Kathleen, Will and Secrets of the Desert Stones

The Promise

When the old man gave Kathleen the stone he called a “geode” Will was a bit jealous of the attention she got and wondered why he had not received a “geode” too. Will didn't know what a geode was. He thought it looked like any other rock lying on the desert floor just outside Big Bend National Park but when it was given to his sister with so much ceremony he felt cheated so he grabbed the rock and kept her from enjoying her moment.

Then, the old man came to him and said he would find something special for him the next day. Will wasn't sure the old man could deliver on his promise, but he felt like he was special too at that moment and surrendered the geode back to Kathleen.

 Now as he neared the RV camp at Stillwell Ranch he began to wonder if there would be something special waiting for him. He couldn't possibly know how special the gift would be and that was just as well. Will would have to wait a long time before he could understand the significance of the gift he would receive.

 Earlier that day the old man had been making good on his promise to find something special for Will. But what he would find was beyond anything even the old man expected.

 It was beginning to heat up. It would be very hot today but the old man and his dog Charley were showing no haste as they walked along the arroyo following what the old man called “the scent of a promise”.

 Many years before Soaring Hawk, the young man, had been under the care of Red Bear, his teacher. It was Red Bear who had taught him the lore of the Indians who inhabited this land long before the white man came here. And it was Red Bear who had shown Soaring Hawk how all of the inhabitants of the desert spoke to those who would listen. 

That was how Red Bear knew that he had been called to meet this young man who needed a guide to learn the secrets of leadership from one who had gone before. And, it was how the old man knew he must teach the secrets of the desert stones to Kathleen and Will.

The Stone

Early in the evening while sitting around the campfire listening to the dry Mesquite snap from the fire, Will was wondering when the old man might show up. His dad wouldn't let him knock on the door to get him and Will was not a patient boy. But, just a few moments before Will was ready to give up on the whole thing the old man seemed to come out of nowhere and sit by him and his dad. He was pretty excited now and wanted to quickly get his gift but his dad told him to be patient. Will didn't like that. He started to get angry that things were not moving fast enough for him.

The old man smiled at Will and said,

"I have a gift for you."

 Will shot out his hand. 

"Not so fast." Said the old man. 

"First, I have to tell you and your dad what I have for you and what it means."

"I just want a special stone." said Will, pushing his hand toward the old man again.

"And that is exactly what I have for you, Will."  said the old man, but there is some information that comes with it.

"You, want to no why it is special, don't you?"

"Yes, but can I hold it?"

"If you take it in your hand, you agree to follow the rules that go with it. You wouldn't want to make a promise with someone before you knew what they wanted you to promise, would you?"

Will said no, but he was getting a little angry again. The old man could see it and offered some words of consolation to Will. 

"What I have for you is something that comes along very rarely, Will.  And since I have been chosen to be the messenger, I want to make sure you get everything that has been sent to you. Do you understand?"

Will scowled.

"Perhaps this is something that needs to be saved for later." said the old man.

" I'll tell you what I will do. I am going to give the stone to you but, only for you to hold and examine for a little while. Then, I am going to have you give it to your dad. I will then tell you the first part of the story of the stone and each year on your birthday I will send you a note explaining  more about the stone. How's that?"

"O.K.", said Will, who, at that moment would have agreed to anything just to get his hands on the stone.

Out came Will's hand and the old man gave him the Triangle Stone.

"This is The Triangle Stone, Will. I have only seen one other stone like this and that was many years ago. I won't be able to tell you what it is for until you hear the explanation of the promises you must keep in order to have the stone. I will only tell you that it is a great honor to be chosen to have this stone and when it is in your hands you will have the power to do great things for many people. You must be kind and thoughtful to your family and friends. You must strive for excellence in your work. You must learn to control anger and nurture patience. Treat your sister with special kindness for she may be your best friend some day."

The last thing the old man said made Kathleen and Will think.

"What the two of you can do together will always exceed what you can do alone."

The old man left and promised to tell them more when the time came. 

To be continued.........

©Herb Ratliff, March 15, 2013, All Rights Reserved