Healer of the Water Monster: Prologue–Chapter 6

These water monsters governed the torrents of this water world and kept the waves tranquil.

At the ceiling, the beings discovered a small hole through which they could escape the livid waters beneath them.

Seeing their imminent escape, Mother Water Monster commanded a cloud to condense and form a thick sheet of ice that covered the hole, barring their exit.

The hot New Mexican sun singed his exposed skin.

Her flower-print skirt billowed behind her.

Nali always smelled like lavender and sage, which Nathan was glad to inhale over and over again.

Her eyes had a sliver of silver outlining her deep black pupils, like a midnight crescent moon, and her white hair speckled with strands of black was pulled into a tight traditional Navajo bun that was held together by a bundle of white yarn.

There was nothing but the wide expanse of flat desert, which reached toward the edge of the horizon, where massive sandstone plateaus stood that were as faint and round as orange clouds.

Clusters of sagebrush and gnarled oak trees peppered the sunbaked desert floor.

Phoenix had twice the amount of background radiation. In his conclusion, Nathan hypothesized that the higher levels in Phoenix were due to the presence of hospitals and cell phone usage.

Wearing his Marine fatigues, Uncle Jet proudly held a black rifle across his broad chest.

Nathan lurched outside to say goodbye to him, even though he was still mad.

The dust dissipated and there was no more trace of his father.

Even though he was familiar with the layout of the mobile home site, the elongated shadows made the chaha’oh appear sinister.

Bathed in shadows, the traditional home structure resembled a sleeping monster. Its rounded top looked like broad shoulders. In front of the east-facing entrance of the hogan, the metal fence posts of the cornfield poked out of the dry earth like splinters.

He opened the spigot of the tank marked “DRINKING” and felt the weight of the rushing water push the kettle downward.

Nathan inserted a sprig of lavender and two sage leaves into the kettle.

By the time they finished the traditional kernels, the air had warmed considerably.

His mom did not like to eat food that was suffused with GMOs or not organic or a whole bunch of other phrases and words that Nathan didn’t really pay much attention to.

He gripped the soap bar and his pain reawakened with piercing stings.

Nathan could deal with lackluster sandwiches and awful canned pasta, especially when comparing his discomfort to the struggles of his ancestor who had survived Hwééldi.

After they hitched the water tanks to her truck, Nali drove northward toward the mountains.

You just called the head honcho cheii. He’s gonna treat you like his grandchild.

Nali’s knuckles dug into her waist and her brows were furrowed.

Row upon row of frozen faces peered down on him, and twice as many eyes scrutinized him.

The fire Nathan had started to cook dinner shone brighter than the feeble glow of the setting sun.

But for now, let’s pretend that you did sneak it away and that your covert operation was a success.

The twinkling stars bathed the entire desert in a glowing silvery sheen.

Nathan stepped on dried roots jutting out of the ground.

The speed increased and turned into a cyclone. Grains of sand pelted against Nathan’s exposed skin.

“How is it I can understand you and you can understand me?” the creature in the shadows said in between heavy, labored breaths.

His iridescent scales sparkled in the starlight.

There was a warmth and kindness in his dark pupils that prevented Nathan from feeling fully afraid, though there was a greenish yellowish tinge in the whites of his eyes that didn’t look at all healthy.

“I’ve been trying so very hard to bring the rain so that everyone can come back. But I no longer have the endurance for the songs.”
“Why would you need endurance to sing a song?”

When Nathan hoisted himself onto him, he even felt the sinews and muscles.