Hummingbird

Meredith thought for a moment, then remembered the brave green-headed hummingbird drinking nectar from the prickly pear flower. "I choose the hummingbird," she said.

"That is well," said the shaman.

Put on the Robe

"Now put on this robe," said the shaman, handing Meredith a coarsely woven garment which hung on the kiva wall. The robe was of unbleached wool and smelled of wild sheep. She put it on and tied the braided belt around her waist.

"Now you look like one of us," said the shaman.

Flitted By

Meredith approached the mouth of the sipapu and peered into its bottomless black hole. How would she ever go through the narrow opening? 

Just then something flitted by so quickly that she could only see a blur of color. She jumped back startled and felt the urge to run, but it soon stopped and hovered in midair before her face. It was a tiny bird with a long slender beak, its wings moving so swiftly that they were almost invisible.

"Look, it is my friend the hummingbird," she cried.

Guide

"Oh," said Meredith to the tiny green creature, "you startled me so! But now I see how beautiful you are."
The hummingbird bobbed up and down.

"You must be hungry. It takes energy to beat your wings so fast," she said. "Come, we'll look for something."

The hummingbird flitted along ahead of her and paused by the blooming red prickly pear cactus which stood near the entrance to the kiva. "There," said Meredith, enthralled.

She waited while the hummingbird drank deeply of the cactus nectar.

Trust

When the hummingbird had refereshed itself, it showed it appreciation by swooping back and forth across the kiva several times. Then it hovered, as if considering Next it sped around Meredith, then around the shaman, again and again in a figure eight.

"It's trying to tell us something," said Meredith.

"What is it, Shaman Far Heart?"

"It is your totem, young woman. Only you can understand its message."

"It seems to be telling us to hurry," said Meredith.

"We must be on our way. I don't know what we will find down there, but we must trust that this is the right path."

Sudden Dart

The hummingbird made a sudden dart and disappeared into the sipapu. Meredith hesitated, held her breath as if to dive into a deep pool and plunged in head first. The shaman followed close behind.