The Night the Sky Fell (5 page)

Stan cross examined, “Your ancestors discovered the Leonids, Banks?”
 

Banks bit his lip. Peyton fired, “Tell them Banks, tell them!”
 

Banks explained to all, “In 1833, the Sioux lived in the Black Hills of South Dakota.” Tricia lost interest with a yawn as Ann’s eyes widened with interest. “On a mild November evening like this, they saw the shooting stars. They called it the Night the Sky Fell.”
 

Peyton jumped in, “The white man called it judgment day. The white man ran for cover: ‘The sky is falling! The sky is falling!’” The others laughed as they listened searching the sky above.
 

Banks continued, “Straight above us is the constellation Leo. It’s in that area one can…” Banks stops.
 

A bombardment of Leonids lit the sky! The group wowed in amazement. Julie blurted with astonishment, “My god!”
 

Peyton added, “It’s beautiful!
 

Tricia kindly corrected, “You’re blind, stupid.”
 

Ann countered, “Yes it is beautiful, you’re right, Peyton. Ann and Banks connected once again.

Banks spoke to the group while looking directly at Ann: “Make a wish. My tribe believes if you make a wish when seeing the Leonids, your wish will come true.”
 

“Oh, that’s where that comes from,” realized Stan. Dassi whispered to Murray as she pointed to Ann. Stan glanced at Julie then closed his eyes.
 

Julie stared at Peyton and said, “I wish, I wish—”

Banks warned, “No you mustn’t say it out loud.” Julie turned to Peyton, then guzzled gin. Dassi and Murray locked hands and shut their eyes. Ann doted on Banks then her eyes closed. Peyton and Banks shut their eyes simultaneously.
 

And Tricia whispered, “A red Acura convertible, brand new, duh.”

At this point all eight had their eyes closed. They could not see a fiery meteorite speed right toward them. At the last instant before impact, it disintegrated.
 

Later, as the group cleaned the backyard, Julie and Peyton approached Banks. Ann stood within earshot. Julie took Banks arm, “Please come over for Thanksgiving…that is of course if your tribe doesn’t mind.”
 

Ann took Banks’ other hand, “Please say yes, Banks.” Tricia checked out Banks’ holding hands with her mother and her BFF.
 

Julie walked over to the Abrams’ as Ann continued, “You seem to hide your Native Alaskan heritage instead of embracing it.”
 

“And you’re proud of your heritage?” Banks retorted. Ann smiled. Banks continued, “Yes, I will come here for Thanksgiving if you’re here.”

Stan, Tricia and Peyton waved goodbye to Banks and climbed the stairs. Julie escorted Banks to the front door. She handed him the Braille book that Peyton borrowed; but, she does not let go of the book as he attempted to take it. She stared at his eyes. Instantly she understood all in this moment of realization.

She exhilarated, “It’s the eye drops! They made your vision better.” Banks attempted to release the book but Julie clenched it tight. “Peyton and I have made the medical circuit from Seattle to Los Angeles. No one could help…anyone except you. I pray to God every day for help for my son. Don’t you see, Banks, you’re the answer to my prayers. This is bigger than us. This is bigger than the Chief. I’ll give you things that you dream of…things that will give you a better life. Eye drops for Peyton and a better life for Banks.” She removed her crucifix necklace and draped it around Banks’ neck. She took the book from Banks and quickly placed her Bible on top. She handed the two books to Banks.
 

Julie continued, “Banks, sleep on it. I can do so much for you. After church on Sundays we have brunch here. Ann will be here. Please come. Please think about it. You do trust me don’t you?” Banks was surprised and astonished. Marilyn could never prepare him for this moment. This was totally out of his realm of calculation. One thing was for sure, if he agreed to her offer it would be looked upon by his uncle and tribe as an act of treason.
 

The only thing that came out of Banks mouth, “Thank you for a wonderful evening.” He remembered his own rule which was to say very little if he were unsure on how to respond.

As Banks walked to his truck, he looked in wonder at the Powers’ house. It represented to him a new and wonderful life. It was the ultimate symbol of capturing his goal in life. He rubbed his white stickman. Then he looked next door at the Abrams’ house. He felt the necklace dangle around his neck. He looked at the two books. Too many things happened too quickly. There was Julie’s offer and the girl next door. And creeping into his mind were dissatisfying words from is his uncle. The realization of his dream was handed to him on a plate. He got into his truck. As he pulled out of the driveway there was a flash of indigo in the sky above. The Monarch Raven knew of Banks’ dilemma. The Monarch Raven knew how Banks would choose. And that choice would lead to the coming of the Old Soul.

Banks’ Dilemma

On his thirteenth birthday, Banks Blackhorse was expected to spend 24 hours with the tribe’s Shaman in the Juneau wilderness. This was to celebrate his becoming a young adult. They would hike together and look for brown bears. They would seek out whales breaching and watch glaciers calving. They were also looking for eagles but only found a curious raven soaring above them who would caw excessively.

The Shaman would prepare Banks into becoming a young adult. Banks wondered exactly when he would become a man. But the Shaman told him that it was not an exact age but rather a specific dilemma that Banks would address. Whatever the dilemma was, his decision would mark his entry into adulthood and shape the rest of his life. And since one day he would become Chief, it would shape the direction of the tribe. But Banks Blackhorse was not ready for his vision quest.

Banks asked the Shaman for more specifics. He wanted to know exactly what a dilemma was. Shaman simply told him that it was a choice of two equally weighted circumstances. Both circumstances could be good or they could be bad. But Banks must choose the one he Banks would believe was better. This choice would mark his entry into adulthood.

Somehow, Banks thought that the dilemma had been given to him by Julie Powers. He had planned for a long time for this day to happen. She would be his ally. His entry to Juneau white society would be solidified. Julie was his benefactor to everything he wanted. And there was Ann in the bargain. Ann would be the “girl next door” which was a bonus. He felt something for her that he never felt for anyone else. It was a good feeling.
 

Banks parked the truck in front of his uncle’s apartment. As he scurried up the stairs as the Chief opened his apartment door. Once inside his apartment, Banks eyed the two books he carried. He held his grandfather’s Braille book in one hand and the Bible that Julie gave him in the other. His necklace dangled between the books. With arms outstretched he ‘weighed’ the books as if he were the Scales of Justice. He then placed the Indian book in a drawer and carried the Bible to his night table. His decision was made.

After undressing, he studied his new look in the mirror. He wondered if he should remove the necklace. As he began to take it off, he interrupted its removal and decided to leave it on. He opened the Bible while fondling the necklace. Unseen by Banks, Chief Dan watched through Banks’ window.

About an hour later, Banks was sound asleep and downstairs Marilyn said goodnight to the Chief. The compound was quiet. Suddenly, a barrage of pea-sized meteorites splattered against only Banks’ door. They made a whooshing sound and left green dripping ooze while each pea sized meteorite emitted a puff of gas. The sound awakened Banks. He wetted his lips and headed to the fridge. As he opened the fridge door, the meteorite strikes escalated. Amongst the eye drop vials, he grabbed a Coke and gulped it down. As he closed the fridge door, the bombardment dwindled. He eyed the main door attempting to apply logic to the event. After a moment, he opened the main door slowly and caught glimpses of the ooze and mists of gas. He closed the door. Returning to the fridge, he opened/closed the door several times noting the increase/decrease of the bombardment that followed this action. He thought that his experiment controlled the meteorite’s intensity. He was correct in his assumption.
 

Ann Abrams couldn’t sleep. She was thinking about the evening at the Powers’ house. She remembered the intense moment that Banks and she had. Her feelings were elevated when Banks gave his account of the “Night the Sky Fell.” At first he was reluctant to speak about it. Thanks to Peyton’s prodding, he revealed the story with logic, passion and humor. This revelation led Ann to believe that Banks had hidden talents that he could not disclose with his tribe. She understood these frustrations. She wanted to know Banks more. This new feeling that bubbled in her body was fresh and exciting. Ann wasn’t thinking so much about the sex act as she was the sharing of intimacy. Finally, she found a plausible candidate in which she could be herself instead of creating an identity that was acceptable to her peers. She knew that she would have to take the lead. So after going through the possibilities of attempting to know Banks better, she concluded that she would ask him to be her date at the school’s Junior Prom. Now the Prom was months away, but this would open the door to Saturdays at the mall, lunches or maybe even a dinner. So that Banks would not feel uncomfortable about money, she planned on telling him that this was a birthday gift from her parents and all expenses were covered.

Ann felt alive. She would have a new friend. She stood up in front of her full length mirror and revealed more of her body. She posed a sexy look that she learned from Tricia and then quickly scolded herself, “That’s not me!” She checked herself out again and poised her natural smile. Ann Abrams was becoming a woman. But what she didn’t realize was that her plans were all going to be altered by Sunday’s events. Someone or something had different designs for Ann Abrams.
 

Down the hall from Ann’s room, Murray Abrams picked up the remote and turned off the television. Dassi closed her book as the couple of two decades snuggled in their bed. This was not sex night so their goodnights would be finalized with a long kiss. During the kiss, Murray emitted a noisy and smelly fart. Dassi kept an air spray can near the bed for such matters and with a chuckle she deodorized the bed. “Moishe, this is what happens when you eat non-kosher food.” Murray replied with, “Once again, Dassi, mama knows best. Say, Ann was so aglow this evening. She was really taken with Banks.”
 

 
Dassi challenged, “I like the Tlingits.”
 

 
Murray smiled, “He’s a nice young man. I really don’t care if he’s a Native Alaskan as long as he makes Ann happy.”
 

 
Dassi smiled, “As always, father knows best.” They kissed again. This time it was uninterrupted.

Next door, in the quiet of her room, Tricia Powers was seething. She thought, “How could the Indian ignore the most beautiful girl at her high school?” This was irritating to her. Then she thought of Johnny’s perfect chest and biceps and how she could wow him into a panting frenzy. This thought momentarily satisfied her but then again she began to seethe at the thought that ‘Plain Ann’ had won the tug of war. “Disgusting!” Tricia actually grunted aloud. After many attempts to achieve Om by practicing her breathing lessons that her Yoga instructor taught her, she grunted again. She thought, “There is only one way to relax and get to sleep. I must concentrate on Johnny with the help of Mr. Magic.” Tricia went to her special drawer and pulled out Mr. Magic the vibrator. Back into bed she went and got down to business. But all she could think of while the vibrator was inserted was Banks Blackhorse.

Julie knelt at her bedside and whispered prayers. When she stood she crossed herself. Stan watched her nightly ritual and knew that the next step would be her nightly dose of medicine consisting of two shots of Scotch. Stan closed his Bible and made a move that had been rejected for years. Because of the success of the dinner they launched together he felt close to her. He touched her arm and Julie simply whispered, “No.” She put on her night mask and lay on her side with her back towards Stan.

Peyton Powers lay in his bed with eyes wide open. He did this sometimes to wander into his mind’s eye. Peyton decided that it was easiest to enter his private world if he were awake and alone. Using his Braille to read his family’s book opened his mind to explore new places. Here in his special world he could see the Spirit world for what it really was. He could see himself flying in the sky atop of a black horse. He controlled the ups and downs of his black horse by whispering in its ear, “Go higher, Banks. Go higher.” What Peyton could not understand was why a big black raven was flying directly towards him.

As the raven flew directly into him, Peyton fell from the black horse. He screamed, “Banks, save me. Save me, Banks.” But there was no one to save Peyton. He tumbled over and over again and entered a new world. His new mind’s eye could see many colors.
 

At daybreak, all doors at the Tlingit compound were unmarred from the previous evening’s onslaught. All doors except for Banks.’ Banks opened his door. He carried a bucket of soapy water with some brushes. He commenced the cleanup.

 
Marilyn White Owl scrubbed herself in the shower. No matter how much she tried to get rid of the stench of fish she still thought she could smell salmon or halibut. Many fish would live another day because Marilyn never went out on Sundays. Marilyn also wanted to feel fresh and clean for her friend Carol. Carol Rainwater had considered becoming closer with Marilyn but as of yet she couldn’t bring herself to submit to Marilyn’s brand of closeness. The tribe shunned homosexuality but Marilyn would be discrete and already reserved a room on the other side of town. Marilyn and Carol worked together catching fish and their friendship grew over the past twelve years. It was time that these two Tlingits took the next step. What neither of them knew was that each would become incredibly bonded without the sexual act.