Hiding Places
Short Fiction
A place deep in the woods were people seldom go,
A place that’s cool and quiet, a place to rest the soul,
A place to collect thoughts, making plans for the day,
A place to allow God’s Spirit to move in a special way.
Billie loved to play in the woods, exploring the bluffs and rock shelters, filled with mysteries and paths worn smooth. He found a perfect hiding place, under a large rock overhang, with a big exposed root for a seat. There was something special about this private place, a secret spot, away from the world where he could be alone.
As he approached the hiding place, something was different; something had changed, feeling it even before he arrived. It had been a week since he had been there, now eager to return, but something was not the same. Smelling smoke he slowed down, finding a camp fire almost out, looking for anyone that might be hiding there. Slowly backing away, a little frighten, he turned and ran all the way home.
Early the next day, making a big loop, coming in on top of the bluff, he no longer smelled the smoke. Quietly and slowly he approached the top of the rock. Laying down, inching forward as far as possible without falling, he made out two feet stretched out toward the fire pit. Someone was sleeping under the rock shelter.
As he approached the hiding place, something was different; something had changed, feeling it even before he arrived. It had been a week since he had been there, now eager to return, but something was not the same. Smelling smoke he slowed down, finding a camp fire almost out, looking for anyone that might be hiding there. Slowly backing away, a little frighten, he turned and ran all the way home.
Early the next day, making a big loop, coming in on top of the bluff, he no longer smelled the smoke. Quietly and slowly he approached the top of the rock. Laying down, inching forward as far as possible without falling, he made out two feet stretched out toward the fire pit. Someone was sleeping under the rock shelter.
The stranger awoke when something touched his leg, “A little dirt falling off the ledge above,” he thought. Slowly he arose from his bed of leaves, feeling guilty about having slept the best part of the morning away. Hungry, he headed down the hill toward the river, which ran around the base of the bluff, to check out the lines he had set the night before. Checking the second of four lines, he pulled in a fair size fish, which he cleaned on the bank, cut a stick and headed back to camp to build a fire.
Billie watched quietly as the young man built the fire, and then placed the fish on the stick to cook. When the fish was good and brown on both sides, he pulled the meat off with his fingers and ate all of it leaving a clean set of fish bones. When he left again, Billie slowly got up, stiff from lying still in the same position for so long, and headed home. He filled a small paper bag with fruit from the orchard, a couple of hard boiled eggs and a roll, carried it back to the hiding place and left it by the fire pit. The next day he hiked boldly to the bluff, walking straight up to the young man. “My name is Billie, what is yours?”
“Freddy.”
“Enjoy your dinner last night?”
“How did you know?”
“This has been my special place, until you showed up. I guess I will just have to share it now.”
“Thank you, I came across it last week. It was perfect to get out of the bad weather.”
“Where are you from? Do you live near here?”
“This is my home, the forest, I have all my wild friends, and the Buffalo comes at night to protect me.”
“You have a buffalo?”
“Well, not a real one, it’s a Spirit with power to protect me. Don’t you have a Spirit to protect you?”
“I have not thought about it much, but I suppose I do, our Sunday school teacher told us about the Holy Spirit, living in us, protecting and teaching us.”
“How does your Spirit teach you? Can you talk to it?”
“No, He lets me know when I do something wrong, by letting me feel bad, and when I do something good, He lets me feel good.”
“It’s the same with me; maybe it’s the same Spirit.” Freddy, only thirteen began to share with Billie. “The Nuns were always correcting me when I would bring up the stories my mother told me about the White Buffalo Calf Woman, a legend from long ago. When my mother died, I had no one, and was sent to the orphanage. I ran away and found this great hiding place to camp. The hunting is good and there are plenty of berries.”
“Freddy.”
“Enjoy your dinner last night?”
“How did you know?”
“This has been my special place, until you showed up. I guess I will just have to share it now.”
“Thank you, I came across it last week. It was perfect to get out of the bad weather.”
“Where are you from? Do you live near here?”
“This is my home, the forest, I have all my wild friends, and the Buffalo comes at night to protect me.”
“You have a buffalo?”
“Well, not a real one, it’s a Spirit with power to protect me. Don’t you have a Spirit to protect you?”
“I have not thought about it much, but I suppose I do, our Sunday school teacher told us about the Holy Spirit, living in us, protecting and teaching us.”
“How does your Spirit teach you? Can you talk to it?”
“No, He lets me know when I do something wrong, by letting me feel bad, and when I do something good, He lets me feel good.”
“It’s the same with me; maybe it’s the same Spirit.” Freddy, only thirteen began to share with Billie. “The Nuns were always correcting me when I would bring up the stories my mother told me about the White Buffalo Calf Woman, a legend from long ago. When my mother died, I had no one, and was sent to the orphanage. I ran away and found this great hiding place to camp. The hunting is good and there are plenty of berries.”
Billie walked home that evening with a lot to think about. “Mom, where did the Holy Spirit come from?”
“Billie, do you remember the time you went to the front of the church and accepted Jesus into your life?”
“Yes.”
“Well, at that moment the Holy Spirit entered you, Jesus told us that He would leave us for a time, and would send us the Holy Spirit to comfort us until His return.”
Billie went to sleep, thinking about what his mother told him, thinking about Freddy, and wondering about the Holy Spirit.
Freddy settled into his bed of leaves, glowing embers warming his feet, moon and stars shining through the trees, an owl hooting off in the distance, thinking about Billie and wondering about the Buffalo Spirit.
“Billie, do you remember the time you went to the front of the church and accepted Jesus into your life?”
“Yes.”
“Well, at that moment the Holy Spirit entered you, Jesus told us that He would leave us for a time, and would send us the Holy Spirit to comfort us until His return.”
Billie went to sleep, thinking about what his mother told him, thinking about Freddy, and wondering about the Holy Spirit.
Freddy settled into his bed of leaves, glowing embers warming his feet, moon and stars shining through the trees, an owl hooting off in the distance, thinking about Billie and wondering about the Buffalo Spirit.
The next morning before breakfast, Billie made toast and jelly sandwiches and heading for the hiding place. As he got close, he saw a lovely woman standing over Freddy while he slept. Billie froze and watched as the woman slowly changed into a young white Buffalo, before vanishing. Billie kept what he saw to himself as they ate the sandwiches and played around the hiding place.
Later, back at the hiding place, Billie asked about the Buffalo. “Tell me more about the Buffalo.”
“A long, long time ago, maybe two thousand years, a young woman came to our village and taught us how to live at peace with each other and nature. She said that she would soon have to leave, but would return one day. A young group of braves were listening to her teach, when she told them that she have to leave, transforming into a young white Buffalo calf, she then disappeared. From then on, when we needed help the White Buffalo Calf Woman would appear in Spirit form. Some day she will return to stay. We’re always searching for a female white buffalo to be born.”
“Wow, that’s a great story. Would you like to see where I live?”
Later, back at the hiding place, Billie asked about the Buffalo. “Tell me more about the Buffalo.”
“A long, long time ago, maybe two thousand years, a young woman came to our village and taught us how to live at peace with each other and nature. She said that she would soon have to leave, but would return one day. A young group of braves were listening to her teach, when she told them that she have to leave, transforming into a young white Buffalo calf, she then disappeared. From then on, when we needed help the White Buffalo Calf Woman would appear in Spirit form. Some day she will return to stay. We’re always searching for a female white buffalo to be born.”
“Wow, that’s a great story. Would you like to see where I live?”
In time Freddy came to live with Billie and his family, they attended Church together, where Freddy accepted Jesus, understanding that the Holy Spirit that now lived within him was the same Spirit that visited him as a White Buffalo! When they played around the hiding place, Billie would, on occasion catch a glimpse of what he thought might be the Buffalo, watching them play.
Copyright © 2015 Hubert Clark Crowell
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