"Do you need any help with positioning your seat?" Liz offered.

"Yes, please. I've hardly ever sat here on this side," reminded Linda.

"Oh, that's true, you usually drive, since you love my car so much. I'll be right over there."

Liz helped herself out of her door and walked around the car. Don't forget to notice, she reminded herself as she walked toward Linda's side.It's still so eerily foggy and silent out here. She checked one more time to see if the coyote was still visible.Nope. 

Let me remember, to see a coyote, the Native American meaning is spiritual. In addition to being the Trickster, it warns about the dark side of things. That makes me nervous. Don't tell me we're gonna meet up with some dark situation on this journey?

Linda opened the door so Liz could flip the lever to get her seat to go back. "Thanks, I was not going to be in very good shape for tomorrow. I'd be very achy breaky, I'll tell ya."

"Okay, good." Liz returned to her seat behind the steering wheel.      

The temperature was comfortable, cooperating with them. They both tended to get chilly any time of the day more than most do. 

"Bottoms up," Linda opened the mysterious tiny pouch and began to sip the liquid. "It doesn't taste that bad."    

When Liz stuck her investigative finger into the pouch she noted, it's cool and of the usual liquid consistency. When she removed her finger, it's black! We've been given the black drink!

A lump formed in her throat and there was a serious sinking feeling in her swirling stomach. Black drink is a Native American hallucinogen! 

From what she'd read about it in her Native American historical fiction series it never ended well for those who drank it.

Oh, great, so Linda and I will either hallucinate, go to the underworld and be consumed by some creature or creatures, or die.  

But Kai Zita gave it to us for some reason. I don't know why, but I'm feeling compelled to drink it. 

When she realized that Linda was in a deep sleep as if in a trance, she caved and took a slow slight swig, paused, shrugged, then tipped it up and emptied the remaining liquid from the pouch into her wide open mouth.

Liz woke without incident noticing that Linda was sound asleep with a sweet smile on her face. She was a little frustrated when she observed, Ugh, it's still light out and I haven't gotten any sleep. Well, I guess the prescribed magic drink didn't work for me. 

I might as well get out and get some fresh air. Maybe a little stroll will relax me enough to be able to get back in, to fall fast asleep. 

She ever so quietly, slid her legs out from under the steering wheel, making sure not to hit the horn and startle Linda awake. 

**************

Opening the door, she noticed a murder of crows beginning to gather around the car, covering the hood. As she stepped further out, they're even on the roof. 

By the time she got all the way out of the car, her focus changed; when a snap on the windshield wiper drew her attention to the fact that the windshield also, was blackened with crows.

One crow, perched proudly and properly on the side view mirror, began speaking. Liz thought she must be hallucinating, but she was standing there seeing and hearing a black crow cawing in a language she could amazingly comprehend. 

"I am Aandeg, the name for the Crow Clan's totem." 

Liz became a little uncomfortable as she heard recounted, some superficial information about her own life. She figured Aandeg had looked it up somewhere, or overheard someone talking. 

Crows could be anywhere undetected in bushes, trees, peeking into windows. Aandeg even knew where Liz had worked and what kind of jobs she'd had over her lifetime.

But the mysterious crow moved into deeper subjects. "You have had what some call codependency issues and worked very hard to learn where those patterns have come from. You have struggled with being bullied at work."

Now this, is beyond eavesdropping. I'm beginning to feel encroached upon. I fear the worst is yet to come.  

"You had been consumed with these issues for the majority of your life." 

Liz nodded her foggy head in resigned agreement so slightly it was practically imperceptible. 

Aandeg continued, "Envision how your life and dreams would soar if you could believe in yourself." The persuasive crow got Liz to believe that she could publish a book she'd written. 

Maybe I can even write another book about this shadowy situation. All the nice talk ended.

***********

Aandeg sunk deep, her claws, thrusting the sharp excruciating hooks in, with what she said next. "Since you've been consumed by those debilitating matters throughout your lifetime, the only way, you can continue on your quest of self-wisdom, is to be consumed anew." 

I have no idea what that could possibly mean, but my dowsing sense tells me that it is not going to be pretty and is going to hurt. A lot.

Feeling woozy, Liz eased herself to the dry grass-covered ground. She braced herself against the hubcap, the only solid thing in this scenario.

Through her blurred vision, she could see the crows descending one after another, two at a time; too many to count. Fuzzy-headed, she probably couldn't anyway.

Soon, her body was entirely covered with black shimmering, shivering crow feathers. She watched and screamed in horror as they began tearing flesh from her ankles, moving to her upper legs, muscles, and skin to the bone. 

I hope Linda can't hear me. I certainly won't be writing a story about this nightmarish dead battery mishap.

She pleaded with fate, Please, take my brain, so I won't have to listen to the crunching of my bones in their powerful beaks. 

There was thankfully, no pain as the nerves had all been consumed and any wires of communication from the crushing, to the pain center, now were either on the ground in front of her or in the gullet of the crows. 

Nope, I will not be writing... any...stor…... 

On the ground, the roof, and the hood, nothing remained.

**************

Liz woke up reclined behind the steering wheel. The windshield was fogged over, inside and out.I do not want to know what dreadful darkness is on the other side of that thick opaque film. 

Everything seems to be intact, she thought as she felt around parts of her body: bones...check, stretching the skin on her hand,  skin...check, flexing her muscles, muscles...check and tendons...check. 

I know my nerves are connected to my brain because I can feel pain. I would grade it as a 10 on the numeric pain scale, 10 being the highest.  And the face pain-chart should have a grimace because that was what I am doing. She stretched her arms, legs, and torso to get some blood flowing back into her lifeless limbs, ribs, and spine.  

Linda also began moving around and in a half-yawn, "I had the most beautiful dream."

I will never tell Linda about any of my tormented ordeal. 

"I woke up to find my entire body covered with feathers."

When Liz heard that, she feared the worst. She swallowed hard. Please, no, tell me they weren't black. 

She decided she'd wait until the dream weaver continued. "They were beautiful white fluffy feathers." 

A low puff of relief could be heard coming from Liz's lungs. Phew, that was close. 

"They were feathers from Angels' wings.

Liz couldn't help react, What? Where were the angels when I was being disappeared? 

One of the Angels spoke to me and said, "Linda, you have been wearing yourself out worrying about your children, siblings and kinfolk. I know you believe in prayer. May I pray with you?" 

"She prayed over me and reassured me that my loved ones were being watched over and guarded against harm." 

"The Angel also said, 'God has commissioned us to take special care of you too'." 

"I tell you Liz, I feel like a great weight's been removed from my shoulders and from my heart."

"I'm feeling quite achy-breaky too," Linda agreed, "Sleeping on those seats for the whole time without getting out for air or to move around did not help."

Liz wondered, Did I really go outside or not?

Each felt around for the proper lever, brought their seat forward, and made preparations to begin their journey into the unknown.