Reunited
Breister was sound asleep, not expecting any visitors to Toshty’s cabin until the following day, when there was a loud rap at the door.
“Come on, Toshty, wake up!” JanWoo-Corriboo yelled. “I know I’m early for my lesson, but things have gone a little differently than I planned. We’ve got some friends that need your help!”
Groggily, Breister sat up and rubbed his eyes. It was pitch black. The fire in the hearth had died down to embers. It must be the middle of the night. Who was knocking at this hour?
“Who’s there?” Breister called. “Toshty is not here. I’m his friend, Breister, who is supposed to wait here for some of Toshty’s friends to arrive. Who are you?” Breister had not yet opened the door, waiting for reply.
There was a brief silent pause on the other side of the door, and then pandemonium broke out. There was joyful yelling and shouting and banging on the door! “Papa! Papa! It’s Helga! I’m here! Open the door!”
Completely dumbfounded, Breister threw open the door to the wild embrace of his long-lost daughter. An emotional re-joining of a broken circle of friends occurred. Breister put new kindling on the embers of the fire and soon there was the happy sound of laughter and the smell of fresh Bison coffee being brewed.
Helga was surprised by the smell. “Bison Coffee!” she exclaimed. “Why, I haven’t smelled that in a while, but it’s a smell you never forget! You’ve been to the Rounds, haven’t you?” she gasped, looking at Breister.
“Yes, yes, my dear,” Breister replied, “I spent a week in the home of Sareth and Elbin Abblegurt.” He smiled at his daughter, knowing how much this pleased her.
“Well, I can certainly see that there’s a long story to catch up on,” Helga chuckled.
“Yes,” Breister agreed, “there is much to tell.”
As the night wore away, the friends shared stories and learned about each other’s adventures and trials. Breister was saddened to see how much his daughter’s injuries inhibited her movements. His mind reeled as he realized exactly who had been responsible for the attack.
“Papa, let it go,” Helga consoled him. “It’s over. There’s nothing that you can do to heal my injuries by having anger toward Annie. She wants a new life...one she never had. She’s left the old ways behind. Let us leave the old ways behind, too. I’m more worried about Janty than I am about Annie at this point,” Helga concluded, nodding in the direction of the young Fox, who was sitting alone on the back porch of the cabin. “She’s been there almost all night,” Helga observed, “just staring off into the sky. Something’s eating on her. I’m worried. She’s usually so full of life and energy.”
Breister nodded. Helga stood up and they walked together over to where JanWoo-Corriboo was sitting.
“Pretty night, eh?” Helga began. “One of the nice things about isolated areas is that the night sky is so awesome. You don’t see stars like this in town.”
Janty said nothing. She seemed intent on something she was viewing in the sky. Breister, following a hunch, tried a different approach. “Say, Janty,” he began, “Toshty said to ask you to show me your painting he called Eye Of The All. Do you think you could show it to me sometime?”
A faint smile flickered on Janty’s lips, “That’s what I’m working on right now,” she replied softly. “I’m not ignoring you, but I don’t want to lose my concentration.”
Janty was memorizing the night sky. Star by star. Constellation by constellation. She was fixing every star in her memory and giving each of them her own special names. “As I learn all the stars, and give them names, I’ll paint them in one of the caves,” JanWoo-Corriboo explained. “It will be the great work of my life. I call it Eye Of The All because that must be something like what it is for The All—having so many, many preciously beautiful creatures, in so many different patterns, all with their own unique names and places. Don’t you think that’s what The All must be like?”
Neither Helga nor Breister responded. They were impressed by the image that Janty had offered them, but also sensed a sadness in her voice. “The stars are my family,” she continued, “no matter how much I long for my parents and wish they were with me, I can always count on the stars to be there. No matter what the creatures do, and how foolish they are, the stars are always the same. They’re unmoved by it all. They’re always there for you. That’s what a real family is like.”
“But, Janty,” Helga said gently, “don’t you think you could have a real family? Don’t you think there might be a way for you and your parents to be united?”
“NO!” JanWoo-Corriboo shouted. “NO! I don’t think it’s possible! The stupid WooSheep are so fouled up and prejudiced and ignorant, no one can fix it! It’s been going on for centuries and will go on forever! THERE IS NO WAY TO FIX IT! Don’t you see? Don’t you get it?” she cried, breaking into sobs.
Helga comforted her. “No, Janty, I don’t get it,” she said. “I don’t get how creatures can create something but can’t uncreate it. That’s what doesn’t make any sense to me. If creatures really want to uncreate something, they can. That’s what I believe.” Helga stroked Janty’s hair as the young Fox sobbed with her face buried on Helga’s shoulder.
At last the sobs began to subside. “Oh, Helga, I so much want to have my parents with me for real and always! But I don’t see how it can ever be,” she said.
Helga was thoughtful. “Don’t worry about it now, Janty,” Helga replied. “Let Papa and I think about it. There’s got to be a way.”
“But Janty,” Helga continued, “no matter what, you’ve got to promise me something.”
“What’s that?” JanWoo-Corriboo asked, looking at Helga through tear-stained eyes.
“You’ve got to teach me how to see creatures with the Eye Of The All, like you mentioned. That’s a very lovely way to think about it.”
“None left out, all beautiful,” Janty replied. “That’s about all there is to it.”
“But it’s a life work, you said, didn’t you?” Helga observed.
“Yes,” Janty replied, “a life’s work...But a life’s work is a bunch of little details added together. Get enough little details together and you’ve got a life’s work. Pretty simple, eh?” Janty gave Helga a grin with just a hint of mischief in it.
Helga shook her head. This young Fox was something special.