Shadow Bones by Colleen Rhoads Page A

in times of trouble. I’m sure he was only too happy to rescue a damsel in distress.”
    Jake was paying no attention to them. Skye watched him pace the waiting room and knew he couldn’t wait to see his sister with his own eyes and question her about what happened. Skye pitied the man who had attacked Wynne. Once Jake discovered the attacker’s identity, the man would wish he’d never been born.
    The sheriff entered the waiting room. “I hear there’s been another attack out at the mine,” he said. He took his notebook out of his pocket. “Anyone want to tell me what happened?”
    Max explained the circumstances. Jake glanced at Skye with a question in his eyes, and she nodded her head. The sheriff might as well be informed of everything, though she didn’t think Wynne’s attack was related to Wilson’s warning.
    Jake plunged into the story as soon as Max finished.
    â€œI’ll see if I can find Wilson,” the sheriff said, putting away his pen and paper.
    Molly, Max’s daughter, came from the direction of the bathroom. Her face brightened when she saw Skye and she ran to her.
    â€œDid you bring anything with you for making dreamcatchers?” she asked hopefully. “I’ve been practicing since you showed me how.”
    Skye smiled. “I might have some thread in the truck,” she said. It might help them all pass the time. “I’ll get it.” She went to the truck and got her basket of materials from behind the truck seat.
    By the time she got back inside, Jake had disappeared.
    Becca saw her quick glance. “Jake went back to see Wynne. They wheeled her by on the way to surgery, and you know Jake. He insisted on accompanying her so he could talk to her. Wynne looked too out of it to be much help in explaining anything.” Her frown was troubled. “The doctor says she’ll be fine though.”
    A flood of relief washed over Skye. “Thank God.”
    â€œAmen,” Becca said. She smiled at Skye. “Are you going to teach us all how to make a dreamcatcher?”
    â€œSure, if you want to learn.” She set her small basket on the coffee table in front of an empty sofa. Molly crowded beside her on the sofa while Becca got on the other side.
    Skye explained the knots. “Tell us about dreamcatchers,” Molly demanded.
    â€œYou’ve already heard the story.” Skye smiled at the child’s eagerness.
    â€œTell me again. Becca doesn’t know about them. I tried to tell her but I forgot part of it.”
    Skye smiled. “The Spider Women, Asibikaashi, built dreamcatchers over the heads of children to catch the good dreams in the night. When the Ojibwa Nation dispersed to the four corners of North America, to fill a prophecy, Asibikaashi had a difficult time making her journey to all those cradle boards, so the mothers, sisters and grandmothers took up the practice of weaving the magical webs for the new babies. We traditionally use willow hoops and sinew made from plants.”
    â€œWhy is it in a circle?” Molly wanted to know.
    â€œThe circle represents how giizis, the sun, travels each day across the sky. The dreamcatcher will filter out all the bad bawedjigewin, or dreams, and allow only good thoughts to enter into our minds.”
    â€œAnd all the circles?” Becca asked.
    â€œAs the dreams travel through the web, good dreams are permitted to pass through and flow to the feather’s tip, to the owner of the web. Bad dreams become so lost among the maze that when the morning sun comes up, still lost in the web, they are destroyed by the strongest of the early morning light.”
    Molly was practically bouncing with excitement. “I want one for over my bed.”
    â€œAnd you shall have one. This one will be yours,” Skye promised. “But you know it is only a legend. Jesus keeps us safe. Bad dreams can’t harm us.”
    â€œI know.” Molly