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And So It Began
By Roy Dorman
The leader of the mountain
clan was feeling his years as he wandered casually over to the old
medicine man seated by the fire. He had something on his mind and
knew he would have to be very careful in the presentation of his new
idea if he was to be successful. He had given it a lot of thought
and hoped he hadn’t missed anything in his preparation.
“Healer, I would talk to you about my leadership of our clan. As
you know, our leaders are allowed to lead until a younger, stronger one
of our clan is successful in challenging the leader,” he began.
“That is true, Leader, that is the way it has always been done,” Healer
answered with the proper deference.
“I have been thinking that under our way a particularly good leader
might be struck down too early by one who is stronger, but not in other
ways such a good leader,” Leader posed as nonchalantly as he could.
“Do you think that perhaps you struck down our old leader too soon?”
asked Healer, starting to see where this was going. He had
achieved his position through his intelligence, not his brute strength.
“Oh, no, no,” said Leader quickly. “The old leader’s time had
come. He had seen almost eight summers as leader. I was
thinking that I, myself, am getting old, but feel that I can still do
more good for the clan. Perhaps the respect that the tribe has
for you would help them to see that the way of selecting the new leader
should be changed. When you tell them about it, that is.”
“If I were to talk about this change in our ways in a clan assembly,
there would be some who would ask why I was suggesting this and by what
right did I think I could do so,” answered Healer, with a little more
backbone this time. He wasn’t about to have his healer term ended
early by an angered clan.
“That’s true, you are right,” said Leader. “But I have been thinking on
this for awhile, and I have a plan to help the clan understand that
what you are telling them is a good change; a necessary change.
I’m thinking that your position as healer should also be one of wise
man, holy man. You can tell the tribe that a great wolf in the
forest spoke to you while you were praying to the moon-god for guidance
in your healing ways. Tell them the wolf said that as my counsel,
you are all-knowing in matters of the good of the tribe. When the
time comes for a new leader, contenders will come to you and ask for
your blessing; you and future healers will help in the choosing of new
leaders.”
Healer looked doubtful. The ways had always been what they had
always been. But he saw that he and future healers could have
much power with this change.
“So you are saying that with this change you and I would be co-leaders
of the clan,” he offered, knowing that this was indeed not what Leader
was saying.
“Well, no,” said Leader. “Not exactly equals, but you would be the
moon-god’s messenger. Now you ask the moon-god for help in
healing. With the new change, anything you choose to say and do
will be seen as having come directly from the moon-god.”
Healer thought that this came very close to blasphemy, but since it had
been hinted by the healer before him that going to the moon-god for
assistance was pretty much all a show for the clan’s benefit, he felt
maybe he could go along with Leader’s new world order. He also
thought that if he balked at this “request” from Leader, he could have
an untimely accident.
As if reading his mind, Leader whispered with a hint of the ominous,
“Of course, if you don’t see the wisdom in becoming moon-god’s voice to
the clan, never to be questioned, perhaps your successor would be more
amenable to this change.”
“No, no, Leader, I very well remember that conversation with the great
wolf, and as the moon-god’s representative, I do proclaim that the
leader of the clan will lead until he and the healer choose a new
leader,” said Healer with forcefulness.
“Call an assembly,” ordered Leader. “I’ll stand next to you while you
announce the new way. This is the beginning of a very profitable
alliance for the both of us. Who knows where this could take
us?”
THE
END
© 2015 Roy Dorman
Bio: Roy Dorman is
retired from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Benefits Office and
has been a voracious reader for over 60 years. In retirement, he is now
also a voracious writer and he has had poetry and flash fiction
published recently in a number of online literary sites.
E-mail: Roy
Dorman
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