Grey Eyes by Frank Christopher Busch Page B

well.
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    â€œWake up!” yelled White Willow Woman.
    â€œWhat is it?” a weary Blue Elk Man yawned.
    â€œWhere is your son?”
    â€œHe was with you.”
    â€œWhat is going on?” asked Walking Moon Woman. “Go back to sleep.”
    â€œWhere is Little Grey Bear Boy?” asked a frantic White Willow Woman.
    â€œGet some bark on the fire,” suggested Painted Turtle Man. Blue Elk Man fumbled about and tore birch bark into strips, throwing them onto the faintly glowing coals. The Grandfather Sun had not yet begun his journey and it was still very dark in the lodge. As the strips of birch bark caught flame, the lodge became illuminated.
    â€œHe’s over there,” said Brown Shield Man, indicating a corner by Painted Turtle Man’s bedside.
    â€œMy boy!” yelled White Willow Woman as she jumped up to retrieve her son. “What have you got on yourself?”
    â€œ Tansi ?” said Little Grey Bear Boy, who was covered in a greasy liquid that he had been scooping out of a leather pouch.
    â€œNot my red clover medicine,” said Painted Turtle Man with a sigh. “It took me days to make that much of it.”
    â€œIt’s even up his nose,” said White Willow Woman, trying to wipe the medicine off with a deer hide rag. “Will it hurt him?”
    â€œ Motch , my girl,” said Painted Turtle Man. “It’s for burns and sickness of the skin.”
    Painted Turtle Man assisted White Willow Woman, but mostly in an effort to recover as much of the greasy liquid as he could.
    â€œ Moosum !” said Little Grey Bear Boy.
    â€œYou have to stay out of my medicines, my boy,” said Painted Turtle Man. “When you get bigger I will begin teaching you about these things.”
    â€œI was hoping for a good sleep,” said White Willow Woman with a yawn.
    â€œWe might as well get the fire going,” said Painted Turtle Man, “it will not be easy to get this medicine off of him.”
    â€œI’ll take care of it,” said Blue Elk Man. “He’s my son after all. I’m very sorry that he disturbed your medicines.”
    â€œHe’s just curious,” said Painted Turtle Man. “There is nothing wrong with that.”
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    It was springtime and the Bear clan was gathered in their lodge enjoying their evening meal.
    â€œYou should have told me you were going fishing,” said Blue Elk Man. “I would have come with you. It must have been difficult with the water still so cold.”
    â€œI didn’t know I would be fishing,” chuckled Brown Shield Man. “You have your son to thank for the fish.”
    â€œMy son?”
    â€œ Tapwe ?”
    â€œWhat happened now?”
    â€œI was trying to bathe him in the river,” explained White Willow Woman. “He didn’t want to bathe and as soon as his foot touched the water he used his magic to blast the water away.”
    â€œThe entire river?”
    â€œ Motch , just the water within a tree length of him.”
    â€œIt was something to see,” added Brown Shield Man. “The fish were surprised and flopped around on the bottom. I ran in and grabbed them where they fell.”
    â€œThe other women were not very happy,” said Singing Doe, sitting Flying Rabbit Boy in her lap. “They think he is a danger to the other children.”
    â€œHe isn’t dangerous,” said Painted Turtle Man. “He has provided us with a fine meal this evening. The others just don’t understand that his gifts are a blessing.”
    â€œOf course you always say that,” said Walking Moon Woman. “What if someone was hurt? What then?”
    â€œNo one got hurt.”
    â€œNot this time, but what about the next.”
    â€œWe cannot live our lives fearing what might happen. We must look to the future.”
    â€œWhat do you mean, Uncle?” asked Singing Doe. “Have you seen something?”
    Painted