Grave Dancer

Clamoring to their feet, Summer started giving instructions. "Lou, I need you on the North end of the abyss, Buck, you need to stand in the West and Jimmy I need you in the South. I'll stand in the East." Standing in their appointed spots, they watched spellbound at the sight before them. What at first was just a thin column of smoke coming from the cracked ground was now practically a gusher of steaming hot vapor and moisture. The ground beneath their feet still trembled slightly, causing small rocks to roll about like crazed marbles and the nearby trees to sway.

Summer lifted her arms and called out, "Great spirit! We ask you to heed our call! Spirits of the four winds please help us on this day!". Bringing her arms down and holding them out to her sides, she continued, "I cast this circle in your names!" A white light shot out of her hands and continued around the abyss through each of the riders until they were all connected by a circle of bright glowing light. Each rider felt the warmth of the light as it passed through their bodies and out their hands.

Having cast the circle, Summer threw back her head and started to chant in a loud firm voice. At first the riders thought that they could not hear properly because of the ever increasing amount of steam coming from the abyss, but they soon realized that she was speaking a different language. Lou and Jimmy glanced at Buck, but he just shrugged at their questioning looks. He had never heard this language before either. Summer continued her chant, getting progressively louder. She suddenly stopped her mantra and impaled each rider with eyes that had begun to glow a luminous green, "I need you to stay just as you are! Do not speak or move until I tell you! You must not break the circle!"

Looking towards the sky, she went back to chanting the strange words. As she spoke, the ground beneath their feet began to shake with increasing strength and a low moaning came from the abyss. As the ground shook harder and harder the riders feared they would loose their balance and fall, breaking the circle! Just then, they felt their feet leave the earth and found themselves floating a few feet above where they had just been standing! With the four friends no longer subject to the shaking ground, a terrible roar resounded all around them and from the center of the gushing steam came the terrible form of Black Annis! Blue face contorted in rage, eyes glowing a blinding white, she dominated the sky above them, having swelled to ten times her normal size! "Daughter of Morgana! Think you can defeat me with these puny mortals? They have no magic and yours grows weak!" Hissing her contempt, Black Annis locked her gaze with Summer's as they begin the struggle for power.

"These are not just any mortals Black Annis! These are the ones you revealed yourself to!"

With a snarl, Black Annis whirled around to look at each of the riders more closely. With her distracted, Summer lifted a black feather into the air and called out, "Raven!"

"Do you think that calling the gatekeeper will scare me? What can he do?" spat Black Annis.

"You forget yourself! It is the time of Samhain and the veil between the worlds grows thin. You have overstayed your welcome and the time has come to send you home!" A shrieking call grew louder as the Raven approached.

"So, you think to send me home? Fine! I will go...but not without you!" Reaching down with taloned hands, Black Annis grabbed at Summer and brought her into her embrace. Within seconds, Summer was completely enveloped within the volumous folds of Black Annis' cloak! With the circle broken, the riders fell to the ground and watched with horror at the struggle taking place. As the Raven circled around the combatants, the wind picked up force and speed and became a whirling, living thing. As the struggle continued, the winds became stronger and stronger when suddenly they were sucked down into the abyss! Raven circled once more and flew down into the hole, following the sounds of struggle.

All the riders could do was sit and stare at the opening in the earth. Was it over? Did Summer loose? What was happening?

"I can answer your questions." spoke an old Indian woman, standing at the edge of the forest. Beside her stood Bear and in the tree sat Hawk.

Rising slowly to their feet, the riders approached the old woman. Their minds whirling with questions but they still could not speak. It was as if everything was real but not quite real.

"You need to sit and wait. Summer needs your support while she continues her battle. That is why I and her Totem Spirits are here. I know you feel that things are not quite real, but you are still within the spell that is being used to trap Black Annis. As soon as she is defeated, you will be back to normal again. You are wondering how Black Annis came to be here, right? True, she is not a native spirit, but someone from the family brought her here long time ago. That person of course meant to bring great evil upon this land with the release of Black Annis. However, they found out too late that they could not control her and tried to run and hide, leaving mankind to deal with Black Annis' evil as best they could. That person was found and dealt with, but only Summer could deal with the spirit. She is a direct descendant of Morgana, the teacher of the great magician Merlin. She has great powers. I just pray that she uses them wisely."

Just then, a great ripping sound was heard, as if a great canvas was torn apart. A tortured scream arose from the abyss and a blinding light shot out, knocking the riders unconscious!

Jimmy shook his head as he gazed down into the now quiet abyss. The forest around them no longer seemed eerie and sounds of birds could be heard in the trees. The fog was also gone. All seemed very nice and normal. Nobody's gonna believe any of this!

"Lou?" called Summer, walking towards the place where the riders were still staring at the ground. "Could I please have the sprig of flowers that you have in your pocket? I just need to do one more thing before we leave."

Handing her the small flowers, Lou and the boys watched as Summer walked to the edge of the abyss and throw the petals in one by one saying, "With this light I close forever the door of darkness."

Turning back to the friends, she smiled, "Guess the rest of trip is going to pale in comparison. Maybe you guys should just keep the events of the last few days to yourselves. Some things you have to see to believe and I get the feeling you guys still don't believe everything you saw."

I don't know what to believe, " said Buck, "but if we helped you in getting rid of that...that...spirit, ghost, evil thing...whatever it was, then I guess it's not so important that I believe in everything that happened but just that it's gone forever. Right?"

"Yes, she will not be coming back here. She is home where she belongs." climbing onto her mount, Summer pointed towards the West, "Hawk will guide you back on your trail so that you can continue your journey to Boulder City. Your help has been more than you could imagine and I am in your debit. Should you ever need me again, I will come." The friends watched as Summer turned her horse, and with the old indian woman riding beside her on one side and Bear on the other along with Raven flying ahead, they entered the forest and eventually disappeared from sight.

Boulder City, Major McGrady's Office

"You kids made it in good time." congratulated the Major. "I hope you guys didn't have any problems along the way?"

"No sir. Nothing we couldn't handle." replied Jimmy, shifting a bit restlessly as he glanced over at Lou and Buck. "Well, if you have everything, we're gonna get going."

"Sure thing. Thanks for riding these documents out here. They will really help the army in catching several local Southern Sympathizers that have been causing a lot of trouble in these parts. Tell Teaspoon I'll look him up next time I get out around that part of the country." Shaking hands with the riders, the major sat down behind his desk to study the papers they had brought.

As they were leaving, Lou thought to ask one question, "Major?"

"Yes?"

"Do your men ever ride out into the mountains west of here? There is a cabin on the edge of a meadow with a cemetery close by. Do you know the place?"

"Sure do. They say it's haunted?"

The riders stared at the major, "Haunted?"

"Yup. That cabin's been deserted for years. Even the locals and indians don't go up there. Apparently there's a place in the woods that's supposed to be evil and nothing lives there but some sort of fog. As for the cabin and cemetery, there is some story about a young girl that lived there many years ago. Apparently she was the keeper of the graves. Now, what was it they used to call her? I remember. Grave Dancer. They say that on nights when the moon was full, she would be out there, dancing in the graveyard. Some folks even said that she was dancing with the spirits of the people that were buried there! Can you believe that? People come up with the weirdest stories! Why did you want to know?"

"Uh, no reason really. Just wondering about the place is all. Seemed a bit weird up there. Thanks for the information and bye." The riders walked out of the building and out onto the street.

"As for the last couple of days, I say we go with collective dream." said Buck. Lou and Jimmy quickly agreed. It seemed that some things were just not meant to be explained and that was fine with them.

The sun was slowly setting in the West. It shown like a bright red/orange ball on the horizon, causing shadows to lengthen across the small valley. The last rays of the sun still hit the cabin, and it's decaying and crumbling form looked to be on fire as the light hit the remaining wooden boards. Windows that no longer held glass panes looked over the cemetery with sadness at it's tumbling shape. THe wind whistled through the great gaping holes in the roof and stones lay in shattered piles around what used to be a working fireplace. Weeds and grasses had taken over the inside of the small structure and in just a couple of more winters, no one would know that a cabin had been built there a hundred years previously.

Out in the graveyard, the stones still stood straight. Proudly sitting as reminders of those that once lived here in this valley. In the center of the cemetery stood one stone that was a bit different than the rest. It was decorated with Celtic and Native Indian signs. It's inscription read 'Summer Moon Fraser, Protector'. And growing with careless abandon of the elements, never dying and always blooming, a small sprig of Lilly of the Valley.