Leslie Silko - Ceremony

She came in from mass that morning with a look of triumph.

“Pinkie finally got killed,” she said, without even bothering to remind them she had said it would happen all along, ever since he had lost those sheep of hers while he was at their sheep camp.

“How did it happen?”

“Yes, what happened?” old Grandma said, coming out of a doze to sit up straight in her chair.

“He was washing dishes at Sarracino’s sheep camp.”

“Aww, that lazy old thing,” old Grandma said. “How could he have been washing dishes?”

“Remember how I warned you, Tayo? I told you I didn’t want that crowd hanging around our ranch with their drinking and carrying on.”

“Was Emo there?” Tayo asked.

“Well, he was the one! He did it! Pinkie was standing there, washing dishes in a pan on top of the stove. The others were sitting around the table drinking. They say there were empty beer cans and wine bottles all over the place. Anyway, they say they got to playing around with that rifle Sarracino keeps there.”

Old Grandma scuffed her slippers against the floor in front of her chair and rattled her cane against the chair leg. “Dear, could you give Tayo that money in my pocketbook? I think my stove is getting low on oil.” She buttoned the top buttons of her old black sweater and pulled her shawl up around her chin.

“Mama,” Auntie said, “I’m trying to tell you how poor Pinkie got killed instantly. Shot in the back of the head. Besides, Robert filled it yesterday.”

Old Grandma acted as if she didn’t hear what Auntie said. “Is he in jail?”

“The FBI called it an accident.” Auntie shook her head. “After all the trouble he made for us — that time with Tayo — but I heard they told him to go away. They told him to never come back around here. The old man said that. They told him.” Auntie paused. “I heard he went to California,” she said.

“California,” Tayo repeated softly, “that’s a good place for him.”

Old Grandma shook her head slowly, and closed her cloudy eyes again. “I guess I must be getting old,” she said, “because these goings-on around Laguna don’t get me excited any more.” She sighed, and laid her head back on the chair. “It seems like I already heard these stories before. . only thing is, the names sound different.”

Whirling darkness

started its journey

with its witchery

and

its witchery

has returned upon it.

Its witchery

has returned

into its belly.

Its own witchery

has returned

all around it.

Whirling darkness

has come back on itself.

It keeps all its witchery

to itself.

It doesn’t open its eyes

with its witchery.

It has stiffened

with the effects of its own witchery.

It is dead for now.

It is dead for now.

It is dead for now.

It is dead for now.

Sunrise,

accept this offering,

Sunrise.