Peacemaker by Joseph Bruchac

Author:Joseph Bruchac [Bruchac, Joseph]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Published: 2021-01-05T00:00:00+00:00

chapter nine

THE BIRTH OF SKENNERAHOWI

The Peacemaker’s mother lived with her grandmother in a small lodge removed from their main village on the other side of the Beautiful Lake from the lands of the Longhouse Nations. Even there, though, there was no such thing as peace. All around them, the women and children and elders lived in constant fear. Any moment the terrible war cry might be heard and enemies would sweep into the village, killing people and taking captives.

Because the men of that village thought of nothing but war and revenge, and her granddaughter’s parents were dead, the grandmother decided to move them to a new place, a hidden cove by the side of the lake, a place where no one else ever went. The two of them lived alone there, safe from the danger of enemy raids.

The grandmother kept a close eye on her granddaughter. Even though she had come of child-bearing age, she was not yet married. However, it became obvious that she was expecting a child.

Tell me who the father is, her grandmother asked.

I do not know, her granddaughter replied. I have never been with a man.

The grandmother refused to believe her granddaughter. She kept asking and asking, but the answer was always the same.

I do not know. I have never been with a man.

Why was her beloved granddaughter lying? Perhaps, she thought, some evil spirit had done this at night while the innocent girl was sleeping. Yes, that must be it.

So when her granddaughter’s child was born—a handsome, smiling boy—the grandmother decided that the boy had to be evil. He would only bring them bad luck.

I must get rid of this child, the grandmother decided. There is no other way.

She waited until her daughter was sleeping, took down a stone ax from the place where it hung on the wall, and stuck it under her belt. As she lifted the child, the boy smiled up at her with great warmth and reached out one small hand to gently caress her cheek. For a moment, that smile touched her heart. But she shook her head. She knew what must be done.

She walked outside. A cold wind was blowing from the direction of the winter land. The ice on the big lake was frozen solid.

Taking a long pole from the firewood stacked outside, she began to walk out onto the lake, leaning into the wind. She walked until, when she looked back, their little longhouse seemed no bigger than a brown fallen leaf. Then she chopped a hole in the thick ice. When she was done she lifted up her great-grandson and quickly dropped him into the freezing water. Picking up the long pole, she used it to shove the baby far under the ice. Then she shoved ice and snow into the hole until there was no sign it had ever been there.

Without looking over her shoulder, she trudged back to the lodge. But even before she pushed aside the heavy skin hung over the door, she heard the sound from inside of an infant cooing.

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