.Bear looked at Dare-Any. He was shaking his head."Do you think he has gone?" Bear asked."No..." Dare-Any answered, moving to the fire. "He did not go." He turned and took the

snake from Lindo."Hold it, Dare-Any!" Midnight said, trying to get an explanation.Dare-Any took out his knife. "Dinner will be ready for cooking just as soon as I talk to

our little friend here..." Dare-Any said, holding up the snake, examining it like a chef preparing a gourmet meal.

Midnight walked over to him and placed his hand on Dare-Any's shoulder."Hold it, Dare-Any! Please..." Midnight implored him."What?!" Dare-Any turned to him.Midnight looked at him with pleading eyes."Please, tell me... tell us!" Midnight pressed. "How can you be so sure he did not leave?""Because..." Dare-Any explained, turning back to the snake. "If he had gone..." he lifted

his knife to make the first of his cuts. "I would know it."

LOS HIJOS

The Elder had been gone for nearly two years.The six had decided not to tell anyone about the Elder. When he came back, he could tell

whoever he wanted to, that was his place.The six took eight youngsters as their own. They would teach them the 'Warrior Ways' as

they knew them... and they would teach them the secrets shared by the Star Elder.Little Bear found one little boy that was much like him in personality and fondness for

creatures.

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Lindo picked a little boy dancer, while Apache Boy took favor in a little girl who rode horses like the wind.

Midnight chose two little boys, both strangely like his friend Indio.Indio found a little girl and a little boy who had both lost their parents.Dare-Any disappeared for a while but came back with his chosen child, a little boy with

black hair and black eyes.Isolating them from the rest of the world, the six made sure they learned from the

traditional values of the Warrior and the history of their peoples. But, so too, did they listen and learn the legend of the 'Star Elder'.

They knew he would return some day.And when he returned, the youngsters would be ready.

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