Cedar Woman (16 page)

S
h
e
felt
as
if
in
a
d
ream –
as
i
f
s
h
e
were
wal
k
ing
in
slow
m
o
ti
o
n,
or wad
i
ng
t
h
ro
u
g
h
deep
wate
r
.
Her
he
a
rt
was p
ou
nd
i
ng
aga
i
nst
h
e
r
rib
c
ag
e as
she
slowly
adv
a
nc
e
d
toward
a
s
in
g
l
e
m
an
s
t
andi
n
g
apart
f
rom
t
h
e oth
e
rs,
a
wild
f
low
e
r
t
u
ck
e
d
i
n
t
h
e
b
u
tt
o
n
-h
o
le
of his
plaid shi
r
t,
his p
o
ny tail
n
eat and fres
h
ly gro
o
m
e
d
,
and
a sage wreat
h
, i
d
e
n
tical to
h
ers, adorning
his head as
well.

S
h
e
d
id
n
o
t
h
ear
t
h
e w
o
rds
spo
k
en,
o
r
h
er own
r
e
p
lies.
T
h
e Medicine
M
a
n/Justice
of
the Peace
p
e
rforming
t
h
e
c
e
re
m
ony,
raised
the Pipe a
n
d
m
u
r
m
ur
e
d
s
o
m
e wo
r
d
s.
Peter
t
u
r
n
e
d a
n
d tied an
e
agle plu
m
e to Mary’s
h
air,
a
n
d
still
a
vo
i
d
i
n
g
h
is
eyes, Mary
tied
on
e to
h
is.
T
h
e me
d
ici
n
e
m
an
p
ic
k
ed
up
a
star
qu
ilt,
and wrap
p
ed
it
ab
ou
t
t
h
e
c
o
u
p
le. Sl
ow
ly,
t
h
e
n
e
wly
we
d
s
t
u
rned
to
f
ace
t
h
eir
g
u
ests,
and
t
h
e
reality
of what had
j
u
st
occ
u
rr
e
d
hit
M
ary
w
i
th
f
u
ll
forc
e
.
She
had
o
b
e
y
ed
h
e
r
m
o
ther and
m
a
rried.
Now w
a
s the ti
m
e,
now
s
h
e
m
u
st look in
t
o
t
h
e f
a
ce
o
f
h
e
r
h
u
sb
and
.

Ti
m
e
froze.
All
sound,
all
move
m
ent
ceased.
W
i
t
h
in her ears
was
t
h
e
s
i
ng
l
e
s
o
u
nd of her hea
rt
’s
beat,
a
n
d
a
s
her ha
n
d
s
to
uch
e
d h
i
s,
th
e so
un
d
o
f his
b
eating he
a
rt as well.
As he
ar
t
b
eat fus
e
d wi
t
h
he
a
rt
b
eat, as soul
m
erg
e
d
w
ith
s
o
ul,
and r
e
cog
n
ized
its
eternal par
t
ner, t
i
m
e
see
m
ed
to sta
n
d
still.
T
i
me
n
o
lo
ng
e
r held
a
n
y
rele
v
a
n
ce;
ti
m
e
was
s
u
b
j
ecti
v
e;
time
h
eld no
m
ea
n
i
n
g.

The we
d
d
in
g
o
f
Pe
t
er
Sp
o
tt
ed
Eagle
Ca
t
cher and
Ma
ry
O
n
e Fea
t
her F
o
ols
B
u
ll w
o
uld
rea
c
h
leg
e
nd
a
ry
p
r
op
o
rtions
i
n
t
h
e
m
i
n
d
s
o
f
t
h
ose
w
h
o wit
n
essed
it, a
n
d later in th
o
s
e to wh
o
m
t
h
e st
o
ry
was
t
o
l
d
.

W
i
t
n
esses
wo
u
l
d re
p
o
rt a
s
ho
c
k of
electr
i
ci
ty
,
a
wave
o
f
e
m
o
ti
on fl
o
od
i
ng
t
h
e
ro
o
m
,
as
M
ar
y
’s
s
m
all
bo
u
quet fell,
t
u
m
b
li
n
g
as
if
in
slow
m
o
tion,
s
l
owl
y
,
slowly
to
the
fl
o
o
r.
M
ary r
e
achi
n
g
f
o
r
Peter’s
ha
n
d
s
,
h
e
r
h
air see
m
i
n
g
t
o
fl
o
at u
p
on
the air, Peter a
p
pearing
to
e
xp
a
n
d
, to
s
h
immer,