The Boy and the Bow

By Bryan Koyona

This story takes place in the time of the Anasazi, when a young boy eagerly wants to grow up. He waits for his father to make him his first bow. All the other boys have one. But his father is away on a hunting trip. So his mother sends him to visit his grandmother, not knowing he is about to set on an adventure of a lifetime involving an old man and a giant bird!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 17, 2015
• ISBN: 9781514408056

Bryan Koyona

My name is Bryan. I come from little pueblo village in New Mexico, USA. I grew up writing short stories for my high school paper. I attended and graduated from Laguna-Acoma High School. I have always been into telling stories, like my grandfather; he lived to the age 116. He would tell us stories about the ancient ones, the Anasazis; he let our imaginations draw the pictures in our minds. Out of this grew my own stories. I pictured myself growing up in this time period. I have always been rich in my culture, and these stories helped a lot so you use your imagination.

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Copyright © 2015 by Bryan Koyona.

ISBN:      Softcover      978-1-5144-0804-9

                eBook          978-1-5144-0805-6

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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.

Rev. date: 09/15/2015

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Acknowledgments

To my son Mark whose growing up was an inspiration for this story. To Linda Villapando who was able to decipher my hand scribble and make it legible. To Cari Lemme my good friend and English teacher who edited my story.

To my friends and family whom I think of fondly.

T he sun rose over Sunpoint Ridge as its soft rays of light beamed through the small hole in the east wall of Choyo’s room as he threw back his rabbit skin blanket and wiped the sleepiness from his eyes. He quickly rolled up his blanket and went into the next room. His mother, Chinya, was already making the corn mush cakes for breakfast. So Choyo grabbed a handful of corn meal and went out on the ledge to greet the morning sun. A soft prayer came from his lips as he sprinkled the meal to the East.

As he returned to the house, he grabbed an armful of wool for his mother. Chinya thanked him as she served him breakfast. Choyo began to eat as he asked his mother when his father would be returning.

So Chinya spoke Your father has been away for four risings of the sun and has killed enough meat to return soon. What is so important about his returning, my son? asked his mother.

Choyo didn’t say anything as his mother began to find corn for the evening meal. So he finished his meal and went out to find the other boys. He walked down to the arroyo where the sound of laughing boys was coming from. He peeked over the edge and saw the boys shooting arrows at the rattle gourd, which was suspended from a string on a branch of a cedar tree.

They took turns, even though the arrows would not pierce the thick skin of the gourd. SO he climbed down to where they were, and it seemed as if the boys didn’t notice that he was there. So he called out to them.

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The oldest boy said to him Go home baby, before you get hurt.

Another boy said Yeah, you got no bow, so why don’t you go play with the girls? They might have another doll for you. They all laughed as tears came to his eyes and he ran away.

He wiped his eyes as he climbed the ladder to his house. But when he arrived, he didn’t want to go in because his mother would know what happened and ask him who had done this to him.

But his mom had already seen and told