PEG'S TALES

I have a story for you about two boys, a Native American and an African American, and a terrible nightmare.

Devon Richards walked slowly home from school. His bookbag felt as if it was full of large rocks. Usually, Devon was one energized kid, but for the past month he felt like he was swimming in a pool of pudding. He was very tired.

"Hey, Dev, wait up," his friend, Blue, called to him.

Devon stopped and turned around. Blue was what the kids called James, Blue Stone, Washee. Blue Stone was James' Indian name given to him by his father. Blue was a full-blooded Native American Indian. Devon was a full-blooded African American. They were both ten years old.

"What's up, man?" Devon called back.

Blue was a new student at Brooklyn Public Grade School. Blue's dad and Devon's dad worked for the same construction company. They walked on steel girders, erecting skyscrapers in New York City. Few men have the skill to walk the steel beams high above the ground, and brave the danger of falling. Devon and Blue were close friends, bonded by the risks they knew their fathers faced every day at work.

Blue ran up to Devon, giving him a high five.

"Nothin' much is up," Blue said. "You look beat, Devon. You sick or something?"

"Naw, I'm not sick," Devon said. "Just tired, right to the bone, man."

"You're working too hard, maybe." Blue said, swinging into step beside Devon.

"Wish I could work hard. Don't feel like working. Just want to sit in front of the TV." Devon shook his head in despair.

"How abut a game of hoops to get you energized? A little one-on-one with the basketball will fix you up. Make you feel better," Blue coaxed. Devon was terrific at baskets."

They stopped in front of Devon's apartment building. Devon sat down on the steps.

"Naw, I don't think so, Blue. Guess I'll just go in and do some homework. Teacher said I wasn't doing too good lately."

"Hey, that's tough, man. You never had problems in school before. What's wrong?" Blue sat down on the step beside Devon.

Devon knew he could tell Blue anything. They were best friends. They talked a lot about their dads. Devon liked hearing Blue's stories about all the different places his dad's job had taken them to live.

Blue Washee's family hoped they were settled for good in New York City. There would always be jobs for walking the steel in New York, with all the tall buildings going up.

Devon knew exactly why he was tired all the time, but he wasn't ready to tell anyone what was wrong.

Blue gave Devon a punch in the arm. "Okay, Dev," Blue said. "You set me an example. I'm going home and hit the books. That math is killing me."

Dev smiled. He knew Blue hated math. "My problem is history." Dev said. "I can't remember the date of one war from another."

Blue and Dev parted with another high five and a "See ya'...bye."

Devon slowly climbed the stairs to their second floor apartment. He unlocked the door, dumped his bookbag on the floor, and yelled, "Ma, I'm home."

"I'm in the kitchen, Dev," Mom called.

Dev shuffled into the kitchen where his mom was feeding his baby sister, Suekay. The baby smiled, with a mouth full of applesauce, when she saw Dev. He kissed her on top of her head. Suekay laughed and waved her fat, little arms. Dev kissed his mom, and slumped down on a kitchen chair.

"Devie," Mom said. "Your teacher called me about twenty minutes ago. She's worried about you, and I am, too. Your grades are slipping and she said you seemed very tired. She told me you are one of her best pupils. She's concerned you might be sick. I probably would have talked to you today, about your being tired, even if she hadn't called. Can you tell me what's wrong?"

Devon watched his Mom load another spoon with applesauce and expertly deposit it in Sue's mouth.

"Don't worry, Ma," Devon said, leaning his chin on his hand. "I haven't been sleeping very well. Wake up in the night and can't go back to sleep. I have some kind of dream that I can't remember."

"Is that all, Dev?" Mom asked.

"That's all. I'm sure it'll go away." Dev said.

"You're positive you can't remember what the dream is about? If you could tell me, we can talk about it. That might help," Mom said.

"When I wake up, I just can't remember the dream," Dev said. "Maybe, if I dream again tonight, I can write it down. I'll try to remember. I have homework to do, Ma. I better get started."

"Try to remember, Dev, then tell Dad or me." Mom said.

Dev headed for his bedroom. He flopped on his bed and closed his eyes. He fought going to sleep. Dev could remember everything about his dream as clear as glass. It was a nightmare. He couldn't tell his mother, least of all his dad. It might help if he could tell someone, maybe Blue. Blue would really understand, but that might not be a good idea either. He didn't know what to do.

At dinner, Dev's parents talked about getting a computer. Dev was excited about it and said Blue's family had one.

Dev's mom said, "That reminds me. I forgot to tell you I have an appointment with the doctor to take Suekay for her check-up tomorrow. Can you call Blue and ask if it's okay for you to go home with him after school for an hour? I couldn't get an early appointment."

"I'm through eating," Dev said. "I'll go call him now."

Dev returned to say Blue was glad to have him after school.

When Dev went to bed that night, he prayed his nightmare would stay away and let him sleep. It almost did. But, an hour before his alarm was set to go off, the dream came to him. It was more frightening than ever. He woke up stiffling a scream, and pressed his face into his pillow. Sweat poured off his face, and his heart pounded in his ears. He stayed awake until his alarm rang.

Anxious to get up, Dev sprang out of bed. He rushed into the hall and ran into his dad on his way to work.

"Dev, son!" Dad exclaimed. "What's wrong? You look scared to death." Dad put his arms around him. "Hold on a minute, here. What frightened you? Your hearts pumping and you're breathing so fast. You running a marathon?"

Dev held on tightly to his dad. "No, just had a bad dream. I'm okay now, Dad. It's nothing."

"Hey, don't let a dream scare you, Dev. Come on, tell me what you dreamed about." Dad said.

"Problem is, I can't remember after I wake up what it's about, It's gone from my mind," Dev said.

"Well, if you're okay for now, we'll let it go, but tonight you and I are going to talk about this," Dad said.

Dev felt bad. He had lied to his dad. He wished he could forget how terrible the nightmare was.

That afternoon, it began to rain as Dev and Blue walked home from school. "No hoops today, Dev," Blue said. "We can play some computer games. Anyhow, you're still looking tired. Didn't you sleep again last night?"

"I slept. Just woke up early. I'm okay," Dev said.

When they went into Blue's apartment, Dev met Blue's grandmother Washee, from Arizona, who was visiting them for a few weeks. Dev liked her. She had a bright, friendly smile, black hair streaked with gray, and sparkling, black eyes. She wore an unusual silver necklace with blue, turquoise stones.

"I fixed you boys a snack. I imagine you're both hungry." she said putting out milk and a plate of pastries filled with apples and nuts. "My own version of apple fritters," she said.

Dev and Blue devoured the delicious treats in a hurry.

"I'm going to put my books in my room," Blue said. "C'mon, Dev, then, we can play some computer games."

In Blue's bedroom, Dev noticed the strange object hanging over his bed. It was a round twig, of some sort, and thin thread was woven into the shape of a spider's web in the middle. Feathers, bright beads, and small stones hung from the circle on thin leather strings.

"What's that, Blue?" Dev asked, pointing at the object.

"Oh, that's my dreamcatcher," Blue said. "Grandmother Washee made it for me not long ago."

"What's it for? What does it do? I have a terrible nightmare I haven't told anyone. What would a dreamcatcher do for my nightmare?" Dev asked, fingering the soft feathers and bright beads.

"Come on, Dev, my grandmother can tell you all about dreamcatchers. She's well known in her Indian tribe for making them," Blue said.

Blue asked his grandmother to tell Dev about the dreamcatchers. They sat at the kitchen table and Grandmother Washee told the Dreamcatcher Legend.

"Long ago," she said. "Iktomi, the teacher of wisdom, came in the form of a spider into the dream if an old Lakota Indian spiritual leader. The spider spoke to the Lakota Indian in a sacred language. As he spoke, the spider took the old man's willow hoop, which had feathers, horse hair, beads, and stones hanging from it, and began to spin a web. As he spun his web, inside the willow hoop, he told the elder man about the forces of good and evil in dreams.

"When the spider, Iktomi, finished speaking, he presented the hoop to the elder. The web was spun in a perfect circle inside the hoop, with a hole in the center. He then told the elder that the web sifts out the good dreams, but the evil in dreams drops through the hole in the center of the web, and is no longer a part of your life."

Dev's eyes were wide with wonder when Grandmother Washee finished her story.

"That's what I need," Dev said. "A dreamcatcher."

"What kind of dream are you having?" Grandmother asked.

Without hesitating, Dev told her about his dream.

"I see my dad walking high up on a steel beam. I feel the wind begin to blow. I see my dad trying to keep his balance on the beam, but the wind is blowing harder and harder. I run to try and catch him, but he is blown off the beam. I see him, like a parachutist free-falling, arms and legs out-stretched, disappearing into space. He is swept away by the wind. I scream for him, and then I wake up. I can't go back to sleep. Every night I dream this same dream. I'm afraid to sleep. I hate that dream, it's a nightmare."

"Dev, you should have told me," Blue said, grabbing Dev's shoulder. "I have the same dream, only my dad falls and falls, and I can't save him. I told Grandmother and that's when she made me the dreamcatcher."

"I have a small dreamcatcher I made awhile ago, Dev," Grandmother Washee said. "Let me give it to you. Hang it over your bed and your dream will be better." She left the room to get the dreamcatcher.

Blue told Dev the beautiful dreamcatchers his grandmother made, and brought with her, were going into a shop to be sold in New York City. She was donating the money from their sale to the clinic on the Indian reservation back home.

Dev thanked Grandmother Washee with all his heart. He wanted to be free of his horrible nightmare. Grandmother said, telling the dream to someone who understands, also helps it to go away.

That evening Dev showed his beautiful dreamcatcher to his mom and dad. He told them the story Grandmother Washee told him about the spider. Then, he told them about his nightmare. His dad said he always wore a safety harness, and whenever possible, a strong net was hung beneath the area where they were working.

"One day soon," Dad said, "Mr. Washee and I will take you and Blue up in the elevator at the construction site, and you can see for yourselves how safe we really are. But hang your dreamcatcher above your bed. If it helps, I may borrow it when I have to pay my taxes."

Dev and his mom laughed at dad's joke. The dreamcatcher hangs above Dev's bed and the nightmare has gone away.

That's the end of my Peg Tale. Remember to share a dream with a friend, as well as a story...it's a gift!

See ya...'bye,
Peg


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