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“
Ecclesiophobia
?”
Vie repeated.

Carter explained that it is a phobia of churches and that he cannot even step inside one. He said he has had the phobia for as long as he could remember. Carter told her that he had seen therapists for years and they weren’t able to help. He said if he even passes by a church he experiences overwhelming feelings of dread, his heart races, and he has tunnel vision. He told Vie that very few people know this about him and that he was happy to keep it that way. Carter said it is a very rare phobia to have and one that has complicated his spiritual relationship with God.

Vie responded by saying “Oh, so you do believe in God?”

“It’s not that I don’t believe in god Vie, I’m just, how shall I put it, indifferent,” he said.

That was not the answer I expected to hear.
Indifferent?
How can you be indifferent? “Okay, dig Vie dig!” she thought to herself.

“So explain this indifference to me,” Vie said.

Carter looked at Vie and could see that the pastor’s daughter was like a dog with a bone. She was not going to let go of this one so Carter decided to give her something and hoped it would suffice for now. He told Vie what he does or doesn’t feel is complicated. He told her what he could say
on the subject was that he believed in good and evil, he believed in respecting the land, people, and all living creatures that walk on the earth and then he finished by saying that he believed he had a soul and that his soul had a purpose. This was music to
Vie’s
ears.  “BINGO!” Vie thought and let him off the hook for now. She thanked him for sharing something so personal with her and she could almost see a sense of relief on Carter’s face. It was as if he had a burden he really needed to unload and she was glad it was unloaded on her. They continued their journey with the music blaring and the wind in their hair. The two of them talked and laughed, driving along as if they had known one another forever. Carter and Vie enjoyed each other more than any two people had before. They were more than compatible; it was as if they were made for one another.

Carter turned off the main highway onto an old dirt road that led to his mystery destination. There was a sign they passed that read, “North Peak Indian Reservation.” Carter announced that they had arrived and jumped out of the jeep and hurried around to the other side to open
Vie’s
door. She thanked him and got out of the jeep and looked around at what appeared to be a deserted stretch of land.

“What is this place?” Vie asked.

“You’ll see,” he said grinning at her inability to wait patiently.

“Come on Jake!” Carter called to his faithful companion and Jake jumped out of the jeep and disappeared around the bend. Carter took
Vie’s
hand and led her in the direction that Jake ran. They came upon what appeared to be a small village. Vie saw Jake playing in a sea of small children. She noticed tiny little houses that looked more like huts placed in a circular formation around the land. Beyond the huts were wide open plains cascaded by a majestic mountain range as their scenic backdrop. It looked like one of Vivian’s paintings Vie had seen before. The scenery was a true work of art and suddenly Vie felt like she had been there before. She stood staring, trying to figure out why this place seemed so uncannily familiar.

“Vie?” Carter called her name, “Is something wrong?” he asked.

“No…it’s just,” she paused and then finished by saying, “It’s just simply breathtaking!” she said.

Carter smiled with his notable grin, pleased with the expression he saw on her face. It was the same look displayed on his face when his mother brought him to the reservation many years ago. One look and he was hooked, not only to the view but the entire reservation and all of the people living within it. Carter was again stunned by her beauty in the moment.

Just then, a tall, strong looking man approached them.  He was wearing traditional Indian attire with his face painted like a warrior. Carter told her he was dressed like that because there was a “coming of age” ceremony today and it was important to keep in line with tradition and dress as their forefathers had many years ago. He greeted Carter with enthusiasm and a hand shake. Then he looked at Vie with familiar eyes, which she noticed immediately. Carter introduced his guest to the chief and Vie extended her hand as Carter had, to say hello. When their hands touched, something flashed inside
Vie’s
mind. It was a vision of the man standing before her, only
younger.  His eyes were the same eyes she was looking into right now. Startled, Vie released his hand breaking the flashback.

“KITALA OLOWA ZITKALA,” the chief said smiling at Vie.

Vie glanced at Carter and he translated “Little Song Bird” back to her. Vie wondered how the chief referred to her with a phrase so fitting to who she was, but felt an honest comfort when he spoke to her. Carter laughed noticing Vie was a bit spooked by his accuracy and told her that the chief has an amazing insight into ones soul. She replied by telling him she could see that. Vie asked what name the chief had given Carter and he replied arrogantly grinning, “WAKA OZUYE” which means sacred warrior. Vie was astounded again by the accuracy of his words, but her feeling of awe was quickly overshadowed by Carter’s ego that had gotten slightly larger just saying the words WAKA OZUYE.

“Come on,” he said, “I have some more people I would like you to meet.”

The chief smiled at Vie and Carter, looking at them like all was right in the world. She noticed his eyes were glassed over as if he were on the brink of tears and could feel a peaceful Zen emulating from his soul. Again, although strange, Vie felt a comfort in the eyes of the chief. She smiled back at him letting him know how she felt. Vie didn’t understand why she was feeling a familiar connection to this place but thought perhaps Vivian had been here before, and they were her feelings she was experiencing. “That has to be it,” she thought to herself.

Carter grabbed
Vie’s
hand and suddenly felt an electrifying tingle that shot straight up his arm sending a warming sensation through his entire body. Vie felt it too. They looked at each other and then simultaneously dropped hands. “That was weird,” Carter thought looking away from her abruptly. Little did he know Vie was thinking the exact same thing? Neither of them bothered to discuss the weird sensation they both encountered while holding hands but neither of them could stop thinking about it. “Did she feel that?” he wondered. “Did he?” she thought. The chief looked at them as if he knew what they had both just felt, almost as if he somehow created it himself.

The moment was interrupted by the sea of young children that ran up circling the two of them like a swarm of bees. “Carter…Carter!” the kids shouted with pure exuberance. A huge smile came to
Vie’s
face as the children gathered round.

“Did you bring us anything?” one of the children asked.

Carter kneeled down to the little boy with hope in his eyes and said, “Of course I did!”

“What is it, what is it?” he said jumping up and down with excitement.

Carter stood up and directed the little boy’s attention to Vie. He pointed to her and said, “I brought you a friend…a very special friend,” he added. Carter started the introduction.

“Guys, this is Vie,” he announced.

Vie immediately knelt down to the children and said, “It is a pleasure to meet all of you.”

“You’re pretty,” one of the boys shouted out, giggling after he spoke.

“Are you an angel?” a tiny little girl with big brown eyes asked. Vie took one look at her and was reminded of Lucy, the little girl she met in the hospital. This child had the same look in her eyes that Lucy had when she asked her the exact same question. Vie couldn’t help but love the innocence of a child.

“No
no
, I am not an angel. I’m just a regular girl like you,” Vie said putting her finger on the tiny exposed belly of the adorable little girl, tickling her gently. She had the sweetest little giggle Vie had ever heard.

“And what is your name?” Vie asked her.

“My name is
Cici
,” she said giggling again.

“Can I hug you?” the little girl asked.

“Of course you can,” Vie responded completely surprised by her request.

Cici
wrapped her tiny little arms around
Vie’s
neck, squeezing it as tight as she could. Then she rested her sweet little face on her shoulder telling her she smelled like the flowers in the meadow. This little girl stole
Vie’s
heart as she nestled her head into her hair, holding on tight.

“You’re a good hugger,” Vie said stroking the back of her baby soft, jet black hair.

Carter watched as the children ogled over Vie. More and more he wanted to understand the mystery of Vie. Everything about her sent Carter in a tailspin of wonder. “Why now? Why have I not seen her like this before?” he wondered again watching her with the children.

“I’ll be right back,” Carter said to Vie as he ran out to the jeep. He returned with a satchel strapped across his beautifully rippled chest. Vie and the children wondered what he was carrying in his bag. Then Carter opened it up and started to pull something out. The children were silent with anticipation.

“Who wants a story?” he said holding up a very large picture book. “I have books…lots and lots of books.” Carter held them up in the air teasing the children as they charged at him grabbing at the books he was holding up higher than they could reach. The children were cheering to Carter to read them a story. He was laughing at their enthusiasm and trying to keep his balance while the children were hanging on to his arms. He had four toddlers on each arm and several older ones piggy backing behind. It was an impressive sight and Vie enjoyed every second of it….of Carter.

Vie watched in amazement of the likeness at which Carter was created. Vie knew, before arriving here, that he was special, but she never imagined that anyone could be flawless until
now. Carter Stone was a little piece of heaven here on earth. She felt like the luckiest Guardian ever having been picked for this mission.

Vie and Carter took turns reading a story to the children. Watching their facial expressions change with every new voice Carter created made Vie laugh out loud. Of course he didn’t stick to the words in the story. He often changed things around making them more exciting than the author had originally written. Handsome and creative was not a bad combination at all. After the story was finished Carter and Vie handed out juice boxes and a healthy snack Carter’s mom had sent with him.

Carter told Vie about the first time his Mom brought him to the reservation. He remembered it as if it were yesterday. Carter said she had been coming here
since before he was born
.  He told Vie that a long time ago his mom was a social worker and had been assigned to the reservation. Then she met my dad and started a family, so she quit her job to stay at home and raise the kids. She never really told him why, but it was obvious how much the reservation and the people living on it meant to her. Like all of the Stone’s, these people were her family and she loved them all very much. Carter explained that
this tribe, the Lakota were
one of the few remaining tribes in all of Wyoming. Though they may be poor, they are proud people dedicated to preserving their land and their culture. Carter showed his obvious respect for their values and like Katherine, he dedicated himself to help their cause.

“You see,” Carter said pointing to all of the surroundings, “you go to your church and I go to mine,” he finished eloquently. Vie was happy to know that Carter was indeed a spiritual person even though he did not sit beside his family in a more traditional setting. Although she still wondered why he did not attend Sunday services with the Stone’s, she was happy to know that he practiced some form of a divine belief system here.  “All was not lost,” she thought to herself thankfully.

The children had disbanded after their snacks to do something more fun, mainly chasing Jake. Carter and Vie watched over them adoringly as they ran and played. Carter snuck another glance at Vie out of the corner of his eye and marveled at the joy on her face as she watched the children play. It was strange she thought to see children with nothing and yet be so completely content. It was a rare concept in this world but one that warmed her heart.