Sequoyah slaps his hands together as if wiping dust from them and then holds out both palms. “Uh-huh! That is where I was before my cabin was burned. All the work I had done, trying to make a new shape for every word in our language, had brought me to a place where I could go no further. But when it was all burned, it was as if it showed me a new path, a way that was no longer blocked. It was not all of our words that I had to make symbols for! It was our sounds!”

Now I am a little lost. And though as my father said, I am good at not showing my emotions, I do not try to hide my confusion from him.

My father sees that and nods. “I am going too fast now. Forgive me, my son.” He strokes his chin with two fingers. “I need to go back in my story. Then you may understand it better. There is much to tell.”

A small sound comes from the forest behind us, the snapping of a twig. It might be a deer. Then again, it might not. It might be someone following us and listening, someone looking for proof that my father truly is doing black magic. I am glad we wiped those marks from the clay before we left the river.

My father looks in the direction of that sound and shakes his head.

“But I will not tell it here. One never knows when someone may be listening.” He smiles and there is certainly sadness in his smile this time. “Even though everything I have done has been meant to help our people, there are very few here who understand that. They are so lost in their fear of bad medicine and witchcraft, that they think what I am doing has hurt them.”

He rolls his shoulders as if to loosen them after carrying too heavy a load and then sighs. “So let us walk on, my son, back to my wife’s cabin. Are you hungry?” He pats his stomach. “I know that I am. There was a pot of squirrel stew cooking when I left home and Ahyokah was going out to gather ramps. So a fine meal should be ready by the time we get there. Eat first and then talk. Would you like that?”

I’ve already tasted Sally Guess’s cooking, which is almost as good as my mother’s. So I have no doubt that the stew will be delicious. And ramps are my favorite spring green.

I start to say yes, but my stomach growls before I can do so.