Matanuska – The Death of a Legend
Authors note:
‘Matanuska – The Search for the Devil’s Tail’ was written as a stand-alone novel, however, after a couple of years, and many positive inputs from my readers, the same questions kept coming up; What’s next for Andy and Maggie? … What does the future hold for Kukook and Miatuna? To answer those two questions, and others, I returned to my computer and continued the saga.
In ‘Death of a Legend’ I take you back to Nevara and the quaint native village of Ferratera. Although this story is a work of fiction, there are, however, true events I have experienced that have helped shape this story into an adventure of a lifetime for Andy and Maggie Jessup.
I have come to adopt the characters in this novel as if they were a real part of my family … taking a bit of literary license along the way, even to the point of tears at times. I have added a few more characters, and what would a good novel be without a few bad guys thrown it. Going against the grain on what has been written about Big Foot and Sasquatch, I have taken a different path, one I hope portrays a truer picture of these elusive creatures.
PREVIEW
Matanuska – The Death of a Legend
Andrew Jessup could still remember the first time he heard of the legend of Nevara. It was said to be hidden in a vast network of underground caverns and hot springs. A land so pristine and beautiful, it was said to be almost spiritual, or dare I say heaven like. In all my travels throughout the Great Land, I’d often heard the natives Inuit speak of this place, where during the winters, heavy snow and ice covered the valley outside, while hot springs kept the caverns warm. Outside, the Guardian kept watch.
Andy was describing an event that took place during his second trip to his mine to an old friend.
“This is between you and me,” he said to his friend. “About a week after I’d gone back to my mine, old Pete’s spirit came to me to say good-bye. I found out later it was the same day he died. I could almost see him standing there … sounds crazy, I know.”
“No, not really,” the friend replied. “I believe there are spirits watching over us all the time. After all, the good Lord ain’t got time to watch over us all, he’s got to have help. Although, I can’t see the good Lord and Pete agreeing on anything. If he don’t watch his way up there, he’s liable to be traded to the Devil,” the friend said, causing them to laugh. “Can’t you just see it? That grumpy old man; standing between God and the Devil; neither wanting anything to do with him?
“Let’s just send him back where he came from,” the Devil would say.
“Can’t, God would reply. They already burned his carcass. Guess I’m stuck with him.”
We talked for another hour about my old friend Pete Cronin. I remembered something Pete had said to me not long after we had first met. “If one prefers to live in the wilderness, one must also face the fact he will most likely die alone.”
“Well, he’s gone now. What are you going to do with his ashes?
“Gonna take him on one last trip into the mountains to a favorite place of his.”
“That’s going through a lot just fulfill an old man’s last wishes,” the friend remarked.
“Maybe so, but I’d take a short cut through hell if I could bring him back.”
*****
Return to Nevara: When first seeing the Resting Place you don’t quite get the same feeling as you would when walking through a cemetery. It wasn’t as elaborate, with names and dates on granite headstones. Instead, it was festive, in a way, with colorful adornments hanging from wooden frames about well-kept graves, more like a garden than a burial ground. It was a place to visit and remember.
“This is my mother’s resting place. Her name was Tyneekimena. She died when a white man’s shot her with his gun five seasons ago.” Miatuna told us. “See is glad you have come for a visit.”
Maggie said nothing, unsure of what she’d just heard. I’d never told her that I suspected it was her friend Jon Ambrose who had shot Miatuna’s mother on that dreadful day when her brother Phil and Jon had stumbled into this valley while searching for the golden cache. But now I sensed she knew the rest of the story. “Jon?” she asked me quietly.
I nodded.
Next, we walked over to Addison Wessex’s grave. In my mind I was reliving the day I discovered his dead body in the stone shelter he’d constructed, along with his diary that told of his last three years at the mine, and his untimely death after a grizzly attack. It had been his words, and not the gold, that inspired me to return and continue my search for the Devil’s Tail the following year.
Confrontation: The torch lights reflecting off the walls of the passageway looked like a scene from an Indiana Jones movie. Kukook and Jyani were carrying Grandy Jenkins unconscious body to a remote hilltop in the lower valley. Kukook had made his decision; the man was an unwelcomed intruder, a liar, and a murderer. He must pay for this with his life.
The sky was just beginning to brighten when they reached the chosen sacrificial site. There they laid his body in a small clearing overlooking the lower valley that led to the Knik River. They waited patiently for Kulyak to make his appearance and put an end to the man called Grandy Jenkins.
The sound echoed across the valley and lasted only a few seconds. Jenkins death had come swiftly, and the valley was silent once again. The great bear Kulyak stood over the lifeless body and roared a warning to all who could hear; the secret of Nevara was once again safe.
******
The Legend Revealed: I handed Aari Tiekeet the tin cup that hung on a nearby branch. “Take a drink.”
He dipped the cup into the pool beneath the waterfall and slowly drank the contents.
“Wow, that’s kind of sweet. Now that I think about it, even the air smells sweet. What’s in it?”
“They call it Spirit Water. Kukook tells me it has life giving properties.”
“Spirit Water!” Aari exclaimed. “My grandfather once spoke of an old man from our village that was lost and had been gone many days without food. When he was eventually found, however, he was healthy and strong. He said a man had given him what he called Spirit Water and then led him back to our village. I never believed the story … until now.”
The Shooting: Aari Tiekeet had just finished packing his gold when Rodney Jacobs quietly walked into camp. “What the hell are you doing at my mine, Tiekeet?”
Startled at seeing Jacobs he stood his ground. “What do you mean, your mine,” Aari countered bluntly, showing no fear of the gun Jacobs was holding. “I have permission from the owner to work this mine. It doesn’t belong to you.” Aari’s own rifle was leaning up against the shelter, not ten feet away. “Besides, I thought you were dead.”
“A lot of people seem to think that.” Jacobs’ eyes became angry looking and his body tensed, a combination that also made him dangerous.
Aari knew unless he could get to his gun, he was a dead man. Diving to his right, he rolled over behind the shelter and grabbed his rifle, all in one motion. His move, however, wasn’t fast enough. Jacobs got off one shot, hitting Aari in the right leg. Aari fired in return, the bullet entering Jacobs’ right arm, spinning him around. A second shot went wild.
Kukook had seen Jacobs land his helicopter and had cautiously followed him to the mine, sensing Aari might be in trouble. He came up behind Jacobs just as the shooting started. Jacobs had turned, stumbling backwards, firing a second shot, hitting Kukook in the abdomen, knocking him to the ground.
“KUKOOK!” he yelled, seeing his friend fall.
******
I didn’t say anything at first, as I stared into the fire, poking my stick into the hot coals. The ceremony was over and we would soon be headed home, hearts heavy, minds unclear.
“Maggie, I have a sick feeling inside me. It’s telling me all this is just the beginning. These people are defenseless. After all that has happened I’m afraid more will come and soon discover this place. Rodney Jacobs is most likely still alive. If he is, I don’t think we’ve seen the last of him. If words gets out he shot a Sasquatch others may come up here looking for it an others.”
Aari Tiekeet sat next to me, stirring the hot coals. “Just like those sparks dying out in the cold air; like the stars disappearing with the rising of the sun. It must be so. We cannot let anyone find this place.
I couldn’t argue the point, nor did I want to. Aari was guided by the same spirit that watched over those who lived in Nevara. He lived by the old ways. For the rest of our lives our own spirits would be tied to this place.
******
Confiding in Friends: I wasn’t sure where to start or how much I should tell them, if anything. But I knew it was too late to change my mind. Leonard already knew more than I ever intending telling anyone, and apparently so did Jessica, now. Mrs. Littletree … well, she knew the whole story, at least most of it. Maggie’s brother Phil and his wife Pepper knew about the gold, but not where it came from.
“I feel obligated to tell you all a fascinating story,” I began. “It may sound unbelievable, but I swear, it’s all true.
“Andy,” Maggie held my arm. “Maybe we shouldn’t.”
Mrs. Littletree stared into the fire and smiled. “The spirits tell me you have met the Guardian and you know his secret. You are one of the chosen now.”
Her son Tree apologized for his mother’s interruption.
“No … your mother’s telling you the truth.”
And so the story began to unfold … but it doesn’t end there!