Condor's Eye

By Ronnie Sarkin

Gentle Wind is different. Growing up in a North America Indian community around 500 BC, all boys of his age want to train as warriors, while he is obsessed with exploring nature, hunting, and exploiting his unusual talents. When the clans shaman discovers these curious skills, he decides to train the boy as his successor. Gentle Wind, renamed Condors Eye, begins an action-packed journey pushing him to his limits. Enduring rigorous training, many challenges, unusual experiences, philosophical debates about life, and a deep love affair, he tenaciously hones his skills to become a great man of his time.

Interwoven with his story is the gripping tale of Anouar, whose beautiful Greek mother arrives in Egypt under difficult circumstances. Anouar dreams of becoming a high priestess in the Mystic Temples along the Nile, but her powerful intellect and unique talents soon draw her into the fickle world of Egyptian politics. She becomes Cleopatras close advisor and confidant, only to be drawn into a passionate love affair with Marc Antony.

Sarkin masterfully draws readers into these fascinating worlds, leaving readers utterly spellbound and wanting more. His unusual genre continues into ancient Ireland in his sequel, Kismet (www.feyslamentation.com).

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Oct 30, 2015
• ISBN: 9781490766393

Ronnie Sarkin

Ronnie Sarkin is a man of many extraordinary talents, interests and passions. While he is an engineer and businessman, he is also a master diver, qualified game ranger, an author, a photographer and a spiritual seeker. But as a dedicated husband, father and grandfather, family comes first. Everything else follows. The same dedication flows into everyone and everything for which he has passion, including his writing. The Maya Trilogy is part of Sarkin’s passion for writing. He writes “Tales Along the Bumpy Trails,” a riveting collection of stories from his ongoing adventures in the African bush spanning many decades. Sarkin currently lives in the Cape coastal resort of Plettenberg Bay in South Africa and loves taking long walks along the lagoon at sunset.

Book preview

CONDOR'S EYE

RONNIE SARKIN

©

Copyright 2015 Ronald Joseph Sarkin.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

ISBN

: 978-1-4907-6638-6 (sc)

ISBN

: 978-1-4907-6640-9 (hc)

ISBN

: 978-1-4907-6639-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015917589

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Trafford rev. 03/11/2016

33164.png www.trafford.com

North America & international

toll-free: 1 888 232 4444 (USA & Canada)

fax: [phone]

Δ Δ Δ = three tepees = Condor's Eye. Ανουαρ = Anuoar

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Preface

Introduction

CONDOR'S EYE Key People

Chapter 1 Ambush Δδδ

Anouar Key People

Chapter 2 Temple Of Fear Ανουαρ

Chapter 3 Gentle Wind Δδδ

Chapter 4 Insatiable Curiosity Ανουαρ

Chapter 5 Past Lives Δδδ

Chapter 6 Twelve Mystical Temples Of Enlightenment Ανουαρ

Chapter 7 Condors' Eyes Δδδ

Chapter 8 Semantics Ανουαρ

Chapter 9 Dawn Dew Δδδ

Chapter 10 Merkabah Ανουαρ

Chapter 11 Courting Δδδ

Chapter 12 Claustrophobia Ανουαρ

Chapter 13 Complications Of The Heart Δδδ

Chapter 14 Confronting Fear Ανουαρ

Chapter 15 Initiation Δδδ

Chapter 16 Sex And Love Ανουαρ

Chapter 17 Graduation Δδδ

Chapter 18 Royal Visit Ανουαρ

Chapter 19 Drought Δδδ

Chapter 20 The Seventh Handmaiden Ανουαρ

Chapter 21 The Children Δδδ

Chapter 22 First Night Ανουαρ

Chapter 23 Counseling Δδδ

Chapter 24 Taverns Ανουαρ

Chapter 25 Kidnapping Δδδ

Chapter 26 Camel's Milk Ανουαρ

Chapter 27 The Wigwam Δδδ

Chapter 28 Slave Galley Ανουαρ

Chapter 29 Severe Drought Δδδ

Chapter 30 The Heart Ανουαρ

Chapter 31 War Δδδ

Chapter 32 Insecurity Ανουαρ

Chapter 33 Refugees Δδδ

Chapter 34 Saqqara Ανουαρ

Chapter 35 Prophesies Δδδ

Chapter 36 Escape Ανουαρ

Chapter 37 Headband Δδδ

Chapter 38 Naive Planning Ανουαρ

Chapter 39 Another Kidnapping Δδδ

Chapter 40 To War Ανουαρ

Chapter 41 Bereft Survivors Δδδ

Chapter 42 A Dignified Death Ανουαρ

Chapter 43 The Passing Δδδ

Chapter 44 Rasheed Ανουαρ

Chapter 45 The Planning Δδδ

Chapter 46 Lords Of Karma Ανουαρ

Cover

Condor's Eye outside the Sacred Waterfall Cave, looking at his clan's valley below with a condor circling in the distance.

Painting by Joy Truscott.

DEDICATION

To my wife Janine;

My daughters Daniella, Carrene and Aimee;

Sons-in-law Michael, Darren and Marco;

Grand children Liam, Dylan, Laila, Grace and Jaxon.

Acknowledgments

In simpler times, whenever that may have been, a person could have a sufficient range of diverse skills to complete a relatively complex task, all on their own. Today it is more common to have a team of people all contributing some specialization or another. This book is no different. The core is the story, which is primarily the domain of the author. But even here I have enjoyed the contributions of readers' comments and constructive criticism. People, in particular, were my wife Janine and my daughters Daniella, Carrene, and Aimee. Their candid comments always indicated another perspective that I had not considered. Various friends also went through the draft, providing me with invaluable feedback.

Thank you to my editor Marion Pfeiffer, whose microscopic eye cast a tight net for any punctuation, grammatical, and other linguistic errors. As part of this book takes place in North America, an American dictionary and grammar rules were used. In the sequel Kismet, the story unfolds in historic Ireland, so British English rules were used. Bernard Shaw said, England and America are two countries separated by a common language. This forced Marion to straddle the Atlantic and be sufficiently flexible to edit both books through different lenses. She had no boundaries in the extent she would go to help edit and polish the manuscript.

The publisher's team of specialists knows how to make authors jump through hoops. They checked every epigram and picture for potential copyright infringements and measured material against fair use guidelines. It was another laborious exercise contributing toward the production of a clean manuscript.

The patience that my loving wife Janine had and, at times, was forced to endure with my many hours lost between screen and keyboard requires the most enormous thank you. Without your support, neither this book nor Kismet would exist.

Preface

Condor's Eye takes place about 2,500 years ago in North America and then around 500 years later in ancient Egypt. The sequel to this book, titled Kismet, is set in Ireland during the 1200s and then the 1700s. Condor's Eye and Kismet are about the same couple in each of the four interlinked lifetimes, enabling the reader to follow the vicissitudes of existence we all enjoy or endure. The perennial questions about why events happen to our heroes are addressed, reflecting what we all experience in our personal lives, but with only speculative answers, if any. Those that can be answered are reserved for the final story in the trilogy.

Eons ago, were human values different? Did good and evil challenge people's lives as they do now? Have people always sought an understanding of existence? Typical questions include whether there is a spiritual dimension to the universe: Are there forces that influence or direct our lives? Can we create our reality, or is it merely random luck? These are not new questions and are as old as mankind. Our inquiring minds have been seeking answers as we became increasingly cognitive and reflected the same trials and tribulations, which continue to confront us all today.

We have learned that often what may appear superficial is multilayered. This could be due to subconscious influences, deliberately hidden or deceitful deception, and even possible manipulation of a spiritual nature. Many of these levels are woven into Condor's Eye and are explained on the website www.feyslamentation.com, which continues with explanations of our couple's experiences in Kismet.

Introduction

Some people live quiet lives while others have intense ones that are worthy of being documented. Our hero and heroine are a couple who lived such meaningful lives. They survived in an era when people had no technology, were illiterate, and were totally dependent on nature. Millennia ago, this may have seemed idyllic, green, and simple; but even in those primitive times, life was full of challenges, dangers, and emotions. Fast-forward hundreds of years to Egypt, which had an advanced and ancient civilization. Even if the environment had changed, the experience of life still had risks, quests, questions, and love. These parallel dimensions made life neither simpler nor more complicated. It was merely another time in another place with comparable dramas unfolding.

Observe our couple trying to cope with these challenges, be it in America or Egypt. Then continue to follow them in Ireland in the sequel Kismet. Notice how life continues with similarities whether it is matters of the heart, compassion for others, retaining one's values, and other challenges that confront people irrespective of the time and place. Observe how alike attributes of our lives are today since we all remain subject to various immutable laws of the universe that continue to function unchanged over time. These stories therefore have an allegorical element to them to which most people should relate.

Johannesburg 2015

CONDOR'S EYE

Key People

Condor's Eye's Family

Falling Water---his father

Rain Cloud---his mother

Gentle Wind---Condor's Eye's first name

Laughing Wind---Condor's wife

Cornflower---Laughing Wind's first name

Red Sunset---Laughing Wind's mother

Striding Horse---Laughing Wind's father

Moon Shadow---oldest son and successor to his father's medicine-man position

Soft Rain---Moon Shadow's wife

Leaders

Rattling Snake---River Valley Clan's medicine man

Pale Moon---clan's first chief

Running River---Pale Moon's wife

Soaring Eagle---Pale Moon's son who became the next chief

Proud Thunder---neighboring village chief

Warriors and Hunters

Dark Coyote---aggressive tribe warrior

Silent Owl, Hunting Dog, White Cloud, Summer Rain---hunters

Broken Reed---youth who freed kidnapped girls

Barking Dog---leader of one of the kidnapping clans

Dark Horse---another kidnapping clan leader

War

Wild Mustang---warmongering, conquering warrior chief

Prancing Deer---tribe's war chief

Little Owl, Big Oak, Burning Arrow, Tomahawk, Thunder Hoof---war council members

Two Wolves---River Valley Clan war scout

Fox Tail---warrior forcibly conscripted into Wild Mustang's army

Spring Lily---administrator in team helping refugees after the war

Storm Wind---Spring Lily's husband

Clan Members

Dawn Dew---lost six-year-old girl

Mountain Blossom---Dawn Dew's mother

Little Jay---a widow

Fleeting Cloud, Crescent Moon, Rustling Leaves, Chirping Jay---ten-year-old children at Condor's Eye's lecture

Eagle's Eyrie, Black Bear, Cunning Coyote, Leaning Tree---Brown Beaver's wigwam builders

Brown Beaver---youth who thought Cornflower (Laughing Wind) had been promised to him

Prairie Song---Brown Beaver's mate (the struggling couple)

Bright Cloud---new name given to Prairie Song

Robin's Wing and Gentle Stream---their daughters

Whistling Pine and Midnight Owl---Brown Beaver's parents

Others

Speckled Owl---ousted headman of Dark Horse's village

Rearing Colt---Speckled Owl's son

Burning Sunset---shaman at the annual gathering of the tribes

White Eagle and Spring Blossom---buyers of Bright Cloud's headband

Proud Thunder---chief of knapper's village

Little Fawn and Valley Mist---sisters in Dark Horse's village

Map2.jpg

Condor's Eye's valley

Forty-Second Summer

Two wolves battle within us, a good wolf and an evil one.

The one which wins is the one you feed.

---Cherokee proverb

The tension amongst the River Valley Clan ambushers was intense, and they were ready to protect their village. So much was at stake. If they did not succeed, the marauders would kill them. Their women would be captured, raped, and enslaved with their children. Wild Mustang's braves had no compassion, and his relentless drive to conquer the region resulted in gross cruelty toward any who tried to resist him. Villages were now surrendering before he reached them in hope of some clemency. Even the villagers who surrendered were subject to callous and heartless treatment, with all young men being conscripted forcibly into Wild Mustang's growing horde. The men of Condor's Eye's village were hidden behind the rim of the ravine, where the women and children from their village appeared to be escaping into the gully, luring Wild Mustang and his men after them. The men could hear the enemy below riding after this group who had volunteered to entice the enemy into their trap. Timing had to be perfect. The women and children had to exit the ravine, enter the valley, and make their way across it to the escape route on the opposite side. At the entrance, the last of the enemy braves must enter the ravine so they would all be contained within it. Once they enter the pass, a smoking arrow signal would be fired into the sky out of sight of their opponents below to notify those waiting at the other end.

As soon as the women and children ran out into the open in the valley, the waiting warriors on horseback galloped into the ravine, and the men above on the rim gave the signal. Suddenly, it was raining lethal arrows, and in the first wave, nearly half of the riders fell wounded or dead. The remainder raced forward to avoid being hit, but the arrows continued to rain down, finding more targets. Those in front, trying to escape, rode into a fusillade of arrows from the warriors positioned on the ground and those on horseback to prevent the enemy from exiting the ravine into the valley. The men above were desperate to decimate their enemy, and those below were frantic to survive the trap. Wild Mustang had placed himself close to the front but not as the procession's leader, always wary of being snared. Suddenly he disappeared. Condor's Eye was disappointed and concerned at how Wild Mustang had managed to conceal himself. He scoured the ravine for him unsuccessfully. Knowing that Wild Mustang's death would end the fight and save lives on both sides, Condor's Eye was anxious to find him. Eventually, he found a cleft and, squinting into its shadow, saw two men on horseback hiding there. It must be him. Condor's Eye looked down the sides of the cliff to find some vantage point where Wild Mustang would be more exposed, as he was concealed from people on the rim. Further down the ravine wall, there was an area that protruded, but to access it and shoot an arrow from that exposed position would be extremely dangerous, as the remaining invaders continued to fire arrows at the defending braves.

Condor's Eye slipped down the side, holding his breath, hoping he would not suddenly feel the pain of an arrow. Those braves close to him saw his descent and quickly set up a covering barrage, despite being unsure as to what he was doing. He reached the ledge and confirmed it was Wild Mustang below in the shadow with his trusted war chief. Condor's Eye fitted an arrow to his bow and tried to assess all the variables in setting a trajectory for the arrow. If the arrow missed its target, Wild Mustang would know he had been spotted and would probably move quickly. It would flush him into the open, but killing him now would be ideal. Condor's Eye adjusted his aim to compensate for the fall and distance. He imagined being one with the arrow and then let it fly. As it arched through the air, Condor's Eye saw it drift a bit to the one side. Wind! He had not compensated for the gust that was funneling down the gully.

ANOUAR

Key People

Anouar, pronounced Anwahr

Young Anouar's Family

Phaidra---Anouar's Greek mother

Nakhti---Anouar's Egyptian father

Ptah---Nakhti's administrator and manager

Hathor---retired priestess and teacher to Anouar

Amenken---Nakhti's farm foreman

Wahankh---the foreman's son

Mystical Temples

Sharifa, Baruti, Akhenaten, Eshe---lecturers

Akila, Taliba, Sadiki, Bastet, Osaze, and Min---fellow students

Romans

Marcus Antonius or Marc Antony---Roman politician and general

Octavius---founder of the Roman Empire and its first emperor

Fabricius---Antony's aide-de-camp

Manius Quintilius Trebius---guardian

Queen's Staff

Nebmakhet---Anouar's best friend, guardian, and harem eunuch

Salihah---fourth handmaiden to the queen

Jabari---navy captain

Oasis Bedouins

Adbeel ibn Ibrahim---tribe leader

Ruhak---dangerous drunk

Khalida---evil woman troublemaker

ANOUAR-Key%20People.jpg

43 BC

To face a real daemon, you must first look

inwards and conquer your own darkness.

---Luis Marques

It was the final day of the year's training in the Fifth Mystical Temple along the Nile where Anouar had been receiving her training as a priestess. The Temple of Fear trained its acolytes how to manage and, hopefully, overcome their fear. But what a fearsome final test! To swim through a pool of giant crocodiles, each ten to fifteen feet long. They had been regularly forced to witness live animals and birds being fed to the crocodiles during the year, as these reptiles did not eat carrion. This process was to terrify the students and test whether their fear management training would enable them to overcome the terror of confronting these monsters. Since the students were being called in alphabetic order, Anouar was third. The first was a young lady who simply refused, terrified at the prospect of being devoured underwater. The result was immediate dismissal from the program, which she knew and had to accept. The second student was a young man who stood trembling at the side of the pool. Finally, he pinched his nose and jumped into the shaft at the side of the pool that enabled one to swim shielded to the bottom of the pool before coming out into the open area. He surfaced moments later, complaining that it was too deep and his ears were hurting from the pressure. He climbed out, also acknowledging that this was the end of his training.

Now it was Anouar's turn. Watching the two before her eroded the confidence she had struggled to develop during the year. She started trembling but forced herself to regain her composure. Hyperventilating for her breath to last longer, she then dove into the shaft while pinching her nose. Descending as fast as she could with a thumping heart, she saw the hazy opening into the pool through blurry eyes. Hesitating, she wondered whether her kicking and sounds of swimming down had attracted any of the leviathans that may be waiting for her when she swam out the shaft. If there were a waiting crocodile, would it be a quick end? Anouar then kicked through the gap into the open pool to meet her fate, her kismet.

Three to Eight Summers Old

On a personal level, the question then becomes one of finding

the pattern of behavior that we see in others, within ourselves.

--- Daniel C. Price PhD, The Door to the Great Journey

His parents first named him Gentle Wind, but afterward it seemed somewhat effeminate to his father, Falling Water. He wanted his son to have a manlier name that would inspire him to be a brave brave. He, therefore, watched Gentle Wind for a sign that would help him rename the boy, but until he could walk, Falling Water would just have to be patient. He passed his markers normally or perhaps marginally earlier, but nothing significant indicated anything different or special. From the age of two, he was playing with the other children and playing the same games---pretending to stalk, hunt, wrestle, and swim. But his mother Rain Cloud started noticing that his interests started creeping beyond those of his peers. He had an insatiable curiosity when it came to nature. Anything from animals to birds, fish and rivers, weather and the elements, trees and flowers. Perhaps all the children were similarly interested, but when she discussed it with the other mothers, Rain Cloud did not get comparable descriptions regarding the extent of their children's inquisitiveness. When he turned three, Falling Water gave Gentle Wind a pair of red moccasins, and his excitement knew no bounds. Feeling the soft leather fitting like his skin but still protecting the soles of his feet, Gentle Wind started his serious stalking of rabbits and small deer. He would sit so still with an outstretched hand full of seeds that birds would alight to feed on them. He loved creeping around in the dark moonlit nights, surprising people by how close he could get to them before revealing himself. After a few years, Gentle Wind knew every bird's call and could mimic most. He was able to track any animal, identify it by its footprints, interpret whether it was walking or running, and distinguish its size by the weight of the imprint and other telltale signs.

Gentle Wind wanted to row a canoe by himself, but all the boats were too big for him. One day Falling Water said he would teach him how to make a small birch-bark canoe, explaining, Two slits are made in the bark along the trunk of the tree so a strip can be left for the tree to survive. Otherwise, it may die, and we have no need to wantonly kill the tree merely to take its bark. The new bark will then grow and the tree will remain healthy.

His father showed him how to run his sharp flint knife without cutting too deeply, and Gentle Wind diligently followed the instructions. They made a frame and then bent the bark around it. The ends were sewn closed with strips of hide and sealed with pine gum boiled with animal fat and charcoal. Once the canoe was complete, Falling Water showed him the hook stroke with an oar.

When you paddle by yourself on one side of the canoe, it turns the boat. Watch how I first pull the oar next to the boat then push the oar away from the side, before starting again with the oar following the shape of a hook while in the water. This movement pushes the prow back to a centerline, so it follows a zigzag course while remaining essentially in a straight line. Now you will sit in the stern with me in front as a passenger while you practice.

Gentle Wind was a natural and was soon rowing his canoe all around a wide, quiet area in the river. Limited only by his size, Gentle Wind was soon so proficient he was able to jump out of the canoe and climb back in midstream without capsizing it. He was allowed to row and fish by himself but was restricted to the safer parts of the river near the village. He could only take a friend if a parent were present and watched the young children. Falling Water and Rain Cloud did enjoy being supplied with plenty of fish as Gentle Wind became increasingly proficient, a skill he acquired with determination as he did with everything he wanted to master.

Gentle Wind also started to observe people and often asked his mother about the reasons for their behavior. He tried to understand what other people did by examining his thoughts and behavior. The more he understood his ideas or actions, the better he seemed to recognize how and why others conducted themselves in a similar manner. He could not absorb enough of life around him and sought to comprehend why life worked the way it did.

One day he told his father, "I have been wondering about where everything came from. The earth, rivers, plants, animals, clouds, mountains, trees. Where did it start? Something made everything. But where did that something first come from? Surely there was nothing. Where can anything come from out of nothing? But then there should not even be nothing. Father, I get stuck at this point and don't know how to think beyond that thought. So where did everything come from? And please don't say from Spirit because where did Spirit come from?"

Falling Water was no philosopher and told Gentle Wind to go and discuss it with the clan's medicine man, Rattling Snake. But Gentle Wind had no relationship with him, as he kept to himself unless he needed to heal someone, advise people with problems, or sit in on the counsel. However, one day Gentle Wind came across Rattling Snake walking near the river and greeted him out of respect.

I have seen you before, young man. What is your name and who are your parents?

My name is Gentle Wind, sir, and my parents are Falling Water and Rain Cloud.

I know your parents and am pleased you have learned manners. Why are you here? Here in this place.

There is a deer that lives around here ready to give birth, and I hope to see it drop its kid.

Really! Why? Why do you want to see it having a baby?

I find such things fascinating. See a new life being introduced into this world. The miracle of Spirit at work.

Interesting, Gentle Wind. And what else do you find interesting?

Everything.

That is a lot. Give me an example.

Well, my father gets frustrated with some of my questions and finally told me to ask you for the answers instead.

He did? For example?

Maybe they are silly, but I recently asked father about the origin of existence, and he referred me to you. I asked him why there wasn't even nothing. Where did anything come from? That there should not even be nothing, never mind anything. And I said to my father that I don't want an answer that it all comes from Spirit.

I am not surprised he could not answer that one. I cannot answer it either. There are many things about our universe that we are either not meant to understand or are not sufficiently intelligent to comprehend. Do you know the word 'comprehend'?

"Yes, it also means 'understand.' So I assume my perplexity about nothing has yielded nothing!"

Interesting. That such sentences just rolled off your tongue so easily. Do your parents speak to you like that? Like you are an adult?

Mainly mother. She says if we wish to be clear we need to speak well. She says language is almost all we have to communicate with others and stretches me constantly in the way she speaks.

"Interesting! She is obviously right. But you said almost. What other forms of communication do you think we have?"

I watch people's movements and have found patterns in many things we do, and we often do not realize it.

For example?

Hands behind the head means we are happy with something, especially if we think we are in a better position than the other person. Scratching the temple means we don't understand. Scratching the ear when we hear something we do not like. Rubbing our noses if we have said or are thinking about something that makes us uncomfortable.

Interesting! Anything else besides how the body has its own way of talking?

I have the ability to track when everyone else has lost the trail. Intuitively I know where to go and then pick up the trail again. I can never explain why I take any particular direction, but I am always right.

That would make you a phenomenal hunter.

I hate killing Spirit's creatures. Only for food, if everyone else has been unsuccessful or for some valid reason like a bird or animal being injured too badly to recover and I end its suffering.

Now smiling, Rattling Snake challenged Gentle Wind by saying, I would like to do an experiment. What if I hide in an impossible place and you must come to me to prove this unusual skill?

Sounds like you do not believe me, but I suppose it is difficult to accept. Let us do it now. I will remain here and search for you in a short while. I will give you enough time to hide.

With a wry smile, Rattling Snake said, How do I know that you will not sneak after me and only reveal yourself when the elapsed time seems reasonable to have proven your point?

Take a circuitous route. I will go from here directly to where you are hiding, and afterward you can look at my footprints to see whether I sneaked after you or came directly.

Good suggestion. But give me as long as it would take you to walk back to the village so I can double back a few times before finally hiding.

Rattling Snake strode off away from the river and then turned back to it once out of sight. He then waded into the river, as there would be no trail in the water, went upstream, exited on the opposite bank, walked in a circle, and entered the water at the same point. He then floated downstream and again climbed out on the opposite side and walked out of sight of the river until he was opposite an island thick with bushes. Rattling Snake swam across and climbed onto the island over rocks, again to leave no trail. He lay down, exhausted and wet, and a few minutes later Gentle Wind arrived smiling.

I felt you were going away from the river, returned then went upstream, climbed out and did a loop, floated downstream, walked parallel to the river on the opposite side, and finally swam across to this place. Let's go back to confirm I never followed you.

Gentle Wind was so confident that Rattling Snake knew it was true. Still he followed him, watching the youngster read the faintest of tracks he had made to ensure his route was virtually impossible to follow.

Why do I feel this has something to do with a condor? mumbled Rattling Snake. As though it is watching out for you and telling you where to go. Strange feeling.

When I need to track something, I first sit quietly with my eyes closed. Mother said it is a form of meditation, but I do not understand what that is. Next thing I seem to know exactly where to go. Do you know why I have these abilities? At first I thought everyone had them, but after asking a few questions I realized this ability is not exactly common amongst people in the village. More likely it is unique to me unless you also do it and some others who are keeping it a secret.

Interesting! No wonder your father referred some of your questions to me. No, no one else in the village or anywhere else I know of can do it. So yes, it is unique. You have asked me two important questions, and I am unable to answer either of them. Don't you have any simpler ones? he asked with another warm smile.

Gentle Wind smiled back and said, Of course. But the easier ones I either work out for myself or my parents can answer. The more difficult ones will be kept for you, such as, are we in time to witness the deer's birth, and where is she?

You tell me, but now I think I need to have a chat with your parents.

Oh dear. Now what have I said to upset you? I have tried to remain polite all the time. Have I been too direct?

No, you have retained impeccable manners, and you have not done anything wrong. Maybe I can enhance your formal teachings separate to the other children since you do seem to have interests outside of the mundane.

I would love extra teaching, but what does 'impeccable' mean?

It means here that you have had perfect manners. I will come to your wigwam at sunset. Please tell your parents to expect me.

I hope you will stay for supper afterward.

That is for your parents to decide, and thank you for offering.

No, they will be honored. You must stay.

We will see whether your parents will be comfortable in hosting the village medicine man for dinner. Many people are too nervous of me.

Then you must change that. Surely people should feel comfortable coming to visit you and not only when they have some crisis?

I never thought of it that way. It has been a custom for so long that I have not reviewed perhaps being too revered. But you are right. I must not be considered aloof. Thank you for that insight, Gentle Wind.

At sunset, Rattling Snake arrived to meet nervous Falling Water and excited Rain Cloud. After a few pleasantries, Rattling Snake asked the parents for a summary of their child and, in particular, whether they considered him different from his peers.

Falling Water, his father, responded first.

He is the same as his friends. Loves to play and do all the things one expects of a child his age. But then he comes to ask me strange questions, some of which I do not even understand.

Like the one about where did nothing come from, never mind where do 'things' come from?

Yes, that is a perfect example. Flippantly, I suggested he ask you for an answer, and it seems he took my suggestion seriously.

I am pleased he did ask, as it drew my attention to some of the gifts he may have. If the Spirit blesses him with any special abilities, we must develop and nurture them. Not merely for his benefit but for the tribe's as well.

Rain Cloud could not be quiet any longer.

"Falling Water always felt Gentle Wind was too gentle a name, as he has special abilities, and we have been looking for a sign or a totem that would indicate his energy and life path to give him his true name."

Condor's Eye, was the simple answer from Rattling Snake. From now on that is his name. I will tell the Chief Pale Moon to make it official. Do you like it, Falling Water?

Her eyes were beaming with pride and she said, Yes, and it is appropriate, as he has some connection with condors, which I do not understand, maybe because he is deliberately vague about it. Did he tell you?

"Yes, that is why I was able to discover his true name. But tell me other things about Condor's Eye." He mentioned the new name slowly and firmly to emphasize it.

Rain Cloud spoke with pride. My son has an inordinate love for nature. He already knows so much, and there is little any of the adults can teach him. He also is fascinated by human behavior and studies people. Gentle Wind---I mean Condor's Eye---has an understanding well beyond his years.

That is why I am here, replied Rattling Snake. I would like to teach him and observe his skills and abilities in more detail. One day someone must replace me, and perhaps he is the one to become my disciple. But until I make my decision, he will just be a child helping me with my chores, and in return, I will offer some free teaching. Am I clear on this point? You are not to say to anyone about anything special or different between Condor's Eye and me, other than that he assists with my routines and gets some teaching simply by being around me. People tend to be jealous and too often lack insight, which could cause unnecessary tensions in the tribe.

Yes, we understand, and thank you so much for considering our son. And now we will eat, announced his proud mother.

From 62 BC. Birth to Ten Years Old.

Egypt is ruled by Greek kings.

Alexander the Great has taken Egypt from the Persians

and made it a part of the Greek Empire.

The Ptolemaic dynasty of the Greeks would successfully rule Egypt

by mingling Hellenic traditions with the legacy of the Pharaohs.

The Greek kings also had themselves deified as gods, having

temples built, and having statues made in their honor.

---Real History World Wide website

At the age of eighteen, Phaidra considered herself too old to find a husband. In spite of her beauty and much prized athletic figure, men found her daunting and were too shy to approach her socially. Eventually, she decided to leave Athenai and cross the Mediterranean to Alexandria, which she heard was even more exciting than Rome. On the boat with many of the sailors speaking Egyptian Coptic, Phaidra panicked, realizing that only speaking Greek would be an enormous handicap. Having spent her meager savings on her passage, she did not have money for a return trip. On the wharf, she stood atop the gangplank, hesitating to descend. A young, handsome Egyptian, who walked up the gangway and saw Phaidra, asked her if she needed assistance. She shrugged her shoulders, responding in Greek. To her surprise, the man responded with a fair command of Greek.

Do you need some help?

Please was all she could muster with tears of relief welling up in her eyes.

The man shouted at someone below to come and collect her chest and escorted her down the gangway, saying, My name is Nakhti. What is yours and are you visiting someone? I do not see anyone below who may be here to meet you.

She struggled to speak and said, "Thank you, sir. My name is Phaidra, and I