Ch. 16f Tomorrow is Another Day

[Philulhu]

Nashoba frowned. ”It means ‘the black of night’. Our legends speak of an ancient spirit who haunts the dreams and hides in the shadows, spreading mistrust and causing discord.”

[Mr. Handy]

"That makes sense," says William. "There's a lot of that going around. Do you have any idea what that thing that came out of the oil was? Could that have been Nakka Mur?"

The first post says that today is Saturday, April 1st, 1931, but yesterday was Friday, March 13th, 1931. Shouldn't today be Saturday, March 14th?

[Bullfrog]

"I've been thinking a lot about things like that. I don't take every legend to be true, but they had to be inspired by something; I've seen the truth with my own eyes." Lawrence says. "Were there any stories in particular about this Nakka Mur?"

[Philulhu]

Date amended. It’s not like you can travel in time, right?

Bart brought Nashoba a cup and a pot of coffee and the Native American spoke as he poured himself a drink with less than steady hands.

”The legends say that Nakka Mur came to be on a night so dark that even the moon went out. As the light returned, he was born out of the first shadows, and has lived in them ever since.”

“From the shadows, he talks to men, makes them doubt their own wisdom, doubt the own truth of their eyes. He sits on the shoulders of our chiefs and incites them to war, sits on the shoulders of the weak and incites them to steal. He thrives on the discord he creates.”

He paused and took a drink. ”Nuta - my revered grandfather - told me he saw him once. The village chiefs were discussing how to deal with the whites who would steal our land. Nuta should not have been there but he was a curious boy, hidden under the furs at the back of the tipi.”

“Some chiefs counselled peaceful talks, but others counselled war. Those who wanted peace were winning the argument until the eldest spoke up again. He said the whites would never stop and he said war was the only answer. Some expressed surprise at his sudden change of heart, but he carried the day and my people waged war on the whites. Many of them died, very few of us are still here to carry on and keep our story alive.”

Nuta always said that he was watching the old man as he listened to the arguments of his fellow chiefs. He saw the shadows move in a way that could not be explained by fire or flames, heard the faint whispers of Nakka Mur that changed the heart of the old man, that lead to the deaths of my people, who died in battle, of disease, of exhaustion on the long marches into captivity… …”

[jp1885]

Ivy arches an eyebrow.

"Indeed? The area where they're digging for oil - is it somewhere that is particularly associated with Nakka Mur?" she asks. "Has anything else happened since the time of your grandfather that could be attributed to these whispers?"

[Silver Priest]

"I wonder if Nakka Mur may have tried to influence you," Alex suggests. "Did you come up with your plan recently? It may have fed off your frustration and resentments. For what purpose I am uncertain, however. It may be that timely intervention prevented a worse outcome.""

[Mr. Handy]

"Nakka Mur must have been responsible for the Great War too," says William, "whispering in the ears of the leaders of both sides, urging them to take revenge. Did your grandfather describe Nakka Mur's appearance?"

[Philulhu]

Nashoba looked at Ivy and shook his head. ”Nakka Mur is not bound to one place. Those lands once belonged to us, part of a reservation, but the chiefs sold the land to the whites so they could take the oil and despoil it.”

As for my actions,” he said to Alex, ”I believe them to be my own. Whether Nakka Mur whispered to me in the darkness to steer me on my path, I cannot say. I will have to think on that a while.”

Turning to William, he paused for a moment, considering his words. ”Nuta said he was like smoke, or shadows. I do not know if he has a true form or whether anyone has seen it. Legends say when the night is black as pitch, he can be seen, but that could just be a tale of made up by those with nothing better to do than to try to outdo each other’s stories.”

“Whether he was involved in your war, I do not know.”

[jp1885]

"When you attempted set fire to the oil field last night, you were attacked by something," Ivy states matter-of-factly. "Was that Nakka Mur do you think?"

[Philulhu]

Nashoba shivered, then shrugged. ”I don’t know. Did it look like smoke to you?”

[Mr. Handy]

"Not exactly," says William, "though there was smoke too." He describes what he saw.

[Philulhu]

William recounted what he had seen by the oil pits. While the oil had burned, he had seen the tentacles emerging from beneath the surface, bursting forth and writhing in the night air, glossy and black, hissing malevolently as they whipped about, catching Nashoba across his back.

Nashoba, who had after all, been looking the other way, studied William intently. ”I did not see it. I just felt its sting, but it sounds like nothing I have ever seen before.”

[jp1885]

“How did you sneak into the site?” Ivy asks. “The foreman refused us access and I think we only got in last time due to everyone being distracted by the fire.”

[Mr. Handy]

"I've seen some strange things before," says William, "but nothing quite like that."

[Silver Priest]

"We've been facing evils like this for some time," Alex tells Nashoba. "And we actually came to this land to hunt down a man who was involved in another incident that some of us barely survived. Now that we know such evil lurks in this land as well, we'd like whatever help you can give in fighting it. I can't promise we'll be able to assist with the oilmen, but given what we saw in those fields, its entirely possible this is connected in someway to them. Which makes it a problem for all of us."

[Philulhu]

The oil storage pits are located outside the fenced-off oilfield. Anyone can access the oil pits, which just have a small earthen bank and small wooden signs to warn people to keep away. They’re used to store the waste products from the drilling, mainly contaminated oil, so it isn’t really worth anything to the oil company. They just need to store it somewhere.

Nashoba nodded sagely. ”So what is your plan to remove the whites and their drills from my ancestral lands and return them to my people?” he asked, as Bart brought his food to the table.

[Mr. Handy]

"Well, I am a lawyer," says William, "The best way to beat them is to use their own laws against them, and I know the law very well. It will require research, both of the law and the facts. It will take time, but it's ultimately the best way."

[Silver Priest]

"William's a good lawyer," Alex says once Bart has left, "And I'm an officer of the law. We can't promise you anything, and I'm going to be upfront about that with you. However, if a cult has spread up amongst the oilmen-- and we have reason to believe that at least some of their number are followers of something very, very dark-- as I said that makes them our problem as well. That's something we'd have to confront, and we'd all have better chances of success if we worked together."

[Philulhu]

Picking up his knife and fork, Nashoba started to eat. ”And how long will your white man’s laws take?” he asked. ”They're drilling there now, and showing no signs of stopping!”

[Mr. Handy]

"A lawsuit would take a long time," says William, "but we're due to meet with the Sheriff in six days. Any evidence we gather in that time, we can present to him, and then he can take immediate action against those responsible if there are criminal charges. It would then take some time to put them on trial, but in the meantime we could try to get an injunction to stop the drilling, and their reputations would be ruined."