A Path of Healing

By Mary Z

Thirteen-year-old Megan is miserable. Filled with resentment toward her younger brother, Zak, who seems to take all her parents time, Megan thinks she might as well be on another planet for all anyone cares. When she is sent by her parents to live with her oddball aunt Crystal in Alaska for the summer, Megan feels like a castaway. Once again, her brother Zak has won.

Things begin to look up, however, when Megan meets other teenagers who invite her to a drumming ceremony and soon convince her to go to wilderness school with them. As Megan endures the rigors of training with the group, she is brought closer to her new friends Carly, Jana, Stacy, and J. D.and she hopes J. D. might one day become more than just a buddy. When the group leaves on an expedition, Megans physical strength and emotional stamina are tested as she struggles through the rigors of backpacking, climbing, and kayaking in the wild.

In the exquisite beauty of the natural environment, Megan finally begins to mend her wounded spirit. But just as she discovers her own ability to heal others, she must face her biggest challenge ever.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jul 3, 2012
• ISBN: 9781475925647

Mary Z

Mary Szczepanski, known to many friends and colleagues as “Mary Z”, is a seasoned nurse whose holistic nursing private practice offers sessions and classes in imagery and several forms of energy healing, including Healing Touch and EFT. Mary has enjoyed hiking, river rafting, kayaking, and skiing both in the southwestern United States and in Juneau, Alaska, where she currently lives.

Book preview

2. Aunt Crystal’s

Megan’s flight had been late arriving, and it was after midnight before she went to sleep. In the morning, Megan wandered around the house, looking at her aunt’s things. She was still waking up. She stepped into the small front room that had a massage table, shelves of books, and a small chair. A wall hanging with rainbow colors and gold trim said Trust Yourself. You have the answers within. Megan felt a chill run down her spine. In some way she didn’t understand, she had found herself thinking the same thing many times in New York. What a weird coincidence, she thought.

Good morning, Megan, Aunt Crystal yelled from the kitchen. That’s my massage room. My clients use a separate door and shouldn’t bother you at all.

As she walked through the living room, Megan glanced at some photos on the wall. She recognized a picture of her grandparents when they were younger. She saw herself with her parents and baby Zak. Ick. Maybe that used to be a family. There was a young woman with brown hair in a ponytail on a hiking trail. She looked vaguely familiar. Probably a cousin.

Megan found her aunt putting fruit into a bowl in the kitchen.

So let me get this straight. My day was four hours longer yesterday because I crossed four time zones from east to west. Is that right? Megan asked, sitting at the table in her green-and-blue plaid flannel pajama bottoms and navy blue sweatshirt.

That’s right, Crystal said. Her hair was short and brown with lots of gray. She was dressed in blue jeans and a gray T-shirt. She wore glasses.

I could sleep until noon.

You can if you like. Or you could have some breakfast. Eggs? Cereal? Polish sausage? Bear meat? Moose burger?

I’ll have toast and coffee, Megan said, wrinkling her nose at the last two choices. She watched to see if her aunt would come through on the caffeine.

Megan was soon munching on toast covered with homemade blueberry jam. She sipped a cup of hot black coffee that smelled pleasantly of vanilla. That was easy, she thought.

How was your flight? Aunt Crystal asked, sitting across from her.

It took forever. There was a four-hour wait in the Seattle airport before connecting to the Alaska flight. The best part was walking around the airport in Seattle looking at things, especially those paintings of the magician on the wall. I sat outside in the sun in the rock garden too.

You need to call your parents and let them know you’ve arrived without problems, Aunt Crystal reminded her.

They don’t care.

Megan—

Okay. Where’s the phone? I’ll just get it over with. Megan was used to this routine of checking in with her parents from wherever she stayed. She had learned how to do it with the least possible aggravation.

Megan was tense on the phone. She quickly let her dad know she was in Alaska. Then she handed the phone to Crystal. After talking to Megan’s dad for a few minutes, Crystal sat back down at the table.

Megan, I know that coming to Alaska is a big change for you. It could be a new beginning, Aunt Crystal said.

New beginning. That’s what they always say. It really means they didn’t want me anymore at the last place, Megan sighed.

You’ve been through some hard things. This could be a time for healing your spirit, Aunt Crystal added.

What is she talking about? Megan thought. She had heard stories in the family about her aunt being an oddball, changing her name from Cecelia to Crystal, and moving to Alaska. Now all this probing and talking about feelings. Here’s more proof. She stared at Crystal without saying anything.

Why don’t you tell me what it’s been like for you these past years? Crystal suggested.

"I used to go to Gram and Grandpa’s for summers and vacations, and sometimes long weekends. At least they acted like they loved me. They did things with me. We went to the park and to movies and parades. We ate Polish food. It was nice having a yard. I like their dog. But Zak was really the problem at home. Why didn’t my parents send him away?" Megan wailed.

Zak was very sick when he was born. You know, it was a hard time for your parents.

Tell me something I don’t know, Megan said, feeling mean.

Zak was born early and needed several operations. Megan, your mom nearly died during the birth. She was weak for a long time. Your parents were exhausted and didn’t know how they were going to care for Zak. When I was there, I offered to bring you here for a while, but they didn’t want you so far away. I don’t think they realized how abandoned you felt staying with relatives, even if they were closer to home. They have always cared about you.

I’m finished talking, Megan said, storming out the front door, slamming it behind her. She sat on the front step, trying to shut out everything she ever knew about Zak and what she had just learned about her mother nearly dying. Crystal left her alone to cool down. Megan sat gazing up at the tall trees that were everywhere around her. After a few minutes her heart stopped pounding. Her breathing slowed.

Hey, yelled a girl who was walking toward her from the house across the street. You Megan?

Megan nodded.

I’m Jana. Crystal told me you’d be coming, Jana said. Her shiny, straight black hair came to her shoulders.

Really? What else did she say? Megan asked without enthusiasm. She was still angry.

Well … coming here for a few months or more … from New York. Anyway, I’m thirteen too. I live right there, Jana said, pointing to her house. My family is Tlingit. That’s Alaska Native.

They were distracted by a boy walking toward them. He had short, spiky sandy-brown hair. His baggy jeans were slipping down to his hips. He wore one small, round gold earring. A thick chain hung loosely around his neck. His T-shirt had a curse word on it that was partly covered by his leather vest.

Who’s that? Megan asked, looking the boy up and down.

That’s J. D. He’s a jerk, Jana said as he came into earshot.

Hey, Jana. Who’s your new friend? J. D. asked.

I’m Megan. Megan made eye contact with J. D. and felt an immediate attraction.

We’re talking here, J. D., Jana asserted.

Nice to meet you, Megan called after him as he walked on.

He’ll probably come back. You may be sorry. He’s always getting into other people’s business. I wish he weren’t going to the wilderness program. It’s enough putting up with him in school and in the neighborhood, Jana complained. Crystal said you might go to the wilderness summer program. Have you decided?

I think I’ll give it a try. Megan nodded, thinking she might get to know J. D. better if she did.

Uh-oh. I’ve got to get back to the house. I’m babysitting my brother, Kyle. He’s only six, so I can’t leave him alone very long. See you later. Jana dashed off, leaving Megan wondering what it would be like to babysit her own brother. She quickly put it out of her mind.

Later that day, Megan wrote in her journal.

Megan’s Journal

I can’t believe I am in another new place. What am I doing here? Zak should be here, not me. He’s getting all the attention, and I get sent away, or worse, really. More like cast away or exiled. I may as well be on another planet. Everything is different here. Even the air feels different. New beginning. What a bunch of crap. I want to be with my own family. I don’t know what it will be like to be around Aunt Crystal. The rest of the family thinks she’s crazy for moving here. They make fun of her big adventure. They don’t even know she eats moose and bear meat.

Jana seems nice. I would really like to get to know that J. D. I think I like him. I like the way he looks. I wonder if he likes me. What is a wilderness school, anyway? If J. D. is going, then I’ll go too.

As Megan finished writing in the upstairs bedroom, she heard people talking and some kind of rhythmic tapping noise. She went down to see what it was all about.

It’s drumming night. Did I mention it? Aunt Crystal asked. We have extra drums if you care to join in.

I’ll just watch, Megan replied cautiously. How weird is this? she thought. She glanced around the room at a group of people of mixed ages sitting on the living room floor. Crystal introduced her. They quickly said their names, but Megan did not remember any of them. A young Native man started tapping a rhythm that sounded like a heartbeat. Others followed his lead. Then Jana popped in through the door.

Sorry I’m late. My parents just got home, Jana explained, trying not to interrupt. Jana picked up two drums. Smiling and nodding, she held them out to Megan. Native or djembe? Megan reached for the djembe, a drum that stood more than a foot tall. The wooden base was carved, and it narrowed halfway down, like an hourglass. An animal skin was stretched over the top. She felt the smoothness of the polished base and then moved her hands over the skin. She noticed a boy her age sitting across from her drumming on another djembe. That seems easy enough, she thought.

She started tapping out the heartbeat lightly with her fingertips. After drumming for a while, Megan was drawn into the vibration of the beats resonating through her body. Her tapping turned into full hand striking, bringing alive her emotions. Now she was pounding harder, adding her own beats. The fury of things done to her rose to the surface. She acted out the agony of being alienated from her family. She was working it. Beads of sweat dripped down her forehead as emotions erupted from within her and were channeled into pounding the drum. She sensed an energy moving through the drums and the players. Megan allowed herself to be part of it. She added beats. Other drums answered. The volume softened. It heightened again. She felt the last beat before it happened. Boom! The last beat of the round reverberated through the room. The drummers savored it with a moment of silence. Then smiles and cheers broke out.

Megan, Crystal didn’t tell us you were so good at drumming! Jana exclaimed.

It’s a surprise to me too, Megan responded, somewhat bewildered.

Many rounds later, the drumming was over.

For some of us, drumming is like a ceremony, Jana shared. Megan wrinkled her brow. A ceremony can mark an event, Jana continued. I like that we had it before I start at the wilderness school. It feels like I can take the energy from it to help make me stronger during the wilderness courses. Drumming can be a meditation too. Some people go into a trance and experience personal healing.

Hmm, was all Megan could muster. She couldn’t relate much to Jana’s ideas but had experienced something in her own way.

3. Wilderness Boot Camp

There must be sixty students here, Megan guessed, glancing around the open field at teens, adults, and heaps of baggage near the wilderness program’s main lodge. The lodge was a huge log building with big windows, a green roof, and a porch on three sides. There was an area of scruffy grass between the steps of the lodge and the sandy beach.

Megan took a big breath of fresh air and stared at the channel of water many miles long and about five miles wide. Looking across the water she could see mountains that still had snow on the high peaks. A bald eagle called overhead as it flew toward the tall, thick forest of spruce and hemlock behind the lodge.

We have to wait here to get instructions about the cabins, Jana said, mostly to herself. She was holding the orientation schedule for the week in her hand as she put down her bags.

Hey, there’s Carly. Megan waved her hand, urging Carly to come near. She introduced Carly and Jana.

I was hoping you’d decide to come. Carly smiled.

The three of them were suddenly distracted by a tall, slender girl in sparkle jeans and rhinestone sunglasses. A couple of boys were hauling her bags behind her. Her long, straight, blond hair was in a ponytail. Her fresh nail polish was bright red.

That’s Stacy, Jana explained. She’s in my class at school. She likes acting and has been in lots of plays. She’s pretty good, actually.

And she’s heading right over here, Megan added, not sure what to think.

Hi, Jana. I’m glad I got here on time. I wasn’t sure I’d make it with the list of things we had to bring, Stacy moaned as she turned to thank the boys and point to where she wanted her bags. There should be a lot of potential dates here, she added, lowering her sunglasses to get a better look at the boys, revealing thick layers of eye makeup. I’m Stacy, she said to Megan and Carly. They introduced themselves to her.

Who are your baggage handlers? asked Carly.

That’s Li and Nick. Li is Chinese and loves telling jokes, Stacy answered. Brainy too. Nick’s father owns the bakery in town. They’re nice guys. Both are in my class at school.

When the camp director, Deanna, had welcomed everyone to the camp, the four girls signed up to share a cabin. After carrying their bags along a short but winding trail in the forest, they approached a small cabin. They entered through a creaky door. It smelled old and musty. The windows were small and had not been washed in a long time. The girls started unpacking for the week of orientation.

So you’re from New York City. I might move there in a few years … for acting school, of course. You don’t have much of an accent, Stacy said to Megan, brushing cobwebs from the windowsill with her elbow.

My parents didn’t always live there. I was born in New Jersey. We moved when I was younger, Megan replied, thinking to herself, When I was still part of the family. She pulled her sleeping bag out of a stuff sack and threw it on a bottom bunk. Sharing a cabin with three girls reminded her of sharing a room at boarding school. The thought of it put a knot in her stomach.

What made you interested in the wilderness school, Stacy? It’s quite a change from acting, Megan said, getting the focus off of herself. She put her pack near her bunk.

Well, maybe I’ll have an acting role in a wilderness setting, Stacy commented, getting a few more cobwebs off the windowsill. Who knows? I could get a role doing some backpacking, or climbing, or caving, or kayaking. That’s why I’m taking the courses here. Maybe I’ll have to do my own stunt work somewhere along the line— Jana and Carly broke into peals of laughter hearing Stacy talk about her future acting career. Stacy grabbed her pillow and threw it at Jana’s head. Jana fell on the floor laughing, but not before tossing a rolled up sleeping bag, which hit Carly’s shoulder. More pillows and stuff sacks were thrown around. Their laughter was eventually interrupted by the clanging of the dinner bell.

Hey, it’s not time for dinner yet, Carly commented.

They use the same bell to gather us for groups and classes, Jana shared. She had been to the school before. It’s the ‘welcome to wilderness school’ gathering.

Jana, how do you keep track of all this stuff, like the schedule and the instructions? Megan wondered out loud.

Well, Jana only keeps track of things she cares about. Stacy started spouting off. "Like, last term we had a