Graham Masterton - The Manitou

"The Indians were seekers of visions and practicioners of ritual, devoted to ceremonies that brought them into close touch with the cosmos. They were in fact, one of the great magical societies of modern times. Much of their secret lore has been lost to us, but there is no doubt at all that they had real and extraordinary powers."

Amelia looked up. "What you're trying to tell us, Dr. Snow, is that none of us have enough magical power to be able to combat this medicine man…"

The doctor nodded. "I'm afraid you're right. And if the medicine man is really three hundred years old, he comes from a time when the magic of the Indians was still amazingly strong. It would have been pure ethnic occult art, undiluted with European preconceptions, and unimpressed by Christianity.

"The occult spirits of North America, at the time of the early settlers, were a million times more powerful and dangerous than any of the devils or demons of Europe. You see, a spirit can only work its magic in the world of humans through the medium of men and women who believe in it and understand it. Spirits do have an independent existence, but they can have no material power in our own material world unless they are summoned, consciously or subconsciously. And if no one believes in a particular spirit, or is able to understand it, it cannot be summoned, and so it remains in limbo.

"The demons of Europe were pitiful compared with the demons of the Red Indians. All they were — or are, if you still believe in them — were opposites to the good and holy tenets of Christianity. In The Exorcist, the story uses the demon Pa-zuzu, the personification of sickness and ill health. To the red man, a demon like that would have been ridiculous — nothing more terrifying than a mongrel dog. The whole concept of life and health and the meaning of physical existence was rolled up in the red man's equivalent spirit, and that made this particular spirit an incredible being with monstrous powers.

"To my mind, the real decline of the red man came not so much through the treachery and greed of the whites, but through the erosion of the occult powers of the medicine men. When the red tribes saw the scientific marvels of the white man, they were unduly impressed, and lost faith in their own magic. It's arguable that this magic, if it had been used properly, could have saved them."

Amelia interrupted the doctor with a question. "But what about Karen Tandy's medicine man? What do you suppose he was doing? I mean, why should he want to be reborn in her?"

Dr. Snow scratched his ear. "It's difficult to say. From what you've told me about her dream of the Dutch ship, I'd hazard a guess that the medicine man's existence was being threatened by the Dutch settlement on Manhattan. Maybe the medicine man had tried to prevent the rest of his tribe from selling the island so cheaply. With the kind of occult powers that medicine men possessed, he may have been able to see how instrumental the possession of Manhattan by white men would be in the development of a white America. It's also possible that the Dutch, being strict Calvinists, considered the medicine man an evil influence, and were out to destroy him. Whatever happened, he obviously thought that the only way he could escape was by leaving his seventeenth-century existence, and reappearing in some other time. I wouldn't have thought he chose Karen Tandy deliberately. She probably just happened to be a receptive home for his reincarnation, at the right place at the right time."

"Dr. Snow," I asked him. "If we're not equipped to fight with this medicine man, then do you have any idea who might be? I mean, can anyone at all summon enough power to destroy him for good?"

Dr. Snow looked thoughtful. "This is such a remarkable occurrence that one wishes that a young girl's life wasn't involved. Just think of it, Mr. Erskine, within two or three days we could actually meet an Indian medicine man, living and breathing, from another time far in America's past. It seems almost criminal to think of destroying him."

MacArthur turned round from his seat by the window. "We all know the wonders of anthropology, Dr. Snow, but this is a human life we're trying to save here. Karen Tandy didn't ask to have this witch doctor grow inside here. I think it's up to us to do everything we can to save her."

"Yes, I know," said Dr. Snow. "But there really is only one way we can do that."

"And what's that?" Amelia asked. "Is it difficult?"

"It could be. And dangerous. You see, the only person who can fight a medicine man is another medicine man. There are one or two around still, in some of the reservations. But none of them would be nearly as powerful as this man. They might know some of the old rituals, but it's doubtful if they'd have anything like the same abilities and strength. And if they couldn't beat him, if they couldn't destroy him utterly, they'd inevitably be killed themselves."

"But wait a minute," I said. "That medicine man is still in the process of rebirth. He hasn't grown to his full size, and he's obviously not as strong as he could be when he's completely redeveloped. If we could get hold of another medicine man now, we could kill him before he emerges."

"It would be very dangerous," said Dr. Snow. "Not only to our own medicine man, but to the girl as well. They might both die."

"Doctor," I said, "she's going to die anyway."

"Well, I guess that's true. But how are we going to persuade some poor old peaceful reservation Indian to risk his life for a white girl he doesn't even know?"

"We bribe him," said MacArthur.

"What with?" asked Amelia.

"Maybe we ought to talk to Karen Tandy's parents," I suggested. "They'll be in town by now. They're obviously quite wealthy, and I guess a couple of thousand dollars would take care of it. Dr. Snow, do you think you could find a medicine man?"

Dr. Snow rubbed his chin. "Oh, that shouldn't be too difficult. I have a friend in South Dakota who could probably dig someone up. We'd have to pay to fly the medicine man to New York, naturally, even supposing that he'd agreed to do it."

"I think it's time we talked to Karen Tandy's parents," I said. "They have a right to know what's going on, and we're obviously going to need some cash. Dr. Snow, can I ask a favor of you?"

"Certainly," said Dr. Snow. "This case is fascinating, and I'd feel privileged to help."

"Could you call your friend in South Dakota and ask him to start looking for the most powerful medicine man he can find? Then if Karen Tandy's parents do agree to bring someone in, at least we'll be ready. Could you do that?"

"With pleasure," said Dr. Snow.

We left the Snow's house around five o'clock. It was already night, and the wind hit us in the face like a bucketful of razor blades. We drove off into the weird half-light of icebound landscape, tired and chilly, but even more determined to save Karen Tandy from the mysterious enemy which had invaded her body. The first thing I wanted to do when I got back to New York was to check up on how she was, and ask Dr. Hughes just how much time he thought we had left. There was no point in going to all the expense of bringing an Indian medicine man from South Dakota if Karen was already dead, or just about to die.

"You know something," said MacArthur, resting his legs across the Cougar's back seat, "I think there's something like historic justice in all this. I mean, I feel sorry for Karen, but as you sow you certainly shall reap, don't you think?"

Amelia turned round and smirked at him. "MacArthur," she said, "I love your beard and I love your body, but your philosophy stinks."

I dropped Amelia and MacArthur in the Village, and then I drove up to the Sisters of Jerusalem to check on Karen. I was pretty exhausted by the time I got there, and I went into the men's room to wash up and tidy my hair. When I looked at myself in the glass, I looked pale and tired and frail, and I began to wonder how the hell I would summon up the strength to battle with a medicine man from the golden age of Indian magic.