Leslie Silko - Gardens in the Dunes

Sister Salt did not pay much attention to the images after the belly-up Fish; neither the Scales nor the silver white Lilies on their sides mattered after she saw the position of the Fish. Delena tried to reassure her: The message of the silver Lilies was exceedingly good — heavenly happiness hardly imaginable now, she said, smiling. Everything will turn out all right! But Sister didn’t care if the dog circus woman said it was a good omen or not. The little black grandfather knew better; he wanted them to go away from there, partly because something was going to happen and partly because his father didn’t believe he would live.

Sister Salt gathered up the baby and gently brushed the sand from his wrapping; then she stood up and shook the sand from her skirt. She had to get back; maybe Maytha and Vedna would be there and they could discuss the meaning of the belly-up Fish. At least the Gypsy cards had more confidence in the baby than Big Candy did — they made no mention of death.

Delena and her dogs walked with her partway; next time they’d ask the other deck of cards — the Mexican cards, which Delena used only for herself. Sister Salt nodded; she wanted to ask the cards about Indigo and Mama. Before Delena turned back, she asked Sister to tell Big Candy about her dog circus. She wanted permission to put on a performance there.

As the sounds of the camp became louder, the little grandfather woke and began to squirm. “I know, I know,” she whispered to him, “but there’s nothing we can do now except move, and everyone is too busy to help us with the tent.” If Big Candy would only welcome his son, the baby might learn to tolerate the noise from his father’s casino and brewery.

Sister Salt was delighted to see the twins were back, but what were they doing? Maytha and Vedna were outside their tent, both of them bent over, tying bundles. As soon as they saw her, they came running; before they even spoke they pressed close to see the baby.

“He’s cute! He’s not that tiny!”

“No! He looks strong!”

Sister Salt felt so much love for her friends at that moment as they put their faith in her baby’s strength and health. That’s what Big Candy didn’t seem to understand — doubts weaken tiny babies. Think happily of the baby or stay away!

That Mojave woman was the one spreading the rumors the baby was too small to live; that woman was full of hate toward Sister Salt. The woman wanted to be rid of her and the twins to run the laundry as well as the brewery for Big Candy. She probably wanted Big Candy all to herself.

“She’s a witch,” Vedna whispered. The twins didn’t want to take any chances with that woman, so they were packing up. Big Candy offered them more money if they’d stay, but their minds were made up. They were going to live on the little piece of land their old auntie sold them downriver from Needles; Sister Salt was welcome to come with them.

Maytha went around the back of the brewery tent and brought them a lard pail of beer to drink for their going-away party. It was just the three of them sitting outside the tent as the night began to cool off. All the beer they drank dimmed the noise of the shouting dice players and drunks at the tents nearby. Maytha got so drunk she started to dance around and she stumbled into Vedna and they both sprawled laughing on the ground near Sister Salt. She laughed with them and drank more beer, but she was bothered to learn about that Mojave woman’s harmful intentions. She couldn’t stop thinking about the Gypsy cards of the overturned Pig and the belly-up Fish. Although the baby in his bundle was safely in the corner of the tent, barricaded with old blankets, Sister Salt checked on him often in case their laughter woke him. He slept soundly with his little fists up beside either cheek, as if ready to defend himself.

They finished off the first pail of beer, and this time Vedna went for more because Maytha was so tipsy she’d spill it all before she got back. The twins passed the pail back and forth to Sister Salt and talked about their new life. They’d sure miss all the men who paid them for sex — they joked the Chemehuevi men were all married and the wives bitterly opposed their return.

“It’s because our father wasn’t Chemehuevi,” Vedna said, and Maytha nodded. But their old auntie sold them the land, so the others were stuck with them.

Sister Salt told them about the dog woman, Delena, and the Gypsy cards.

“See! I told you! The Gypsy cards know about that Mojave woman!” Maytha said, and Vedna nodded in agreement. Fish could swim upside down, then right themselves; maybe Sister Salt was the Fish. That’s what Delena said too. Sister was beginning to see the good in the upside-down Fish, and she found herself feeling more lighthearted now, and reached for the pail of beer again.

The twins were more interested in the dog circus than the Gypsy cards. Damn! Maybe they should accept Big Candy’s offer to work another week just so they could see the dog circus perform. Vedna drank more than Maytha but she didn’t stagger and she never seemed drunk until she brought out the Bible with all the pictures. All three of them avoided the traveling preachers and missionaries who shouted and scolded, but they liked to look at the strange pictures in the Bible. Vedna read the words sometimes, but Bible language was different from the English they spoke, and pretty soon she’d give up.

Vedna closed her eyes and turned the Bible around and around in her hands, then let the Bible fall open on her lap and let her finger drop on a page — that was how good Christians told fortunes.

“Oh!” she exclaimed as she opened her eyes, and Sister Salt thought she must have got one of their favorites — the children in the fiery furnace or Daniel surrounded by lions. Maytha’s favorite was Jonah as he was swallowed by the whale. The picture was crowded with human skeletons and corpses, a few in shrouds, by the light of a full moon peeping out of the clouds, as the prophet looked down on them. The dead looked anguished and tormented, especially the skeleton at the lower right corner of the page who groped for his lost skull. They burst into laughter, and Maytha said, “Oh-oh! It looks like that Mojave woman and her friends!” So they laughed even harder as Vedna began to read: “The hand of God was upon me and carried me out and set me down in a valley full of bones—”

“That’s right!” Maytha interrupted. “We live in that valley!” Vedna frowned.

“Do you want me to read, or not?” Her tone was impatient and her eyes red from all the beer. She cleared her throat loudly and continued: “He caused me to walk all around them, and the bones were very dry. He asked me, ‘Can these bones live?’ I answered, ‘God, you know.’ And he said to me, ‘Prophesy concerning these bones and say to them, “Oh dry bones, hear the word of God!” ’ Thus said God to these bones: ‘I will cause breath to enter into you and you shall live. I will lay sinews and bring flesh upon you and over you with skin.’ ”

“Ugh!” Maytha pretended to be squeamish.

“Shut up!” Vedna commanded.

“She thinks she’s preacher!” Maytha said just before Vedna tried to kick her.

“So I prophesied as God commanded me and there was a noise, then an earthquake, and the bones came together, each bone to its joint. I looked and the flesh and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. Then God said to me, ‘prophesy concerning the breath, say to the breath: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain that they may live.” ’

“So I prophesied as God commanded and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood up on their feet, an exceeding great army.” Vedna was about to close the book when Sister Salt asked to look; she plopped the open Bible in Sister’s lap and took the beer pail from Maytha.