Fox was away at the last World War when his brother was born.
Someone different than the spoiled grandmothers boy returned home, with eyes of hate and anger. Who yelled and throw his bottles against the wall when the thunderstorms rolled in from the west like a herd of slow buffalo. Amid the flashes of lightening, he sat naked covered in mud and alone in the dark in a house without window at the edge of his grandmothers abandoned corned fields….Everyone knew to stay away..
He left his brother in the truck, and walked away. His old truck was buried to its axles in the mud and there was another storm on the way. His brother smiled and laughed as distant mountains were back lit as jagged shadows against the darkening sky from distant lightening. Fox yelled and screamed, and cursed the creator and cursed his mother for having a child that was bound to a wheel chair for his entire life. He cursed at his brother for chaining his loving mother to the dry reservation were she raised his young brother. He cursed her for loving his brother despite the fact he was in a chair and needed her to feed him, and clothe him and bath him. He cursed his mom for staying with him to her bitter end with nothing but love and affection.
Fox smeared his face with mud and clawed at the muddy earth as he shouted insults at his brother would only smiled back and drew animals on the steamed windows.
Fox cursed his father, and the sky opened up. The air sizzled with static around him as rain fell from high and washed the mud off. No matter how much mud he covered himself with, the sky poured on more rain until Fox was exhausted and lay in the mud, cleaned..
Fox had pushed the wheel chair about 2 miles before it became mired in the mud. The Chapter house was still miles away. There I was warm, it was dry there, there was a phone to call for help. He remembered how he would show up to his grandparents old Hogan and surprise them when he was young. Now he was thinking about how he would kick down the door of the empty Hogan and get his brother out of the rain. While he walked to find someone home to call for help.
His brother grinned and clapped everytime thunder would crack the air and the earth would light up.
Fox sat again in the mud wondering what he would do, his brothers wheezing became louder and he still had about 5 miles to go. There was no choice, he stared at the plans and diagrams he drew on the wet earth. He would have to carry his brother, they could cut 1 mile off the trip if they went straight toward the dim lights on the horizon. Taking the soaking blanket off the chair, he covered his brother and lifted him up. Blinded by flashbacks, he stood tall againt the sky and his brother smiled and clapped.
They set off through the storm. There was no time for anger, there was no way to cry with anger or fear because everytime he tried, the sky would open up and wash them away. Fox wasn’t there when his brother was born, so he made up a fabulous story of a great stork flying in from the ocean and delivered his brother to their old Hogan. His brother clapped with delight. When fox would trip, he would cry and he would cradle his brother as they sky washed the mud off them. As they walked through the high grass in the dark, the lightening would light the way, and they would see the empty houses of their clan staring back. Long empty, but happy to see their sons. He hallucinated his aunts, his uncles, his grandparents standing at the door cheering and waving them on through the storm.
Fox sang songs to his brother, songs that he had long buried away because of his anger towards his family, toward the world, songs he could never sing because of his own imbalances.
As he fell again and they both lay in the mud, his brother gurgled out bits and words of the songs Fox sang.
For a second between flashes, Fox saw the angry pale face of his exwife yelling at him to get off the rez and for spending to much time with his family and horses.
Comeon Man, a little further. Fox spoke outloud as he picked his brother up and walked along the chapter house fence towards the lights..
The they walked by their grandparents empty stone house as Fox sang children’s songs out loud as his brother slept. The rain stopped and the sky opened up. Not much further to the lights, almost there man…
The was a voice in the dark. Insulated from the storm, a voice spoke. The dogs are barking outside, go checking on the sheep..
nezontherez 