The Native Who Needed To Change - Whitney Shaw (best short novels .txt) 📗

Enemy

 

"Hey Little Crow?" asked Big Man.

 

"What do you want?" asked Little Crow getting annoyed.

 

"Nothing I just wanted to talk to you," said Big Man.

 

"About what?" asked Little Crow.

 

"Oh where to begin, lets start with where you stole my squaw," said Big Man.

 

"Your squaw?" asked Little Crow.

 

"Yes," said Big Man.

 

"I don't remember, matter of fact she likes me more than she does you," said Little Crow.

 

"What could she possibly see in you, do you think she wants to be with a half-breed, who's daddy is a white man," said Big Man.

 

"You need to learn when to shut up," said Little Crow getting angry.

 

"Lets go then half-breed outside," said Big Man walking outside.

 

So Little Crow and Big Man started fighting. They both pulled out their knives and started swinging them at each other. Big Man almost cut Little Crow, but ended up cutting his sleeve on his shirt. Little Crow cut Big Man in the arm and he was bleeding. Then they both dropped their knives and started throwing punches at each other. Finally two male teachers came running out of the building and stopped them. They told them both to go to the principals office and they did.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Principal's Office

"Alright, Big Man go see the nurse, who started it?" asked Principal Greg Tail Feather.

 

"Big Man, he always starts it, I always finish it," said Little Crow.

 

"I am going to call your parents and his as well" said Principal Greg Tail Feather.

 

As he was making the call, Little Crow's big brother was walking to the office to copy some papers. When he looked in the window he saw Little Crow.

 

"Little Crow this has to stop," said Kicking Bird.

 

"Big Man started it," said Little Crow.

 

"There is a better way of handling a situation, go see the Principal or a teacher," said Kicking Bird.

 

"Yes, you can always come and see me," said Principal Greg Tail Feather.

 

"See, just go to him, you don't have to fight," said Kicking Bird.

 

"Brother we've been fighting our hole lives, its in our blood," said Little Crow.

 

"Lets talk, why do you hate the white eyes so much?" asked Greg Tail Feather.

 

"They took everything from us, they took what they had no right to take," said Little Crow.

 

"It was not these people that stole from us, it was their ancestors, this is a hole new century cousin, a hole new generation, they just want to be connected now," said principal Greg Tail Feather. "Your father is waiting on you."

 

So they walked out to the car and got in and drove home.

 

"Son,"said Rocky Crow.

 

"Father," Little Crow said in sarcastic.

 

"Care to explain?" asked Rocky Crow.

 

"Big Man started it, and I finished, end of story," said Little Crow.

 

"Son, Principal Greg Tail Feather told me," said Rocky Crow.

 

"I know, alright, he gave me a long lecture, like Grandfather would have given me," said Little Crow crossing his arms.

 

"One day brother, you're going to have to grow up," said Kicking Bird.

 

When they arrived home, there mother, White Dove was cooking.

 

"Oh, Little Crow, your Grandfather wants you to walk with him," said White Dove.

 

"Why?" asked Little Crow dipping his fry bread in a pot of chilly.

 

"He wants to tell you a story," said White Dove.

 

"Can't," said Little Crow.

 

"Can't or wont," said White Dove crossing her arms.

 

"Got things to do, cant he find someone else to tell his stupid story to," said Little Crow.

 

"What are you going to do, get into trouble on the Rez, stories are not stupid, they are what holds us all together," said White Dove.

 

"Whatever," Little Crow walking out and slamming the screen door from behind. He saw his Grandfather sleeping in the chair outside, he quietly walked passed him.

Grandfather's story

"I've been waiting for you," smiled Grandfather.

 

"Ah man," Little Crow said under his breath.

 

"Things have changed I can see it in your eyes," said Grandfather.

 

"How's that, that I am at war with the white man," said Little Crow.

 

"The truth was always the truth, you have to loose yourself before you find yourself," said Grandfather wisely.

 

"I can't find crap, its all decided for me," said Little Crow raising his voice.

 

"Are you done whining?" asked Grandfather walking away.

 

"Where are we going?" asked Little Crow.

 

"To the past," said Grandfather.

 

So they went walking out to the plains and sat down on the grass.

 

"My grandson, I am going to tell you a story...." said Grandfather.

 

"I don't need stories grandpa, I got problems," said Little Crow.

 

"Ah your pitiful ," said Grandfather.

 

So Little Crow got quiet and let his Grandfather tell his story.

 

"A long time ago their were three "ozuyes" (warriors) in the Lakota language. "Out on the plains, they were letting their horses drink from a stream. When their horses stopped drinking the men saw a log cabin across the stream. So they rode up real slow and stopped, the door started to slowly open. A couple came out, they had no weapons but only a black book they called the Bible.

 

"Would ya'll like to come inside and eat with us?" asked Shawn motioning his hand to come inside.

 

The warrior's looked at each other and got off their horses and went inside.

 

"What brings you here to our home?" asked Shawn.

 

"We came to give our horses water," said Spotted Tail.

 

"Is there more of you?" asked Becky.

 

"Hin sota" (yes, many), their are more of us," Spotted Tail said in the Lakota language.

 

"Can we go and see?" asked Shawn.

 

"We will take you," said the second warrior.

 

So the warriors went outside, Shawn and Becky saddled up their horses and followed the warriors. When they arrived at the village they were amazed at what they saw," said Grandfather.

 

"Big deal, times have changed grandpa," said Little Crow.

 

"Times maybe, but people haven't, it was not these people that stole our lands grandson, it was their ancestors, these people now want to be connected," said Grandfather.

 

"I have to go, we can finish it later," said Little Crow leaving his Grandfather sitting on the grass.

Good Friend

Little Crow walked to Pete Chasing Horse's house and sat down on the steps with him.

 

"How's it?" asked Little Crow handing him some smokes.

 

"Pilamaya" (thank you)," Pete Chasing Horse said in the Lakota language.

 

"Things have changed, what's up?" asked Pete Chasing Horse.

 

"I think "ecktomy" is playing with me?" asked Little Crow.

 

"Most people thing of "ecktomy" as coming in a form of a spider, some offering of charliechapacto would be a good start and make some tobacco ties, if things don't get better, I'll hold a healing ceremony for. Remember human beings don't control anything, spirits do," said Pete Chasing Horse.

 

So he went home and did what Pete Chasing Horse asked him to do. Then he went into the living room and started watching the news.

 

"Well, do you feel better?" asked Rocky Crow.

 

"I don't know, we will see tomorrow I guess," said Little Crow.

 

"Washte" (good)," Rocky Crow said in the Lakota language.

 

"Well goodnight, school tomorrow," said Little Crow going into his room.

 

"Goodnight son," said Rocky Crow.

 

"Oh what are we going to do with him?" asked White Dove

 

"You can sell him, I wander how much you'd get over in Rapid," laughed Kicking Bird.

 

"Son," said Rocky Crow.

 

"He's your brother, what he needs to do is, spend more time with Grandfather," said White Dove.

 

"Yeah, that's true, but he is not going to do that, he likes doing things his way," said Kicking Bird. "He calls it the warriors way."

 

"Well to bad, he is going to do it whether he likes it or not," said White Dove.

 

"Alright lets go to bed, its getting late," said Rocky Crow.

 

So they all went to bed.

 

School

Next morning, it was time to get up and ready for school. They got dressed and ran out the door to the bus stop and waited on the bus.

 

"Hey Little Crow, how's it?" asked White Eagle.

 

"Washte, tokhesk he ya un he" (good, how are you)? asked Little Crow in the Lakota language.

 

"Washte" (good)," said White Eagle in the Lakota language.

 

Then the bus arrived and they stepped on and walked to the back of the bus and sat down.

 

"Well, its the nerds sitting with the cool kids, who said you could sit back here?" asked Matthew in a rude voice.

 

"I did, he is my brother, I suggest you turn around and sit down," said Kicking Bird.

 

"Ooh, I am so scared, I am shaking in my boots," said Matthew smiling and laughing.

 

"He said turn around white eyes," said Little Crow.

 

"White eyes, look who's talking half-breed," said Matthew. "You make look like an Indian, but inside your as much as a white man then me I am also a half-breed. you don't belong with your people or mine, that's why the other Indian kids call you Apple, right."

 

"Your very lucky I don't have anything in my hands to shut that big mouth of yours," said Little Crow in anger.

 

"Alright boys that's enough, Matthew turn around now," yelled the Indian bus driver.

 

Matthew just chuckled and smiled, then he turned around.

 

Little Crow smiled