Naked Crow 12 - Eagle And Owl: Naked Crow, #12

By P.Z. Walker

Sheila and Jeremy have no idea what's waiting for them when they get a call from their old friend Joe Nolka. He calls about a Chiricahua Apache couple. They claim being chased by a mythological creature, called the Owl Man. According to the couple, they can only be saved by equally mythological creatures, but so far those creatures haven't shown up.

 

At the Mighty Oaks resort, lots of things are happening too. Victor and Alice plan all kinds of tournaments, like miniature golf, and somehow also a 5K run appears on the menu. Sheila, not into running at all, will need some help with that.

And which weird person is kidnapping children all of a sudden? Is Sheila's assistance needed for that too, or will the police be able to handle this?

 

If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of mythological creatures, you know something about running, or you can point out a kidnapper, please get in touch with Sheila, the Naked Crow.

• Language: English
• Publisher: P.Z. Walker
• Release date: Jun 27, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223409687

P.Z. Walker

Naturist activist and author, luring people into naturism one story at a time, using many genres, from mystery through history to fantasy.

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Eagle And Owl

Naked Crow 12

Copyright © 2023 by P.Z. Walker

All rights reserved.

No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by international copyright law.

Book 12 in the Naked Crow series.

This is a work of fantasy fiction, and as a work of fiction, any resemblance to people, places or things is entirely accidental. The creation of certain buildings and locations is entirely the work of the author to avoid conflict and comparison with existing structures.

General notice.

This work of fiction deals with nudism and will mention nudity. It's sad that this has to be mentioned, as nudity should not be the shocking state that a person can be in that's it considered these days. Note that this means nudity, not sex.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to all nudists and naturists around the world.

I hope that more people will learn that nudity in itself is not something bad or even evil.

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 1

Sheila and Jeremy were spending one of their few evenings together, watching a movie. Sometimes they needed this kind of simple entertainment, just sitting on their couch, close together, feeling each other near.

Care for some more juice? Jeremy pointed at her empty glass.

Yes, please. Sheila reached for the remote. Want me to pause the movie?

Nah, we’ve seen it before. Jeremy got up, grabbed their glasses and headed for the kitchen. Sheila pressed pause anyway.

Shíile Isshiiá, someone tries to contact you. Acaraho’s announcement was the last thing she’d expected this evening.

What? Who? Sheila sat up, feeling confused. This was a first.

Inola Jones.

The Shaman froze for a second. Inola… She thought back to the weird way she’d gotten in touch with the spirit of the Paiute woman, through the mind of Sophia Willard who’d been held in a coma for so long. What does she want from me?

I don’t know. She just informed me that she tries to contact you.

Jeremy returned with their fruit juice. Something’s wrong, he said. I can see it in your face. What is it? Sheila told him and his reaction was the same as hers. Jeremy sat down. What does that spirit want from you?

Beats me, Sheila replied, and thank you. She needed a sip of her juice before giving all this some more thought. And I don’t even know how to get in touch with her. Unless I call Sophia Willard. I have her number. Somewhere.

That somewhere proved to be the contact list in her phone, of course, and as it wasn’t very late yet, Sheila decided to call the woman.

Hello? the voice on the other end said.

Hello. Am I talking to Sophia Willard? Sheila asked, to be certain. It had been quite a while since she’d spoken to this person.

In person. Is that you, Sheila? Sophia’s voice sounded surprisingly happy all of a sudden.

Indeed. I hope I’m not intruding…

No, not at all. I was actually hoping you would call me, because I have some intriguing news and I need to share that with someone.

Sheila was puzzled. Sophia sounded as if she was talking to her best friend. Okay, share away, she said.

Maybe you’ve heard about the new animal park that’s being built, just south of town? I am one of the main investors in that park, and Lysander was kind enough to add some funds too. It’s a place where endangered animals will find a safe place to live, and we’re also setting up an animal hospital. Isn’t that wonderful?

The Shaman was confused by all that. You and an animal park? The Willards were among the richest people around and they usually tended to do nothing except watch their fortune grow.

Yes, me and an animal park. I think that you are one of the few people who understand what it’s like to have a Native Spirit in your head. The only person who could, actually.

Wait… Am I missing something? What does that have to do with it? And speaking of that, how are you and Inola getting along these days?

Sophia laughed, and it sounded genuine. We’ve become good friends. At first it was very strange, having someone around all the time, but we’ve reached an understanding. You know… Life has been so busy lately that getting in touch with you somehow never happened. But now it can happen. Maybe we can get together someday soon and… exchange experiences?

That would be nice, yes, Sheila said. She felt a bit guilty about that, because she’d never taken that first step. She knew that it was because of the difference in ‘class’ between the Willards and herself. That was stupid and wrong, but it existed, like the famous glass ceiling. Would you have a suggestion when and where?

Sophia said she’d be at the animal park the next couple of days. That would be a great place. You’re welcome to visit if you have time.

There was the ‘problem’ of Sheila’s job, of course. The Mighty Oaks resort was quite full. There wouldn’t be any new people coming in the next day, as far as she knew, but there usually was something to do at any moment. Sheila promised she’d try to get a few hours off, and wrote down the address of the animal park. I’ll see what I can do, Sophia, but it might take a few days. It’s high season at work, so I can’t just run off whenever I want.

Of course, we understand, Sophia said.

Sheila caught the we. The woman was talking about herself and Inola Jones. That was amazing to notice, because she used to talk about Acaraho, Coahoma and herself as we also. It made her smile. I have your number, Sophia, so I’ll let you know ahead of time when I come over. Just in case.

That’s wonderful. Thank you for calling, Sheila. It is so nice hearing from you again. We should connect more often. Sophia sounded honest, and that was also the vibe Sheila got from her.

My pleasure, and I agree. I look forward to the visit. Have a nice evening, Sophia.

Sheila looked at her husband and gave him the shorthand version of the conversation. That’s weird, isn’t it? Someone from the Willards who gets into something like that.

If I hadn’t known she has that Native spirit with her, I’d have her committed, Jeremy said. But Inola makes all the difference.

Sheila smiled. You’re amazing, do you know that? I can talk about all this with you and you don’t even blink.

We’ve been through a lot already, Sheila. What difference can someone with a Native in her head make? He winked and pointed at her fruit juice. Now drink up before it gets warm.

* * *

The next morning, Sheila got up with Jeremy. Spending the morning together, before he had to leave, had become one of her favorite parts of the day. Their evenings were usually very short because of her work hours.

Anything special going on today? she asked.

Not really. I’m going to SplendArt first, to go over some ideas that Charlie and Rodney came up with, and later I’m heading over to Bailey’s. They want me to check their security setup because they got some weird recordings from a few nights. Blackouts, glitches. Jeremy frowned at that.

Sheila understood why. It was a new shop in town, he’d only recently installed the security equipment there. Problems could always happen, though. She recalled how she’d gotten in touch with the odd couple that ran the local art store, and how their security branch for stores had come to life and expanded once they had hired Jeremy for that. She wondered how he still managed to do all that work on his own.

And did Victor and Alice already lift the veil on ‘the plan’? Jeremy made air quotes. Sheila’s bosses had dropped hints of ‘something’ they wanted to get going, but so far no one knew what that was.

Not yet. We all hope for the big reveal today, but no one knows, with those two.

Jeremy asked if she could let him know, as soon as she’d heard anything. He was quite curious because he loved the Mighty Oaks resort and everything about it. Then it was time for him to get dressed and leave for work.

After he’d left, Sheila thought back to the strange talk with Sophia Willard. A Willard doing real work. Incredible. She grabbed her tablet and looked up some information about the animal park. Their website was still under construction, but it had some nice pictures already, and a few articles on why the park was erected. The name under the first article made Sheila stop breathing for a moment. Inola Jones. Now that is… unexpected… She frowned. Would Sophia have done this on purpose? Or was her spirit guide taking over? The latter would be bad. She’d have to talk to Sophia about that.

Sheila read a few more short articles on the blog-part of the website, until it was time to get up, put on some clothes and head for work. As she pulled a shirt over her head, she grinned. Work. Most of the time it didn’t feel like that, at the resort.

Once she went down the stairs, she heard Winnie Schneider already rummaging in the Native American Center, the woman who had switched jobs with Mandy. You’re already here? Isn’t that a bit early? Sheila was surprised, because usually the Center opened much later.

Winnie looked up. It is. A big bit early, but I had to tell you something. About a dream I had.

Sheila pushed away a silly Martin Luther King reference. Winnie looked too serious for that. What dream?

Winnie sat down and sighed. I feel weird now, but… I dreamed that an Apache man came to me. He was looking for a bird. A strange bird, too.

A strange bird? Sheila tried to think of what might represent a strange bird.

Yes. A crow, specifically. A naked crow. Winnie studied Sheila’s face, as if she expected her to laugh.

Sheila shivered for a moment. That was her; she knew that beyond a doubt. She was part Crow and she was usually naked. Apache? She had no recollection of ever engaging with a member of the Apache tribe.

Indeed. He also mentioned an owl.

An… owl… That did not ring a bell with the Shaman. Do you know if that Apache secretly sipped some native cactus booze? Her comment made Winnie laugh and relax.

"I have no idea if that exists, but I’m glad you ask if he did and not if I did!" Winnie smiled.

You’d never sip cactus booze, Winnie, I know you. Sheila winked.

Oh no, you don’t, Winnie said and winked back. Now go to that park and enjoy your day, girl.

Will do, receiver of dreams, Sheila said and walked to the door. There she turned. Winnie… next time you get such a dream, please tell me?

The older woman seemed to mull over that request, then assured Sheila she would. And if you find out more about a naked crow, I’d love to hear that.

Sure, Winnie! Sheila wasn’t ready yet to tell her. That dream about an Apache who might be looking for her was too close to home for now. Have a great day!

* * *

All the way to work, Sheila’s mind was on Winnie’s dream. How weird. And why through Winnie? Winnie was as down to Earth as they came. She asked her spirit guides, but they had no idea what that dream might mean either.

She reached the resort and parked her car. Walking off, free and still not one step closer to whatever Winnie’s dream might mean, she wondered what the day would bring. As she got her morning coffee, she was surprised to find Victor, one of the resort managers, there already.

Hey, special one. We need to talk.

Sheila’s heart jumped. From the sound of his voice, she could tell there was nothing bad going on, but there was something out of the ordinary. Sure. Lead the way. Sheila half expected him to go to his office, but they ended up outside, on the bench near the entrance to the reception.

What do you know about golf? he asked.

Golf? Sheila knew she was staring at him as if he was on fire. Golf? she repeated. Not much. You use a stick and tiny balls. And baggy pants. Oh, and there’s something with a handicap, but go on the internet to figure that one out.

Victor nodded. I can tell you’re the local expert, but not on golf. He winked. Alice and I came up with a kind of sports tournament. Volleyball, golf and running. Actually it’s miniature golf.

Miniature golf… Sheila had never heard of tournaments for that, but Victor assured her there were. And what about archery? I know archery, Sheila said.

"No archery. That’s not special for the Mighty Oaks."

Neither is volleyball, boss.

It is when teams from other states come to play, Sheila. We’re already making arrangements.

Sheila hadn’t expected that. She asked when all that had happened.

Over the last weeks. We weren’t sure if we could pull it off, but the ball started rolling and now it’s going fast. Not everyone is into volleyball, so we came up with mini-golf and a 5K run. We already have volleyball covered, you know nothing about golf…

Hey, I know about the sticks and the baggy pants, Sheila objected, making Victor laugh for a moment. She wondered how there could be a tournament for miniature golf on the one small spot that was available at the resort, but that would be Victor’s and Alice’s problem.

And so you’ll be in charge of the 5K run, he finished as if she hadn’t interrupted. Miniature golf-players don’t require baggy pants. And they’re against the local dress code anyway.

Ehm. Sheila waited but he didn’t laugh. He just looked at her. You’re serious, aren’t you?

I am. You can run. I’ve seen it. You’re the perfect choice.

I’m the first victim you spotted for that, you mean. She slurped loudly from her mug. Can’t you come up with a coffee drinking event? I’d nail that. I can run, but only short stretches.

Victor grinned and got up. He told her he knew that he could count on her. 5K run, and perhaps a 3K walk for the ones who don’t run. Give it your best, special person. With that, he walked off.

Hey, Victor!

What? He stopped and turned.

How about some tables outside, so John and Mandy get a bit of sunshine? They have laptops and cellphones, and there’s Wi-Fi.

He promised he’d mention it to them. Oh, just so you know, Ralph and Tessa will show up again. Tomorrow, or the day after. They’re looking forward to being here again.

Chapter 2

During a break Sheila located Mike, her hippie co-worker. He and his wife Wendy, and their son lived on the resort, in their own cabin. She had explained to Mike what she was facing.

Running. Uh-huh. He nodded slowly. You can run. You look like a gazelle. I think.

"What do you mean, you think?"

Mike grinned. That’s the name of those animals with a big trunk, right? Ouch, ouch, stop hitting me! He laughed as Sheila slapped him on the shoulder. I’m joking, little sister, I’m sure you can really run well. Anything I can do to help?

I had hoped you would say that. Where can people run here? Across the park would get boring, they’d run the same route a hundred times. That wasn’t exactly true, but they’d see the same round many times. Most paths here weren’t designed for a horde of people running.

Mike nodded. I hear you. The park is not the place, and we know it. Too many people would make a mess of it. And we both know that even a hundred people would be too many.

Sheila nodded. I was thinking about something outside the park, but we’d never get a permit for that. Right?

Mike shrugged. Did you try getting one? He watched her face. No, you didn’t. So you’re right. You’ll never get one.

For a moment Sheila was going to laugh at him, but he didn’t grin beneath his beard. You’re serious, aren’t you?

Me? Mike faked surprise. What makes you think that?

Come on, Mike. Be real. What would the city council say if I were to walk up there and ask if I could get a permit for naked people to run along the road near the park?

There is a way to find out, little sister. And if you’re scared, I’ll sacrifice myself, put on clothes and go with you.

Sheila understood the significance of those words. Mike never put on clothes unless it was absolutely necessary. For instance when Wendy had convinced him again that it was time to visit their parents, which hardly ever happened. I’ll definitely think about that, Mike. Thank you.

Now Mike smiled. His beard always twisted in an odd way when he smiled. He told her there was a relatively small ‘back door opening’ down the road, that led to the resort as well. "Not many people know about it. It’s a gate, locked, and hidden behind the plant life. If we get that permit, we could have people run out the main gate, go along the road for half a mile, and come back onto the resort grounds there. It’s not a big thing to open that gate for the day, and we can move the plant life aside. It’s just what hangs