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Escape From Manitou Island: Part 52 |
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Beyond The Wall Of Water CHARMIAN'S MOUTH FELL open as she stared at the source of the rumbling noise which had rendered speech nearly impossible for part of the way up the steep promontory. Her eyes widened when her stare fell on the monstrous waterfall crashing into the river impossibly far below, its torrent causing a thick mist to rise even way up to where they stood, soaking their clothes straight through. Already her hair stuck in her eyes, and she had to brush it aside with one shaking hand. "A waterfall," she whispered, her voice immediately drowned out by the cacophony. She turned to Singing Cedars and mouthed, "The wall of water is a WATERFALL?" He frowned. "You mean you didn't KNOW?" She threw her hands up. "When you kept saying 'wall of water,' I just figured you meant a WALL MADE OUT OF WATER!!" He threw up his hands now. "HOW CAN THERE BE A WALL MADE OUT OF WATER?!" Charmian decided not to answer that, and instead turned back to the waterfall thundering far below. She stared at it gleaming in the moonlight, and could even see tiny moonbows hovering over the basin it crashed into. She stared at it in awe, unable to believe just how huge it was. "It's so much BIGGER than it looks," she yelled. Singing Cedars took a step up beside her and looked into her face. "You've BEEN here before--?" She shook her head. "I've just seen pictures of it in books!" She turned to him and gestured at the waterfall. "Where I come from this is called Niagara Falls! THOUSANDS of people visit it every year!" Singing Cedars frowned. "'Niagara Falls'?" He shook his head and waved at her. "FOLLOW! I KNOW A WAY SAFELY DOWN TO THE BOTTOM!" Charmian opened her mouth to respond, then shut it. She'd only ever seen pictures of the place before; she supposed that he likely knew far more about traversing it than she could possibly know. She looked to see that Walks-On-The-Shore was following before going after Singing Cedars herself, and hoped that he knew what he was talking about. They started to descend the promontory now, and the stands of trees grew ever thicker, so that the horrific roar cast by the falls dulled somewhat and they were able to talk to each other in only mildly elevated voices. "You never told me you've been to Niagara Falls!" Charmian exclaimed, catching up with Singing Cedars. He scowled. "And you never told me that you'd heard of it before! You probably could have saved us a lot of trouble if you'd just said so!" She rolled her eyes. "Hardly! Like I said I've only seen pictures of it. Where I come from you would make a great tour guide. That's what people do in this place in my time," she explained when he gave her an odd look. "Take tours. It's the same on the island, you know. Where I come from its real name means Great Turtle!" He gave her another odd look. "Why is your island called 'Great Turtle'?" "It's a long story," Charmian said, rubbing at her neck; she didn't feel comfortable or experienced enough telling stories. "Why do you ask?" she asked instead. Singing Cedars reached up to rub at his neck as well, looking away slightly. "Well...it's just an old story that Grandmother used to tell me. About how the world was made." Charmian tilted her head and picked up her pace a bit. "Really--? How does it go?" They walked in silence for a moment as he appeared to try to gather himself. "She said that...a long time ago, there was only water, and nothing else," he said. "A woman fell from the sky. She had nowhere to rest...so a great turtle arose from the water, and offered her its back." He paused again, then resumed, talking more quickly than before. "She gave birth to two children here. One was light and one was dark. They fought each other, and the light one won. He set out making the rest of the world then, and now everything we see is a result of what he did. This land now rests upon the turtle's back." He flushed. "Of course, it's just an old story." Charmian stared at the dim trail as they walked. Her brow furrowed. That sounds just like the story of Geezhigo-Quae and Manabozho...! "That's interesting," was all that she could say in response. He gave a halfhearted snort and sidestepped a tree. "Of course, it's nothing but a story," he echoed himself. "The world isn't really resting on a giant turtle. It's ridiculous to think something like that. You may as well just say that the world is suspended in open air, it makes just as much sense." Charmian shrugged and hopped over a rock. "I don't know," she said. "They don't teach that the world's on a turtle where I come from. But I'm starting to think that there can be more than one explanation for some things." She moved briefly behind him as the trees grew so dense that there was room only for one of them at a time, then popped out beside him again. "Like where I'm from, they don't teach that giant birds cause thunder, but here, I'm kind of learning things differently!" Singing Cedars peered at her, then back at the trail. "You see things more than I do," he murmured. "I don't know," Charmian said again, and began stepping on rocks as if playing hopscotch. "I think you would see just as many things if you wanted to." He snorted. "I leave that to others," he said disdainfully, and Charmian suppressed a smile. They meandered down further into the woods, the ground beneath them growing ever rockier. The mist began to drift over them again, and the roaring grew, until they came out as close to the river as they could get, a great crash of water soaking them even from this distance, and masses of untidy rock lining everywhere they could see. Singing Cedars half-mouthed, half-signed to her. "WELL, HERE'S YOUR WALL OF WATER!" Charmian bit her lip and stared at the falls. "BUT--SHE SAID WABUN'S SUPPOSED TO BE BEHIND THE WALL OF WATER!" she yelled, pantomiming something being behind the falls. "IF THAT'S SO, THEN HOW THE HECK DO WE REACH HIM?!" Singing Cedars waved at the falls. "THERE'S A CAVE BEHIND THE WATER! I'VE HEARD OF IT BUT I'VE NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE!" He started picking his way over the boulders, gesturing at them to follow. "WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO USE THAT TO GET THERE!" "A CAVE--?" Charmian shouted. She scrambled to catch up with him and tugged on his arm. "IT CAN TAKE US BEHIND THE FALLS--? WITHOUT US DROWNING OR ANYTHING--?" He shrugged. "THIS IS WHAT I'VE BEEN TOLD, AT LEAST!" Another wave. "IT SHOULD BE THIS WAY! JUST WATCH WHERE YOU'RE STEPPING!" Charmian gave a quick nod and concentrated on finding footholds in the rock. It was much trickier here than it was further down the river, at the rapids; these rocks were gigantic, their crevices filled with puddles of icy water, and they had been worn slick as slime by countless years of water action. Finding foot- and handholds was easy enough, but finding ones that weren't as slippery as eels was another thing entirely. And after just a few moments, the massive spray from the falls made Charmian start shivering violently, her teeth clacking like castanets. She didn't even realize how numb her fingers had gone until she attempted to grab onto one of the rocks and couldn't even feel it. She let out a yelp which the pounding water promptly drowned out, and tumbled sideways. She jarred against something, rather than fell, and blinked the blur from her eyes to look up at Walks-On-The-Shore. He gave her a look which plainly told her that he didn't think she was fit to be walking on such a surface; she scowled in return and pulled her arm away. The Huron responded by meeting her eyes quite pointedly, then clambering over the rock they rested against. He looked at her once more before putting one hand in one crevice, and one foot in another, and then disappearing over the other side. Charmian took the hint, and followed suit, picking out the same cracks to grasp onto. She popped up over the rock to see him making his way down another; he glanced back at her briefly and then went on. Just before he slipped over another rock, she managed to clear her eyes, and saw his back as he disappeared again. She blinked. The water must have still been making her see funny; it had looked like there was an ugly scar almost right between his shoulders. She'd never noticed that before. They caught up with Singing Cedars perched atop a boulder which lay almost in line with the edge of the falls; Charmian couldn't believe how massive they were, and Walks-On-The-Shore had to grab her arm a few times to keep her from falling, she was gawking upwards so much. They huddled on top of the rock and Singing Cedars pointed out a dark spot, vague, behind the water. He then pointed out a rough ledge running away from the rock and toward the dark spot; Charmian squinted at it and saw that it was a sort of path worn into the rock, forming a walkway behind the waterfall. She chewed on her lip anxiously--the roar of the water was deafening now, making her ears ring in protest, and the spray was such that they were hopelessly soaked through; the ledge led right along the basin of water part of the way, and she hated the thought of plunging in there. If she ended up pinned beneath the torrent of falling water, she would be done for. I wonder if any weird manitous--okis--or whatever--live in this place, she thought a bit miserably, but sighed and gave a weak nod. Singing Cedars paused, staring at her for a moment, then nodded as well and turned away. She watched him tentatively lower himself onto the stone path, and begin creeping along the edge. After several moments she could barely see him anymore through the mist, but she did make him out when he waved, and vanished in the area of the dark spot way in the back. Walks-On-The-Shore tugged her arm. "Going next?" he mouthed at her, as speech was now useless. She nearly shook her head no, then bit her lip, and nodded instead. He squeezed to the side and gestured her forward; wincing, she picked her way over the rock so slowly that it felt like slime mold would move faster. She hoped that Walks-On-The-Shore wouldn't get fed up with her and push her off, just to save some time, though she wouldn't have put it past him. She chattered wildly and whimpered as she edged around the basin of water, eyeing the froth that kicked up and spattered against her clothes, her hair getting in her eyes and forcing her to pull one hand away from the stone wall to clear them. Several feet from where the path vanished behind the edge of the waterfall, she slipped, and felt her leg fly out from underneath her, her body starting to slide down toward the basin. With a shriek she frantically grabbed at the rock around her, kicked herself onto her feet, and sprinted the rest of the way, not even caring that her feet slipped over the rock rather than took hold on it. She vaulted straight into the hollow behind the falls before she at last lost her balance and keeled over, then lay there gasping for breath, whining and squinching her eyes shut in terror. It was a moment or two before she could just barely hear a voice yell, "Charmian?" She opened her eyes, blinking upward. She furrowed her brow in surprise when she saw a roof of stone above her, then tilted her head forward. Singing Cedars stood at the other end of the...room? She tilted her head back now, and could at last see the falls pounding into the river behind her. They were several yards away now, and she was on relatively dry land, a great stone overhang protecting her from the cascade. She let out her breath. "An overhang," she whispered. Walks-On-The-Shore stepped up beside her and grasped her hand, helping her to her feet; she stood rubbing at her arms for a moment before a chill began to take over, and she started chattering madly again, hugging her arms around herself and wishing that she'd brought along the skin from the canoe ride. Singing Cedars approached, pulling off his jacket and tossing it over her shoulders. "Here," he said; somehow the space behind the waterfall was such that he could speak to her clearly in only a mild yell. "This should help until you dry off." He pointed toward the back of the opening. "The cave is back there. It looks like it goes back quite a way. I'm guessing this is the way we should go to find this 'Wabun.'" Charmian nodded, still chattering and shaking. They started walking, setting foot in the cave and continuing as the already dim light from outside faded, and they were walking in near-total darkness. She rubbed her arms and was glad that she walked between the other two, for some reason. "Do you really think we'll find him back here?" she asked after a while, when the roar of the waterfall had devolved into a dull muted rumble. Singing Cedars shrugged--or at least, it looked like he did. "Remember, it's Grandmother's story. She doesn't lie, but she does tell all sorts of stories that I think aren't quite true. I guess what matters is what you think." Charmian blinked--What's that mean?--then tripped on a bump and let out a little yelp; Walks-On-The-Shore again kept her from falling. "I wish I had my fire!" she exclaimed in frustration. "At least we could see a little!" "You still haven't learned how to talk to the okis--?" Walks-On-The-Shore inquired. Charmian scowled at him again. "Remember what happened the LAST time? I think I'm probably better off leaving the okis alone!" Walks-On-The-Shore just rolled his eyes. "What is it your people say--? 'Oh ye of little faith.'" She decided not to justify that with an answer, and picked up her pace, as the ground here was much drier and easier to walk along. The tunnel they walked through grew wider and narrower at times, so that she often heard Singing Cedars grunting as he hit his head on the low-hanging ceiling, and knew to duck her own head; but she did stub her toes a decent number of times, until both of her feet ached, and she was wincing and walking on the balls of her feet, almost like a duck. Singing Cedars slowed down so that she nearly ran into him, and he glanced over his shoulder. "Is it just me," he murmured, "or...can I see more...?" Charmian frowned, then she and Walks-On-The-Shore both craned their necks and started peering around in the tunnel. "It isn't just you," she said after a moment. "I can see better, too." Her frown grew. "How is that? It was nighttime outside, and we must be...God knows how many yards underground..." Her stare fixed on the curving wall, and her eyes widened and she gasped. "Look!" They both peered closely when she reached up to pull something down from the wall, and held it up before them. "Weaver webs!" she exclaimed, her face lighting up in more ways than one. Singing Cedars frowned and took the webs, rubbing them between his fingers. "Spider's webs...?" he said skeptically. Charmian nodded. "These are the same things that allowed Shore and me to come here so fast! They're the same thing that helps me get to the Island from my mainland!" She glanced up at the walls ahead, and could see more webs draping them. "This must be a magical tunnel--er--a tunnel with medicine! Now I REALLY think that Wabun must live here!" She nudged her way ahead of him, picking up her pace. "Are you sure..." Singing Cedars started to say, but trailed off when she just kept walking without looking back. She heard him give a flustered sigh, but then his footsteps hurried to catch up with hers. "Are you sure it's such a good idea to just go running right in--?" he asked. "Even if this is where Wabun lives..." "Are you afraid of everything?" Charmian asked in exasperation. "Jeez, I'm just going to take a look! It's not like I'm going to jump off the falls!" Singing Cedars huffed at her. "FINE!" He halted so abruptly that Walks-On-The-Shore ran into him; they smacked each other a few times before he cupped a hand to his mouth to yell after her, "SEE IF I CARE IF YOU GET IN TROUBLE!" Charmian rolled her eyes. Like I've never heard THAT before--he's always first to come running! "Whatever," she called back; and indeed, as soon as she started to turn a curve, she heard him come running after her again, and had to smile to herself. He drew up beside her and scowled. "It's ONLY because you're my sister that I'm even bothering! If you were ANYONE else, I would just LEAVE you!" "Uh-huh," Charmian said. She pointed. "Is that a light up there--?" "What--?" He turned his head to look and furrowed his brow; the tunnel curved more sharply ahead, and a light was falling on the left wall. It was yellowish-golden, like fires burned within, but not like the angry violent fires of Chakenapok's cave; Charmian thought it looked more like a cozy fireplace should be within. She once more picked up her pace, which had been starting to lag. "Wabun is the Wind of the east," she thought aloud. "Maybe it's the sunrise...? Or wabano fire?" "What would the sunrise be doing underground, in a cave, behind a waterfall...?" Singing Cedars started to ask; when she looked at him, he just sighed and rolled his eyes. "Never mind." Her mouth twitched. "Now you're catching on." She cocked her head as they rounded the curve. "It can't be too much longer before we..." A whistling noise made her halt, yet Singing Cedars halted even more abruptly. She blinked when she saw two blue eyes shimmering back at her, and her mouth fell open; then another set joined them, and they found themselves staring at two manitous--or okis--or something. One was silvery white and the other was dark bluish gray, and they both stared back, cocking their own heads as if curious. Singing Cedars let out a small cry and jumped back, but couldn't go very far; he ran again into Walks-On-The-Shore, whose face screwed up, his mouth opening like he intended to let out a furious yell. He shoved Singing Cedars so hard that he stumbled back out into the cave that the two creatures stood within, and Charmian hastened out after him, grasping his arm. Singing Cedars managed to stop, only to lift his head and find himself just an inch or so from the silvery creature; he shrieked and scuttled back toward the tunnel, running into the wall and pressing himself flat, his eyes goggling. "No wonder you never talk to okis," Walks-On-The-Shore grumbled. Charmian stared at the two creatures, noticing how their eyes shifted slightly to look at each other, as if they were conversing mentally. She took the chance to peer around the cave and found that there was absolutely nothing in it to cause the warm golden glow; it seemed to come from nowhere. She reminded herself of the tunnels leading down to the Borderlands far beneath Manitou Island, and how they too seemed to be lit from no particular source; then she coughed a little and took a tentative step forward, waving her hand a bit so the creatures looked at her again. "Little Sister!!" Singing Cedars hissed. Charmian ignored him and stopped in front of the two. "Um...hi," she said, and they flicked their ears. She realized that she had absolutely no clue what to say to them, and so decided to just use her usual approach. "My name's Charmian and I'm from this Island in the west...it's called Manitou Island...I came here looking for somebody." She frowned a little, then rubbed at her head. "Does either of you understand me--? I've never talked with okis before. I only know how to talk with manitous. I mean, I know you both speak the same language, but I'm just not so good with okis..." The two creatures cocked their heads the other way, then made eyes at each other. The dark one whistled, then the light one, and Charmian blinked, her eyes widening. She lowered her hand. "Oh," she said, sounding surprised. "What is it...?" Singing Cedars pushed himself a fraction away from the wall, looking perplexed. "You understand them--? What are they saying?" Charmian tilted her head thoughtfully. "The silver one's saying it's an oki," she said. "And it understands me just fine." She looked at the dark one. "And that one's saying it's a manitou...and it understands me too." Walks-On-The-Shore frowned and stepped into the room, looking from one to the other curiously. "An oki...and a manitou...?" Singing Cedars echoed, growing confused. Charmian nodded slowly. "Apparently...both of them live in this place," she said. "Manitous, and okis. Here at the waterfall--they're spirits of the falls." She turned to look back at the other two. "It's almost like...neutral ground, or something. They say it's been like this as long as they remember." Singing Cedars's fear seemed to begin to fade a little, and he took a hesitant step closer. "How...how can you tell them apart?" he asked. "They look exactly alike, to me! Just like those creatures on your Island!" "They're a tiny bit different," Charmian insisted, and bit her lip. "But I can't really explain how. I guess it's more of a mental thing. It would've taken me a while to figure out that they're both different, if they hadn't told me, but now that I know I can feel it, too." She took another step toward them and held out her hand. "I need to ask for some help," she said. "I was hoping that maybe one of you might know what we should do." The manitou and the oki both stepped forward and touched their muzzles to her hand. Charmian shivered--their noses were cold--and sent them every mental image she could, hoping that she wasn't making another mistake like she'd made with the false oki, yet feeling somehow that these were the real deal, even if she didn't know their alignment yet. After a moment they both stepped back, bobbing their heads and whistling aloud. Copper-headed one's come a far way, the manitou said. What do you seek behind a fall? the oki asked. Charmian let out her breath. "We're looking for Wabun, the East Wind," she said. "I was told that he lives here, behind the falls. Is this story true?" East Wind one does live here, the manitou said, and the oki bobbed its head toward the continuation of the tunnel at the other end of the cave. Has lived here as long as manitous and okis remember. They both sent a few more images to her, and she turned back to Singing Cedars and Walks-On-The-Shore, able to tell from the look on the Onondaga's face that he had no idea what was going on. "They say that Wabun's the reason why their people stopped fighting years and years ago," she said. "Apparently they were both once at war much like your people and the Island's people were." She gestured at the two spirits. "The war carried on and moved behind the falls even though there were some families living back here. A lot of manitous and okis were killed. Then one day, they say that a bright light like a ball of fire came through the falls and told them to stop warring, and they would all be allowed to live back here safely, and it would watch over them. They've stayed here ever since. I guess there's some okis and manitous that still fight on the outside, but in here, it's not allowed. It's a neutral zone." She glared at them. "Which means NO MORE FIGHTING!" Singing Cedars's mouth fell open and Walks-On-The-Shore huffed and pointed at him accusingly. "HE started it!!" "Well, it was you guys fighting which drew them out here anyway, so, I guess that can be forgiven," Charmian said, turning back to the two spirits. "Do you think that Wabun will talk with us? It's important to the safety of the Island." East Wind one does not speak with many, the manitou said. Does not even speak with us much, directly. Charmian furrowed her brow. "What do you mean, directly...?" East Wind one mostly hides himself, the oki replied. Most of us do not see him. Only see his light, around us, keeping us safe. "Oh." Charmian looked up at the cave ceiling. "So I guess all this light is him." They bobbed their heads and snorted. "Well...it's really important," she explained. "Could you at least show us the way in his direction? I promise I can take up anything with him on my own if that's what he'd prefer." She reached in her pouch. "I have tobacco if you want it." She held up the pouch, but the two spirits didn't seem particularly interested; they did, however, eyeball the webs still clinging to Charmian's hand. She glanced down at them, then held up her hand and raised her eyebrows. The two spirits started pawing at the ground and whistling. Need to make an entryway to reach the west country, they said. But the tunnel is broken. Charmian arched a brow again. "There's a whole lot more of these right off in that tunnel there," she said, pointing at the one they'd just come out of. The two spirits whistled in seeming surprise, then the oki turned to the manitou, letting out a blare which almost hurt her ears. TOLD you there would be some what way! The manitou snorted and kicked at the ground. Did not! NEVER said such a thing! The two spirits began bickering even as they headed past Charmian and into the tunnel, their whistles echoing off the walls. The other three were left behind in the cave; Charmian turned to look at Singing Cedars and Walks-On-The-Shore, to see that Walks-On-The-Shore was attempting to put his foot in his mouth, and Singing Cedars looked just as mystified as anything. She shrugged. "I guess we go that way, then!" She gestured at them and they crossed the cave and went into the tunnel at the other side. It, too, was well lit, and there was no more danger of running into or tripping over anything; though Charmian did wince a bit as she walked, and Singing Cedars reached up to rub at his bruised forehead more than once. I hope Shawondassee was being truthful and told us everything she knows, she thought with a bit of unease. She didn't exactly have much to say about him...but he does sound easier to deal with than Kabebonikka... Still...she said he was working on a way to improve himself, which means maybe he's not as easygoing as it would seem...what if all of that's gone to his head like it did with Kabeyun...? Is this whole quest for Kabeyun just a huge waste after all? They all keep saying he won't lift a finger... "It's getting...brighter," Singing Cedars grumbled, holding up a hand. Charmian lifted her head and had to blink, the glare hurt her eyes so. Not to mention the fact that it seemed to be getting warmer, to boot. Singing Cedars turned to her with widening eyes. "Is this place supposed to be on fire--?" Fire--? Charmian thought, when Singing Cedars blinked and took a hasty step back with a gasp. She whirled around to look at the tunnel ahead of them and saw that the source of the light and heat was coming straight toward them now--and it looked like nothing other than a giant fireball! "FIREBALL!" she yelled, and turned, nearly bowling over Walks-On-The-Shore. "RUN!!" The other two turned and started running ahead of her. They made it down the tunnel several yards before Singing Cedars glanced back over his shoulder, and she saw panic enter his eyes. He turned to face her and reached out one arm. "Little Sister--!!" he yelled, his voice going oddly high pitched. She opened her mouth to tell him to keep going. Right before she felt the first touch of searing heat against her back, and her command quickly changed into a yell of pain and fright. |