Free Whispering Spirits by Rita Karnopp

Weren’t there any
other rules that were punishable?”
    “Our people had to rely on each other. It was
never about one person. So if a man went off hunting by himself and
in doing so he drove the game away, he would be sought out and the
All Comrades often whipped him, tore his lodge to shreds, broke his
travois, and took all his store of dried meat, pemmican, and other
food.”
    “Doesn’t that seem harsh? He should be able
to provide for his family,” Summer felt the pressure building in
her head. She wished the headaches would stop.
    Nah’ah leaned forward and dropped a
few sticks on the fire. “It had to be harsh for the good of all.
One thing I do see our young girls do, that is most scandalizing is
sitting with their legs crossed in front of them like a man. It is
not lady-like and is…wild. If you sit on the ground with your legs
off to one side you are a woman of respect.”
    “I’ll try to remember that, Nah’ah. ”
Summer chuckled, glad she sat on a log and not the ground.
    “Thank you for the delicious eggs, Nah’ah . I’ll go do some checking around and then see if I
can get you a deer since, antelope is a bit too gamey.”
    “Be careful, Nato’sin . I do not have a
good feeling about our uninvited guests.”
    Summer glanced right, then left, spotting no
one.
    “To be honest, neither do I.” Running Crane
stood, smiled, and headed back up the trail toward his tipi.
    “If you’d like to settle down for the night,
I’ll do the dishes and clean up things here.”
    “That is nice of you to offer. Good thing you
did, because I was not going to do the cleanup.” She laughed and
slowly got to her feet. “Do not judge Running Crane so harshly. You
were but a child when you knew him. It would be wise to give him a
chance to get to know you…and you to get to know him. Good night, Niipo .”
    “Good night. I’ll give your suggestion some
thought.” Summer laughed softly and watched Nah’ah disappear
into the tipi. For eighty she was agile and spirited. She looked
barely sixty, if that.
    “Once you finish washing the dishes, you
should consider washing yourself. Here is something to change
into.”
    Summer took the rolled up towel Nah’ah handed toward her. “Are you saying I smell?”
    “I’m saying you’ll feel better after a
refreshing dip in the cool water. It will help you sleep.”
    Summer smiled. “Thank you, Nah’ah .”
Once again she disappeared into the tipi.
    Having the dishes washed and the campfire
stoked, Summer listened to the hundreds of crickets and various
bull frogs. She walked to the edge of the river and listened to the
rippling water splashing over rocks and logs. It soothed the
pounding in her head. She looked around, then quickly stripped to
the skin, piling her clothes on the end of the log, and sank into
the deep curve of the river. Nah’ah had been right, it felt
extremely refreshing. She inched out of the water and toweled
herself dry, then nearly laughing, slipped into a white eyelet sun
dress. So, grandmother seemed to be playing cupid. Summer sat on a
large rock on the shore and dangling her feet into the water.
    She closed her eyes and thought about her
relationship with Jordan. What had she missed? How about the fake
eyelash she’d found in the bathroom basket? He’d said it belonged
to Joshua’s girlfriend, who stayed over several times. Once they
decided to split, those little things ceased to be important.
    Summer searched her memory…how many times had
she called him when he’d been working late, and he didn’t answer?
He always had an excuse. Late dinner with the guys from the office,
meetings with supporters, and the list went on and on. She’d
believed him every time.
    Why did he always seem to have a relationship
with Joshua, even though he said he didn’t? Weren’t there times
she’d call Jordan and thought she heard Joshua in the background?
Jordan always denied it. Wasn’t it a week before his murder, she’d
been waiting for him