
I lay down in feathered sleep where dreams and visions mix with the real world around me. The spirits of the ancestors surrounded me and spoke to me as I floated in the part trance, part waking, part sleep that was so important to the Seeing.
I say the ancestors surrounded me, but that was not quite true. I knew the stories and legends and so understood that our people had moved in from the west and the way east was unexplored. Yes, we have journeyed for days to the east, but never venturing beyond what we knew was safe.
The cold winters have become colder, the glacier has approached. We had moved from the land of the ancestors to the west when my grandfather’s grandfather was a small child. We occasionally met with our kin, but they have grown strange.
Or we have.
No man has ever been to the east. It was not known if it were possible. Our farthest pushes took us to the ice that met the sea.
Would it be possible to use small boats to pass the ice and find land? And how far would we have to travel? As winter closed in, we knew we couldn’t move too far or risk being trapped and dying of starvation.
The spirits of my ancestors suddenly turned into birds and flew off leaving me by myself. I woke from my feathered sleep, no wiser.
I started the journey back to the village, defeated. My only council would be to return to our ancestral lands, lands that we had left because they had grown too crowded, returning to a people who were no longer family, but more like strangers.
I stopped, hearing the honking of geese from the sky. I could see the V-pattern of the birds as they flew over, getting ready for their yearly sojourn to warmer lands.
And then I noticed the cloud. It was shaped like a giant feather but was in all colors, a captured rainbow.
Another flock of geese flew under the feather-cloud.
I understood.
When I returned to the village, I did not admit defeat.
“Come, all, let us prepare to journey. We will build boats and use them to travel to the south and east, past the ice.”
“But we have tried and the ice goes on forever. There is no passing.”
I smiled as a flock of geese passed.
I pointed up at the birds, who were heading to the south and the east.
“If it stretches forever, where are the birds going? The ancestors have spoken, we will begin the journey before the cold weather sets in.”
Later, during normal night-sleep, our ancestors brought me a new dream. In this, our people were on a new land, spread over thousands of miles.
I smiled. I knew I had made the right choice.
***
This was written for the writephoto challenge put on by KL Caley. This week the photo was by A Kehas and KL gave us the key words Feather Cloud.
**
If you didn’t catch it, the idea here is supposed to be the first peoples to cross over from Asia to the Americas. Despite what they used to say, now people think that the “land bridge” would have just felt like new land to them – they would have expanded as they ever had and there would be no line between old world and new. Many also think that they went by boat, not land. Oh well, since all of that land is now under water, we may never know…
Pingback: #Writephoto Round-Up – FEATHER CLOUD – New2Writing
That’s a brilliant story. We’ll never know what inspired them
LikeLiked by 1 person
We can never know, but it is fun to speculate :) Thanks.
LikeLike
True!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: #WRITEPHOTO – Feather Cloud by Trent’s World – New2Writing
Wow, what a brilliant story Trent. It felt mystical from the first words, slowly building up to the journey. I loved it. Thank you so much for joining in the challenge:
KL <3
LikeLike
Thanks, KL, I’m glad you liked it :)
LikeLike
A lovely story Trent. So full of wisdom.
LikeLike
Thanks
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beautiful story with your picture Trent❣️
LikeLike
Thanks, though it is Alethea’s photo, not mine :)
LikeLiked by 1 person
aha… thanks!🙏
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wonderful story, it has a mythical feel to it. Who is to say it didn’t happen just like that?
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks! Something drove or drew in the first settlers. Who knows…
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re welcome, Trent.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is so beautiful Trent, so gentle and peaceful. It is ful of wisdom, you have a knowledge about you.💜
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Willow :) I do enjoy learnign about different fields.
LikeLike
You do it so well.💜
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks :)
LikeLike
💜
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a lovely read, Trent. I sensed it was one of those dream-induced visions the First Nations do, to help guide them. I wasn’t sure where they were going nor where they were coming from but your footnote explained it well :)
LikeLike
Thanks, Dale. This was one of those that I wrote the basis of the story without knowing what it was about. Glad you got the gist if not the details from the story.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That was pretty clear to me (even if there was no official “pipe smoking to induce the visions”… ;-)
LikeLike
I had enough of the pipe smoking (and so much more) in yesterday’s FF ;)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah yes… when Rochelle stole all the good puns… ;-)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes….
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow, Trent this is a as marvelous story.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Sadje! :)
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re welcome
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love your take on the photo!
LikeLike
Thanks! I see you posted about the same time I did – I’ll stop by in a minute :)
LikeLiked by 1 person
lol, OK, you posted a rebolog, not a story yet :)
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂 Not sure I will post a story. The muse hasn’t fully returned to me for these since Sue’s departure from the world.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sue did have a way of stirring the muse. Hope you find your muse soon.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you
LikeLiked by 1 person