Mani He

by Joseph Carrabis

Table of Contents parts: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

part 4

Mani He awoke the next morning on a high desert plateau to the feel of warm water and the smell of strong urine on his neck and chest. He sat up quickly.

Coyote lowered his leg and said, “You’re my little puppy now,” then rolled over, tucking his legs into his belly and laughing.

Mani He didn’t know if this was the same desert he’d met Lizard in. He was high up. It felt higher than even Mountain Lion had brought him. The edge of the plateau wasn’t far off, and Mani He started towards it.

They were indeed high up. So high, in fact, that Grandfather Sun moved through the skies beneath them. Far to the west and below, Mani He saw Grandmother Moon going beyond the mountains. On the northern and southern horizons he saw the people of Great Star Nation. Tony stared at Coyote with respect and awe. “Are you the greatest of all my teachers?”

Coyote puffed up his chest. “Of course I am.” Then he laughed again, but this time not so deeply, more tenderly. “No, I can’t do that to you, little Mani He. I’m not the greatest of them all. None of us are. I’m just your teacher for this lesson, same as Badger, same as Lizard.” He paused and looked over his shoulder, then whispered conspiratorially, “Of course, if you want to act like I am, we’ll get along a lot better.” Coyote looked into Mani He’s face and once again belly-laughed, now so hard his eyes teared with his mirth. After a few minutes, he stopped and wiped his eyes with a paw. “Come on, kid. Lighten up.”

Mani He asked, “What’s today’s lesson?”

“This is it.”

“What’s it?”

“This is. This plain. This plateau. Where it is is what it is, and why it is me is how it is for you.”

“You forgot ‘when’.”

“No, little one, I didn’t. But since you asked, when is now and now is always.”

“You like riddles, don’t you?”

“Do you always hide in shadows when you don’t know what’s going on? And that’s not a riddle. Even Lizard stays out in the sun in the middle of the day.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry. I don’t understand what you mean.”

“Good. When you’re confused — and you’re willing — we can teach you. Now, come back from the edge before you fall. We’ve got places to meet and people to be.” Coyote howled at his joke, and his voice carried across the plateau.

“Don’t you mean... oh, forget it.”

They came to the middle of the plain. “Sit,” Coyote said. “Now, look up. What do you see?”

“Nothing. It’s dark.”

“Such a bright boy. Look down.”

“Yeah, it’s dirt.”

“Two for two. Good. Now comes the tough one. Look around you.”

The plateau was covered with balls of light, some small, some big, some bright, some dark. They came in all different colors. Some looked like they had acne. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say these things were stars.”

Just then one of the balls of light flew up to his face. He could feel its warmth and had to shield his eyes from its light. “Greetings, Mani He.”

Mani He looked under his hand to Coyote and back.

“Say ‘hello,’ Mani He.”

Mani He held out his hand. “Hello.” The bright object hopped into it and he felt himself grow light, as if a wind might blow him away. “What’s going on, Coyote?”

More of them came around, covering Mani He in their light and warmth. Each one greeted him, each in a different voice. Some voices were like children’s, some were like adults. Some spoke like grandparents and some spoke like mothers and fathers speak to a newborn.

“Coyote, I’m afraid.”

“Really?” Coyote said it deadpan.

“Help me.”

“Tell me what’s going on.”

“All these... these... these things are covering me. Their light is blinding me and their heat is burning me. I can’t breathe.”

Coyote spoke from behind him: “Wow, that sounds horrible.”

More and more of the objects surrounded him. Mani He felt himself go higher and higher into the air. “I’m going to fall. Make them stop!”

Coyote’s voice came from his side. “Might kill yourself from that height.”

One of the bright objects popped into Mani He’s mouth as he was about to speak, and he gagged. “I’m dying!” he cried.

Coyote spoke from his other side, “Badger warned me about this.”

“Help me!”

Coyote was once again in front. “You don’t need my help, Mani He. You’re doing a fine job of tricking yourself without my having to do a thing.”

“Are you up in the air with me?”

“Nyes.”

“Which is it, damn it? No or Yes?” He felt teeth sink into his thigh and yelled at the pain.

“Watch it,” Coyote said.

One of the bright objects whirled into the wound. The pain left. The wound was cleaned and sealed and the bright object asked, “Better, Mani He?”

“Yes.” He felt his thigh and realized no harm was done. “Thank you.” More of the objects swarmed over him. “Coyote, I don’t know which you mean, no or yes.”

“Not ‘either-or’, Mani He, ‘Both-and’.”

“Both-and? No and Yes? You are up in the air but not with me?”

“You’re cold.”

“You’re with me and I’m not up in the air?”

“And Moose said you’d be trouble.”

“But I feel light.”

The objects chorused, “Thank you, Mani He.”

“They are stars!”

The stars pulled away from him. He saw Coyote in their light, sitting outside of them and spitting something onto the ground.

“What’s wrong, Coyote?”

“Badger was right. You don’t taste good.” Coyote walked into the circle of light with Mani He. “Now, son, let’s take an inventory. You thought you were dying. Are you dead?”

“No.”

“Are you in the air, flying around?”

“No.”

“Did you suffocate or have any other real trouble breathing?”

Mani He took a deep breath. “No, not really.”

“You got any burns?”

He shook his head, no.

“How about blind? You blind?”

Mani He lowered his face and continued to shake his head.

“Did you blow away?”

“No, no, and no.”

“Feel pretty foolish, don’t you?”

Mani He stopped shaking his head and sighed. “Yep. Sure do, by golly. Big joke on Mani He, right?”

Coyote jumped up and licked Mani He’s face. “That’s for knowing your name. Know what I do when I feel foolish?”

Mani He shook his head again.

“I throw back my head and laugh. It’s the best thing for you. Try it. Like this.” Coyote howled. He howled and laughed so hard he started hacking and coughing. “Quit smoking!” He yelled at himself, which only sent him laughing more and more. “Come on, Mani He. Try it. Throw back your head and laugh. Laugh at yourself. It’s the best thing for you and you’re probably the only one who knows how funny you really are.”

He started with a soft chuckle. The stars, who had been quiet throughout this, began to chuckle as well. A few minutes later he was on his back and clutching his sides, rollicking at fears he’d given himself, fears and beliefs which he had no evidence of but which ruled him anyway. The stars joined him, rolling and laughing. Their laughter came out as different colors in their lights. He saw and heard himself reflected in each one and laughed at that, as well.

Eventually he quieted. Coyote said, “Feels good, doesn’t it? To not take yourself so seriously?”

“Yes, it does.”

“Good, Little One, good. Come on, now. Time for us to go.” Coyote headed them towards the edge of the plateau.

The stars called out, “Goodbye, Coyote. Goodbye, Mani He. Remember us and come back when you need to. We’re here any time you need us.”

Coyote called back to the stars as they neared the edge of the plateau. “Thanks, guys. That was great, really. We’ll do lunch.” He howled again.

At the edge Coyote said, “Remember this always, Mani He. You came from the stars and you’ll return there. Honor them. No joke. Whenever you need to get to them, or anywhere, anywhere other than where you are, you close your eyes and come get me. Okay? Some places, they’ll be like nightmares. Other places, they’ll be like your sweetest dreams. Go towards your sweetest dreams, Mani He. Stay away from the nightmares. And always — always! — know which is which. Got it?”

“Got it.”

“Good. Have fun tomorrow,” Coyote said and hip-checked Mani He over the edge.

As he fell into the sky, Mani He heard Coyote call after him, “Sleep well, Mani He, and don’t worry. Remember what Mountain Lion taught you.”

Mani He screamed, “I’m afraid!” and his voice faded as he plummeted through the clouds.

* * *

Mani He woke to a gentle swinging motion, a rocking. He was in a branch-lined hole somewhere. The hole was about twelve feet across at the top and nicely bowl-shaped. He climbed on the larger branches to the top. When he cleared the top of the bowl, he froze.

It wasn’t a hole in the ground. It was a nest in a tree.

“I’m not sure I want to know what kind of bird builds a nest this big.”

A whirlwind caught him from behind with winds so strong and steady he had to clutch the branches to keep from toppling out of the nest to the ground.

“Obviously,” came a great bass voice from the direction of the wind, “a great big bird.”

“Are you my teacher?” Mani He hollered.

The booming bass voice and blasts of wind continued. He had to hold the branches tighter and tuck himself into a ball not to fall. “Are you my student? Turn around and let’s find out.”

Mani He let go of the branches and slid back down to the bottom.

The bass voice laughed. Two huge claws, each big enough to crush him if he was caught in them, clamped onto the far side of the nest’s rim. Two huge wings, wings broad and strong enough to blot out the sky, stopped beating and tucked against the great bird’s brilliant blue and orange body. Two eyes large and round as auto wheels and black as skyless night stared at him. The bird had a long beak like a spear, and Mani He knew it could pierce him before he could move.

“What kind of bird are you?”

“Let’s get down and you tell me.” The huge wings began beating so fast Mani He couldn’t see them any longer. The bird flew up and grabbed him in its terrible claws, lifting him and carrying him to the ground.

The winds grew less and less as they got closer to the ground. When they touched down, Mani He turned and his eyes went wide. “Bob?”

The great bird was a tiny hummingbird, flitting and flighting back and forth before his eyes.

“Howdy, Mani He. How you doing today?”

“But you looked so big before.”

“Of course, I did. That’s because I am. Even more so when you’re in my nest.”

“Did you get smaller or did I get bigger?”

“Nyes.”

“Gotcha. What’re we doing today?”

Hummingbird flew up and said, “Brothers and sisters, attend!”

The trees moved closer. “This is like Great Star Nation, right?”

“Well” — Hummingbird stared apologetically — “no. These are the Standing People.”

Mani He was surrounded by various “Hi’s,” “Hello’s,” and “How are ya’s.”

“They’re part of what you have to learn today.”

Various vines and flowers grew up along the trunks of the Standing People. Hummingbird sang as he flew among them, dipping his beak into the flowers and sucking out the sweet nectar. Mani He followed him and did likewise. Before he dipped his head into each flower and as he stood before each tree, he whispered something Hummingbird couldn’t hear.

“What are you saying, Mani He?”

“I’m... uh... I’m asking the flowers if I can drink their nectar, and I’m asking the Standing People if it’s okay.”

The Standing People concurred with various “Yep’s,” “Uh-uh’s,” and “Sure is’s.”

“Good,” said Hummingbird. “You’re remembering what we teach you. Remember it forever and you’ll be here always, any time you want and any time you need.”

Grandfather Sun, directly overhead, reached his sunlight over all the Standing People. They twisted and turned and lifted their branches and leaves and flowers up to him.

“Hello, Grandfather.”

“What are you learning today, grandson?”

“I don’t know.”

“Good,” said Hummingbird. “A perfect place to start. Look at the Standing People.”

Mani He watched the trees and plants and flowers, all the green things of life, bury their roots deeper into the soil while they waved their branches and leaves and flowers higher into the sky. All the while they sang and smiled and delighted in the richness of the earth and the warmth of the skies, showering Hummingbird and Mani He in seeds.

Mani He picked up a handful of the seeds of the different trees and flowers and was startled when an old willow spoke to him. “Our seeds are our ideas, Mani He. Changes in our lives are the children they bring.”

“It’s wonderful,” he said.

“Yes,” agreed Hummingbird, “it is. Now, do you know where you want to go? You don’t have to tell me. I already know. All that’s important here is that you know.”

“Well, I, kind of. I think so.”

“Is there a problem?”

“I’m not sure how to get there.”

Hummingbird laughed. “That’s okay. That’s not what I asked. All that’s important right now is, do you know where you want to go.”

“Yes.”

“Do you know where you are?”

Mani He thought for a moment. “Yes.”

“Good. Here’s your lesson. Take what you learned from the Standing People and remember it always. Take what you learned from me and throw in a little Coyote, but not too much. Laugh at your own joke but don’t be your own joke, and remember that you heard my song and the Standing People’s song together. Keep all those together and your feet will lead you wherever you want to go. Just like Badger, only now you don’t have to know the direction. The direction will know you.”

The Standing People parted to show a path lighted by the first rays of Grandmother Moon.

“Go ahead,” said Hummingbird. “That’s part of my gift to you, trusting in yourself to find the direction you must go. It’s been within you all along, all you have to do is let it out, like Mountain Lion said. All you have to do is walk it.”

“Goodbye, Father.” He started. Before he got far down the path he felt whirlwinds climb the skies behind him.

* * *

To be continued...

Copyright © 2022 by Joseph Carrabis