Walking to Mercury by Starhawk

Author:Starhawk [Starhawk]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-80892-9
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2011-12-07T00:00:00+00:00

The kitchen boys brought in steaming pots of tea and bowls of canned peaches, and began clearing away the dinner plates. Rachel had stopped asking, but she never stopped wanting to know. The secret was always there, between her and Maya, a barrier they never did cross.

“At least the weather has cleared up,” Carolyn was saying. “That’s a happy thought. We’ll have a great view of the mountains, tomorrow.”

“Just when we’re leaving,” Lonnie grumbled.

“The moon is really beautiful tonight,” Jan said. She turned to Maya. “It’s full. Don’t you think it’s a good night for a ritual?”

“I guess so,” Maya said reluctantly. She wasn’t in the mood to dance in the moonlight. I have no child, she told herself again. Rachel was never mine. My own mother is nothing but a bag of ashes in my pack, and my sister hasn’t bothered to come see me. We can’t do the ritual I imagined together; we can’t lay Betty to rest in sight of the Goddess Mother of the Universe. So why do anything at all? The dining tent was warm—why should she freeze to death trying to dredge up the dregs of her power, and risk exposing her lacks and her pain?

Damn Debby anyway, the selfish bitch. But that was unfair. If Maya had told her how important it was to her to meet here … but no. Maya had had a reason for not telling her. Debby was just as likely to be resistant as sympathetic. She hadn’t wanted to argue with her by cable; she’d wanted to present her with a fait accompli. Here I am—sister, ashes, moonlight, holy mountain—all the pieces in place. What do you say, sis?

Well, hell. Debby or no Debby, the moon was still full and shining on Chomolungma. Maybe she should stop feeling like a petulant two-year-old, and behave like a priestess, forget disappointment and her ashes, and dance for herself.

“After we finish our tea, we’ll go out and dance for the moon,” Maya said. “Anyone who wants to can come.”

“Not just women?” Carolyn asked.

“No, men too. If you want to.”

“Thanks,” Peter said, yawning. “But I think it’s bed for me.”

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.