Star Gift

Chapter Sixteen

Tuwa smiled at Michael and asked what he was going to do before returning to New Haven, Connecticut and Yale University. While asking this she went over to an ice chest and produced three cold beers for them. All now sitting on boxes, Michael related to her one of the most incredible discoveries coming out of Blake's find.

"So here is this large binder of photos Blake locates in his father's storage shed. It's more remarkable to me, Tuwa, than all the choice artifacts the old guy had been collecting over the years. Partly with the help of the Navajo Rangers and a couple of elders he managed to put together a pretty substantial body of evidence. He definitely has a great stash of painted clayware, photos of the pictographs we've both seen out on the sites. And a pretty amazing sheath of documents. All classified government stuff. . . Majestic Twelve papers, and other vintage forties papers. Some look to be originals. Amazing work."

Michael smiled subtly back at Tuwa while as she looked him, obviously surprised. She then nodded at Michael to continue.

"He's also got an admirable collection of antique Kachinas, kept in pretty good storage. All those dolls are valuable now on the Black Market."

"Wow. That is  amazing!"

"Yeah. And stowed away in a refrigerator housing is probably the best sample of UFO craft outer wall material I've seen in anyone's private possession. The piece demonstrates all the authentic properties of the alloys we've both studied."

Blake could feel his heart beating faster.

"But of all that impressive collection, I was blown away mostly by a certain collection of photos his father had gathered . . . each taken of a seperate lightning strike. And all hitting at the same relative spot. A point triangulated between the three monoliths over at Monument Valley. Each imprint of lightning seems to be defining the same exact place. Right there on the desert floor."

"What the hell is that, Michael?"

"You tell me, professor. You might just want to come along tomorrow as we . . . Blake, Navajo shaman Japser and a Ranger named Dan are going out there to locate that place. To see what could be signaled to anyone diligent enough to have caught what was happening with the lightning out there. Just so many consistent times."

"That is totally fascinating."

"There's even GPS coordinates in the binder of photos delineating the place. A spot hit what seem to be hundreds of times, Tuwa. I'm just intrigued as to how those bolts could have been controlled . . .and we sort of know by whom. Lots of big questions out there."

Everyone took a long drink of their cold beer to counteract the sun while considering the mystery. It was a refreshing respite from the mid-morning heat which was beating down stronger now from the open sky.

"And the biggest question, of course," Tuwa responded while looking down at her current excavations, "is what must be sitting out there . . . or buried under the sand."

"Right on, Professor. So, are you in for tomorrow? We could use the likes of someone trained in excavation. And someone capable of choice answers. Care to go with us to do what you do best, Tuwa?"

"I'm definitely in,  Guys!"

They all tapped their amber beer bottles together.

"We'll be getting out there with the others around ten or eleven," Michael added, setting his empty bottle down carefully, away from a string lined excavation pit. "Today I have to cruise down from here to my Zuni Pueblo. Gotta say goodbye to my mom now that Spring break is almost over."

Blake tried not to think how close to being over that vacation really was. And momentarily he also thought about his friend, Russel, who would easily be landing in San Diego by then. At least in time to enjoy the last days.