Water

by Liz O'Neill

Background
Liz & Linda rescued 5 Native American teens from a trafficking operation. Then one of the girls rescued 5 more from a van. We are invited to be present for some of their healing ceremonies.

When they reached the next cranny, they stood tall, wiped the last of their tears, and assessed the next challenge.

This opening was about the width of the original slit through which they had entered. Possibly narrower, it was a stand-up passage.

They would have to drag their pack at their hip as they side-stepped forward. Dragonfly, taking all of this in, scuttled away from the group, looking all around, frenetically darting from one side to another within the large room.

She began muttering something inaudible which grew in volume. "It's too narrow. I'll never fit." Liz recognized that Dragonfly had a distorted perception of her body; an unrealistic view of how she and others saw her body size.

Liz had to admit the same doubt. Oh no, not her too. I am worried about the same thing. I wonder if she's struggled with this problem her whole life like I have. What will happen if we can't fit through? Or worse, if we get stuck?

A familiar salty sensation filled her mouth. Anxiety was a familiar companion. I just wanted to get these girls free and get them safely home. She could never have anticipated such a challenge to all the residuals of her childhood.

She knew she had to get to Dragonfly to avert any more trauma. I've got to get over to her. I've got to let her know I understand and that we're a lot alike. If I don't get over there now we'll soon be the last in line. And that won't be good. If we're going to get stuck I want someone behind us so they can figure out what can be done.

Spring Blossom came over to see what was going on. When Liz told her of their fears she gave them a solution to make their stomachs and bellies smaller. It reminded Liz of her yogic or uji breathing exercises.

She instructed them to practice breathing in and out. "Your inhales and exhales will grow longer. Eventually, you'll notice your belly won't fill with air, and that you are breathing shallowly from your lungs."

Giving courage to Dragonfly, Liz went first. Sensing moderate chest and backpressure she coached her all the way through.  Liz knew Dragonfly was smaller than she, so there was no need worry about her. She would do fine.

As each popped out, they embraced. Words froze before they could echo toward the ceiling; giving urgent need of restraint of cheering or chanting. This side was different than the magnificent cavern they'd just left, nothing remarkable. Except...

No one dared glance upward toward the ceiling.
Discovering black hanging bats that shone only as scary silhouettes against the lanterns' light, the girls began whispering and silently scuffing away.

Their escape into a fairly good-sized tunnel that seemed eternal led to a widened room. Several audible gasps preceded an urging for the group to back away.

They had reached an area where the rock walking space ended. This was the first time they had encountered such a start. They would have fallen to their death to never be found nor seen again. Spring Blossom thrust a large rock into the void. Their wait to hear it hit bottom felt endless. There had to be a better way beyond.

There was another hole but it, thankfully, was in the wall not in the floor. The step-through hole brought them to a very short room. The exit was a narrow ramp-like trail going upward.

Creeping toward the ceiling, they dared only glance at the wide rooms far below them. Liz was sure one of them was the very room they'd all napped in. This was the most dangerous yet. She hated heights. She knew Linda wasn't crazy about them either.

Reaching a loft-like area, sighs of relief sissed throughout the caverns far below ending at the ceiling just above their heads. As they got to their feet to stand, the floor was noticeably slippery as if an underground stream was seeping in.

This raised their hopes they soon would find water. The dampness grew to a slight rivulet. Their only choice of movement was to crawl on their hands and knees through cold water as they followed the low ceilinged path of the stream.

At one point, Liz wondered what was happening inside her backpack. But what did it matter? It was way too late now. The splashing grew louder into a roar. They'd found their waterfall.

The teens were at once on their feet, tossing their shoes behind them. They prayed to the spirit of the water asking for cleansing, grateful for protection, support and being rescued. They prayed for long life and good health.

Their chanting was hyphenated by heart-rending guttural sobs. They also prayed for emotional balance. When they got out, Liz asked if they could drink the water. She and Linda had honored the idea that it was a sacred stream probably from a sacred mountain.

With permission that everyone could drink from the stream Linda and Liz reached into their sopping packs and pulled out empty water bottles. Handing them to everyone, they explained they'd been saving them as they drank from them along their trek from their stalled, dead battery car.

Delightful hummings accompanied the song of the water as they satiated their thirst with the life-giving, life-saving sacredness. There was a complete change of mood now that they had been cleansed and purified in the waterfall-fed pool.

With a lightness in spirit, they quietly sat reflecting, letting the healing of the water work on them. The stress, problems, and negative energy was left behind to flow along in the stream, distancing itself from them.

As they settled onto the floor of the sacred cave they began looking through their packs to see if everything was still there. Their captors unconcerned about what was in them, would vanish anything that defined who the girl was or that she even had ever existed.

Sage pulled out a lighter for smudging the sage she had. Sky revealed a handful of dried sprigs of cedar explaining she'd gathered them during their extended stay among the treeline of cedars.

Star opened her closed palm which held a magnificent pure white quartz stone that reminded Liz of all the large and small quartz stones "randomly" placed within the stonewalls on her property and adjacent locations. She sensed they were placed with spiritual intentions many years ago.

Runs the Field always carried her medicine pouch with sacred tobacco, several others produced quartz and feathers. All of these were placed in a circle.

The girls invited Linda and Liz to join as Sage smudged everyone. When that was completed, still standing they began the two-step dance chanting prayer for further and sealed healing.

They were about to begin a litany of names to be remembered when Eyes of the Owl saw that it was time. It's time.I've got to tell about what I found. Tears welled up, "I haven't told the whole truth about the packs in the closet."

"When I was rummaging around in the dimness I saw a pack in the wayback of the closet that broke my heart. It belongs to my dear friend Rabbit." Before much exclaiming could begin, "Wait, there's more." Everyone stopped.

"There were two more. I didn't know know the other two people who owned the packs. But their names are Cloud and One Who Laughs."

She no more than got the words out of her mouth when there were several mournful wails. Sky and Star both knew and loved Cloud. "No, not Cloud. It can't be. Not Cloud."

Sage, Dragonfly, and Turtle had all been wondering why their friend had not been seen lately. "That can't be what happened to her, why we haven't seen her at all lately. She had just seemed to have disappeared. Vanished. No. They've got our Cloud." The three became racked with loud sobs.

Sage led everyone in a prayer that the Great Creator watch over the three friends and all of those missing, that they either escape or are found and rescued. Then they began the litany of names of the beloved missing, family and friends.

With the sage still smoking, each passed by to gather the smoke, waving it over their head, heart, and body for a cleansing of the darkness. Light and hope were restored when Spring Blossom announced they were just a short way from the end of this cave trek.

People began looking around for the exit. There appeared to be none. Others were washing away their tears with the sacred waters.

With anxious faces in front of her, Spring Blossom  sensed their yet unspoken question. "The opening to the next tunnel is under the falls and then only a few more caverns to pass through and we'll be seeing daylight."

With mixed reactions and emotions, they prepared themselves for the falls. They put their shoes back on and formed a line, readying to enter the water just little a few paces ahead. Neither Liz nor Linda had ever been this close to a drumming waterfall and certainly never beneath one.

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Character list

Liz.....one of the women who rescued the girls from the house

Linda...one of the women who rescued the girls from the house, one Liz's best friends

**Van girls

Sage....one of the teens in the van, friends with Turtle and Dragonfly, announces she is called to be a Medicine Woman

Sky......one of the teens in the van, friends with Star, lost friend Cloud

Star.....one of the teens in the van, friends with Sky, her pack had the van girls' shoesÃ?Â lost friend Cloud

Turtle....one of the teens in the van, friends with Sage and Dragonfly, was frightened when Velvet Dove came scratching at the van window

Dragonfly.....one of the teens in the van, friends with Sage andÃ?Â Turtle, poor body image

**House girls

Strong Heart....kicked at window to get iron grate off, her sister Sweet Piper, was earlier abducted

Sweet Piper .....Strong Heart's sister, abducted earlier, in a coma

Eyes of the Owl....made sure the plan of deception was solid, got into closet for packs with shoes, saw her best friend Rabbit's pack, made sure everyone from the house had shoes

Spring Blossom......first at the house window, helped remove the window block. cave leader

Velvet Dove.....Planned the deception, rescued the girls from the van....made sure the van girls had their shoes and packs, her pack had the house shoes in it, had a very reassuring voice

Runs the Field....ran up the hill for the deception

***********************************************

I'd like to acknowledge cleo85 once again for their perfect picture. This is one section of many adventures experienced by Liz & Linda walking through fog and haze, away from their stranded car toward civilization and a garage. They are in Montana close to the Crow Nation Reservation. There is an epidemic of cases of Native American women and teens being abducted, missing or murdered.

Pays one point and 2 member cents.

Artwork by cleo85 at FanArtReview.com

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