New Yesterdays by Jim L Wright - HTML preview

Chapter 24

The western sky was an explosion of deep red, pink, blue and purple as the sun began her journey beyond the horizon. Crickets and tree frogs had begun their evening symphony as darkness stole over the village. Dustu and Jim had been at the creek washing themselves after a long day clearing the last of the tree stumps from the new planting grounds. The soft dark earth would grow some fine crops next year. Jim found himself wishing he could be here to see the fruits of his labor. Over the past couple of weeks, as the autumn equinox approached, he found that he wasn't as excited to go home as he thought he might be. He and Dustu had become very close during that summer and deep bonds of friendship had formed. While he missed his parents and grandparents, he frequently reflected on the fact that other than his two brothers, he hadn't any friends that were as close as the young Cherokee boy. They had worked and played together and shared their deepest secrets. They had fought with their elders for the independence of the new nation. He felt he had an investment in this new country and wanted to see it grow up.

"Dustu, I'm not sure I want to go home when the portal opens in a few days. I like living here and I want to stay with you and your people."

Dustu stopped in his tracks and stared at his friend. Jim felt his cheeks burn red at his admission.

"For many days I have been thinking about your leaving us when the portal opens. I knew you would want to be with your own people and leave us behind. Thinking of it has made me very sad" Dustu said quietly.

"If you are certain you want to stay with us, we should talk to Adahy about it and ask his advice. You know how much Hiawasee loves you, and she would be so happy to have you living with us."

Relief flooded over Jim after sharing what had been eating at him for more than two weeks. It was a huge decision and not one that he'd made lightly. Now, telling Dustu about it made him feel he made the right decision.

"Home." The word just sounded right to Jim. "This has become my home. Days pass without me thinking about the other home. Part of me feels guilty because I should be anxious to get back with my family. At the same time, I feel like I have a new family here that I love just as much as my family back home."

The two boys walked the rest of the way in a companionable silence. As they approached Dustu's house he asked

"Do you want to speak to my father now?"

Jim only nodded and they went inside to find Adahy sitting before the fire smoking his pipe.

"Welcome! Sit down and give me the news of the day. Yansa tells me the new planting ground is completely cleared and ready for planting in the spring. That's good news, we will have plenty for our tribe to eat next year thanks to the good work the three of you did."

Dustu grinned.

"Yansa makes working seem more like fun than work. He makes us laugh all the day and it makes us forget how hard we are working. These days the sun is not so strong and that makes the work go faster, too."

Adahy nodded and moved his eyes to take in Jim's face. The boy had not spoken a word since they entered.

"A boy so young should not be carrying such a burden. Tell me what is in your mind Jim."

Again, Jim was shocked that the old man seemed to see right into his mind. No matter how often it happened it seemed to throw him off guard for a few seconds. Was he so transparent that anyone who looked at him could see he was struggling with his thoughts?

"Adahy, I have been thinking about the portal. As you said, it will be opening again soon and I will go through it back to my own home."

"You do not look forward to the journey back to your own home and family."

It was more a statement of fact than a question. If Adahy was surprised, his inscrutable face didn't betray it.

"I miss my family a great deal, and I miss my home. But I have been accepted and treated like family here and I've come to feel like I belong here, too. Maybe, even more than I belong in the other world! How can I belong in two places and two families at the same time?"

Jim was visibly shaken by his outburst. He couldn't believe he had laid himself bare in front of the Medicine Man.

Adahy sucked on his pipe for a long moment, nodding from time to time.

"When you go back to your world, things will not be the same. Nothing you left behind is there anymore. You are in Unalii now, not the United States. Your family will not be living over there by the creek. You will have to find them, if possible. You should think about this. Your mother and father may never have met. They may have completely different families. You must prepare yourself for that possibility. If you find this to be true, you must come back through the portal and make your home here.

“You and Dustu are good brothers and you will do well in this new nation of ours. But remember, the portal is open for only a short time. You mustn't take too long to learn what you need to know.”

Adahy's words brought both relief and fear to Jim. Never been born? No family? The questions filled his head as he asked himself, not for the first time, if he had done the right thing to bring information here from the future. Everything he was familiar with on the other side was gone. It was too much for a thirteen-year-old boy to absorb. He was grateful for the friendship of Dustu and the rock-solid support of Adahy, but he felt a great loss because now he was an orphan. Well, not an orphan exactly because you needed parents to be an orphan…

***

He lay sleepless next to Dustu, listening to his slow, even breathing. Across the room he could hear the gentle snoring of Adahy and he longed to hear his own father snoring again.

The sun climbed above the treetops, announcing a new day. The sky was a clear cerulean blue without a trace of clouds. For the first time in the months he had lived with the Cherokee, Jim was struck by the fact that there were no aeroplane trails in the sky. It's funny how you don't even think of things you are accustomed to seeing until they are gone. He loved the low drone of the planes gliding slowly across the sky, always panicked for just a second or two when a jet broke the sound barrier, sure the Russians had dropped “the bomb”.

After a quick breakfast Jim and Dustu walked around the village greeting the people who had accepted him as one of their own. He knew that he would miss these people and this way of life. He had been accepted as an equal and had received the same respect he had given. Not once in all the days he had spent here had anyone asked him why he was so stupid or why didn't he use his head for something other than a place to put his hat. His opinion was not only asked, but valued. Adahy, Dustu, Yansa and everyone else in the village eagerly taught him and helped him to adjust to his new surroundings. Again, Jim was shaken by the uncertainty of wanting to go back home. He felt disloyal to his family because he really wanted to stay here. At the same time, the love he felt for his family tugged at him like a giant magnet.

After greeting everyone in the village they found themselves back in front of Adahy's house. They found the Medicine Man grinding sassafras root for his pouch. He looked up at Jim with dark eyes that were filled with sadness.

"Just before you go, sit beside me for a talk."

As Jim lowered himself to the floor, Adahy put away his tools and herbs and turned to look at the boy's face.

"I have warned you that things on your side will be changed. That your family will not be there is certain. I don't know if you will ever be able to find them; it's a big world out there and even bigger in your own time. The thing you must remember is this: You will always have a home in our village. You will always have a brother in Dustu.

“You are welcome here and greatly loved because of what you have done for my people. When you have satisfied yourself on the other side, know you can come back to this place and make your life here with us. Be prepared for great surprises and great disappointments when you enter the portal, but mark well its location so you can easily get back when you are ready."

With that, the old man put his arm around Jim's small shoulders and pulled him close. For a long time, he just lay quietly in his arms taking in the scents of deerskin, smoke and herbs. He felt very comfortable with Adahy. He felt at home.

***