
"My
name is Turquoise Lake. I am seven years and eight moons. Auntie
said that I could play under the old juniper tree today after I
help her and my older sisters finish grinding last year's corn.
The sand under this tree is a nice place to make a pretend village,
and I brought my favorite rock doll. I will play with her and my
cousin Yellow Corn Pollen. She is older than I and almost my brother's
age. I like her very much because she has watched over me since
I was a baby. I can hear Grandfather's voice echoing from the other
side of the canyon, cheering the shinny game.
"Tonight, by
the warm fireplace, Mother will give me a bath before I slip into
the mountain sheepskin bed that I share with my sisters. Sometimes
we lie awake and listen to Grandfather and Grandmother telling stories
of long ago. I imagine the story characters in silhouettes cast
on the walls by the firelight, and then I fall asleep." |