Pocahontas

PART II : Listen With Your Heart

Chapter 5

POCAHONTAS

I weave my canoe in and out of rocks, nearly getting it wedged between a few but after about twenty minutes I've reached the small pond. Grandmother Willow sits on the other side, some of her vines sagging down to the water, but like she says, she's still got some snap in those old vines.

I pull jump out of my canoe and pull it up on the shore next to her. I then proceed to climb up the stump that sits in front of her and sit down on the smooth top.

"Grandmother Willow," I say, "I need to talk to you,"

Grandmother Willow's face slowly shapes and appears on the trunk of the tree across from me.

"Good morning child," she says in her ancient voice, "I was hoping you would visit today,"

She opens her mouth to say something else but notices the necklace dangling from my neck.

"Why!" She exclaims, "Your mother's necklace!"

"That's what I intended to talk to you about," I say," My father wants me to marry Kocoum!"

"Kocoum?" Grandmother Willow raises an inquisitive eyebrow, or stip of bark rather and says, "But he's so seeeeerious." She then attempts to make her best Kocoum face and I give a little laugh with an agreeing,

"I know...My father thinks it's the right path from me, but lately I've been having this dream...Never mind. It doesn't matter," I look down at my hands and wonder again, What is my path?

Grandmother Willow raises my head with one of her vines and looks me in the face.

"Pocahontas," she says, "I have interpreted many dreams in my days, some don't matter, but i think this may be one that does, So tell me child, what is your dream?"

I answer her, hoping some way she will see another path for me,"Well, I'm running through the woods. It appears to be just past daybreak, I run and run, down the edge of the river until I run up the hill to my usual thinking spot, and There, Right in front of me is a small arrow trapped inside a shining circle. As I look at it, it starts to spin!"

"A spinning arrow?" says Grandmother Willow, "How unusual!"

"Yes!" I say ," It spins faster and faster and faster in circles until suddenly, it stops and points straight down the larger path of the river,"

"Hmmmm," Grandmother Willow takes a moment to think before answering, " It seems to me this spinning arrow is pointing you down your path,"

She comes near saying what I want her to explain, but I still have no answer, so I ask her more questions.

"But Grandmother Willow," I say "What is my path? How am I ever going to find it?"

Grandmother Willow lets out a dry laugh, "Pocahontas you and your mother are just alike. She asked me almost the very same question.

"She did?" I inquire, "What did you tell her?"

"I told her to listen. All around you are spirits child. They live in the Earth, the Water, the Wind, even in you. If you listen, they will guide you. Now child, listen..."

Grandmother Willow quiets and I close my eyes to concentrate on listening. I begin to hear things. Strange things. It sounds almost like a singing deep in the forest, and in the air, and all around me.

"I hear them," I say with awe.

"What do they tell you?" asks Grandmother willow.

"I don't understand, " I say.

"Well, " Grandmother Willow says, "Sometimes you'll be able to see the spirits, and they'll lead you. Do you see the leaves blowing this way?"

i open my eyes and see the leaves blowing across the ground and around Grandmother Willow's stump.

"Yes," I reply.

"Maybe now that the spirits are closer, you'll be able to hear," Grandmother willow suggests.

I keep my eyes open but still listen. the sounds are becoming more clear, transforming into words, into sentences, into a song. Grandmother Willow hears what they are saying and quietly joins in to help interpret.

"Listen with your heart," The voices say, " Listen with your heart, you will understand,"

I listen closer. another voice tells me something different. "Something's coming," it says, "Strange clouds are on the horizon,"

I stand up. "Strange clouds?" I say aloud. The wind and leaves suddenly pick up speed and soar along Grandmother Willows curved sides and to her top branches. I follow the path they take up her side and find it rather easy to get to the top with the help of a few branches. Meeko scurries along after me and Flit flutters up behind us. I reach the top and poke my head up through the surface of the leaves.

"What do you see?" asks Grandmother Willow.

I am completely shocked. Right about 350 yards away in the larger river there are these massive white things hovering close to the ground and moving at a steady place. I can't quite decipher what in the world they are but they look almost like...maybe...these things look kind of like..."Clouds," I reply to Grandmother Willow, "Strange clouds,"