TODAY, OUR TEAM MEMBER, AUTHOR LORRAINE CAREY, IS SHARING CHAPTER 6 OF HER NOVEL, 'MYSTERIES OF THE RED COYOTE INN' #RWRTeamBlog #ReadWriteRepeat
- Eva Bielby
- 8 hours ago
- 5 min read
Chapter 6
The Vision
Here Dean discovers the secret cave deep within the
mysterious Superstition Mountains
It was just about sunset when Dean quietly walked his dirt bike around the back of the inn and down the dirt path so that he would not wake Hanna and Dana when he started it up. He had a new Yamaha. It was built for rough terrain. His mother bought it for him just before the move, as she thought it might help cheer him up. It was, he figured, a good chance to try it out.
He rode for about two miles back into a canyon. He’d read up about Devil’s Canyon on the tourist website. He decided to stop to just sit and enjoy the tail end of the beautiful Arizona sunset. The sky was so golden and orange. There was something about the desert that gave Dean the feeling that he was ‘king of the sand’.
As darkness fell, he decided to ride into the canyon a bit more. He had a flashlight and his cell phone in case the bike broke down. He also had a very curious spirit. The thought of his mother wondering where he was didn’t even occur to him. He could hear the call of the coyotes, a sound he was all too familiar with.
Just a little ahead, he could see a faint, red, glowing light coming from the top of a ridge. He could also see it rising and spiralling up into the sky. As he got closer, he began to experience a very odd feeling throughout his body. The red spiralling light beamed right up to him and circled his entire body before sweeping up again to the sky and dissipating. He was left with a warm, comforting, and tingly feeling from his head to his toes. He grew so warm that he had to stop, unzip his jacket, and take off his helmet. About forty feet away from where he sat, the glow took on a shape. Unable to believe his eyes, he thought he saw it form into a red coyote.
Dean, being Dean – a boy with no fear –got off the bike and walked toward the bottom of the ridge to get a closer view of the coyote.
As he stood there, his skin became very warm and prickly, but he couldn’t take his eyes off the sight.
This can’t be real! He thought.
“Who are you, and what do you want?” he cried. The apparition didn’t respond. It glowed a vibrant red, but made no sound. It was an eerie, but also a calming image.
The coyote’s transparent head pointed up to the sky. As Dean glanced up to the sky, he could clearly see a constellation he recognized as Leo, the Lion. He had read a lot about the stars and knew they were symbolic in many Native American legends. Leo, he remembered, is considered the ‘King,’ or life-giver. Its nature is the centre of the heart through which all energy flows.
He noticed that the phantom coyote had begun to run off, leaving a red glow in his wake. It was as if it wanted Dean to follow him. He fired up the bike and decided to see where it would lead. As he rode, he almost lost sense of time. He felt as if he was traveling faster than the speed of light. He wondered if he could be imagining all of this, or if it was merely a mirage.
Soon, he noticed he was headed to the entrance of a cave. As he looked up into the sky, he saw that the red coyote had disappeared. He stopped the bike, took off his helmet, and was excited to explore the cave. He remembered the Lost Dutchman maps in the album, and he felt he was very near the cave leading to the mine. He knew for sure he was deep within the heart of the famous Weaver’s Needle.
Suddenly, a giant hawk flew out of the darkness and almost knocked him over. He took a moment to recover from the unexpected encounter, then took out his flashlight and peered around in the darkness. He could see markings on the walls of the cave that appeared to be Native American in origin, but he couldn’t decipher them. He was overtaken by a strong urge to continue farther into the cave, as if someone or something was nudging him forward.
As he scanned the walls, he could not believe his eyes at the deep, luminous gold veins that ran along the cave walls. He placed his hand inside one of the deep holes along the wall. His hand became hot, and a golden aura encircled it.
Wow, this is awesome! He thought.
When he removed his hand, it cooled off, but it felt somehow energized. Ahead, he could see that the cave branched off into small tunnels.
He removed his jacket and crawled down one of them. At the end of it, a ladder led down into a deep pit. He could see large wooden chests that resembled the kind that pirates supposedly used. He could also see a large mound of dirt with sharp, white bones poking out of it. His breathing became heavy and labored. He decided it was time to leave this magical place. He would keep this discovery secret for the time being. He knew he had been led to the mine by the guidance of some being beyond his understanding. Dean eased himself out of the tunnel and backed out through the cave.
Once outside, he suited up and hoped he could find his way back. In the trance-like state during the ride to the cave, he’d been almost oblivious to his surroundings. He looked around the desert, up at the sky, and atop a nearby mesa for signs of the coyote, but it was nowhere in sight.
A great whooshing sound alerted him to the presence of the hawk that had flown by him in the cave. It was circling his bike. He instinctively fired it up and headed home. He followed the hawk until he realized he was only about half a mile from the inn. He saw the hawk swiftly fly away.
How could he share this experience with his mom and Dana? His mother would be so angry with him for riding at night, and who would believe him, anyway?
He remembered his grandpa Powell telling stories about people who saw the ‘red coyote’. Usually, when the vision appeared, it was either an omen or a rite of passage for the person who saw it.
What did it mean for him?
Why would he be the one who was led to the mine?
His head spun with thoughts and questions.
If it was an omen, then what bad luck would befall him now, after all his family had already been through? If it was a rite of passage, was it because of his upcoming sixteenth birthday? Maybe, just maybe, there was a bit of fear in the ‘No Fear Guy’ this time.
He knew he had to get onto the internet and do some research when he got back to his room, but when he arrived, he felt completely drained, as if someone or something had sucked the life from him. He collapsed on the bed and fell asleep with Cody at his side.
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COMING SOON: On Wednesday, 24th December, we are delighted to welcome guest author, Donna O'Donnell Figurski, who is sharing an extract from her memoir, 'Prisoners Without Bars - A Caregiver's Tale'.
