Chapter 8— The Coyote

In the dream, I kept running, something was creeping up on me, it was wet and cold. Frightened with disgust, I awoke shaking, my head pounding. It was only a damned millipede on my arm. My kids giggled. The yellow sun was blinding that morning. I wondered if my Mother had been searching for me worried sick. I smiled.

I could hear the Arions from a distance, I had woken up too late, students were already in class, by now my Mother should be in the market, I thought.

I decided not to move an inch from my mat. I closed my eyes. Maybe I was dreaming again, maybe it was all in my head. But no! I wasn't asleep, the noises were real. Had my nightmare come to life? I could hear people screaming, items crashing down, legs running.

My eyes stood out, I balanced myself on my feet, from the hut I searched for the cause of the noise.

To my horror, in broad day light, there was blood shed. The creature I feared the most, had arrived. Why now? Why today? There was a deafening howl from the demon.

I stood, unmoved by fear. All I could see was the Coyote tearing people apart, some of them he took out their heads, some he tore apart and roared, others he drained blood from the neck. He was SO fast, too fast!

I finally came to my senses, I ran out of the hut with the thought of finding Kane and my Mother. I ran in and out of other huts hoping to find them, some persons made it to their huts and hid with their families. Even in our hut, Mother was nowhere to be found. I found blood on the clothes she worked on, blood spots on the floor leading out of the hut, I followed the trail, it led me nowhere. She was gone.

I had not given up the search, just then, someone called out to me. Kara! That voice, I had heard it a million times before, but this time it called out to me in pain. Turning my face towards the voice, the creature held Kane up in his long arms, no matter how he struggled, my best friend couldn't leave the grasp of the blood thirst demon. It took a chunch out of Kane's body. Soon he was done, carelessly he flung the boy's lifeless body into wherever was not his concern.

To my utmost surprise, the creature ran into the huts, all those who thought they were safe, were most certainly not. I stood waiting for the beast to kill me too. Everything I love had been taken away from my reach. Tears followed down my cheeks.

"Pari, why the tears?", I smiled

"Your best friend had to die?",

"Yes little one, they all died", Bending over to Pari's side, I wiped the tears from her childish face.

"Do you still want to hear the story?",

"Yes Mother, yes, go on already", I laughed, I could see the eagerness in their eyes.