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Back The Trickster Save as PDF
Chapters (74)
  1. The Trickster
  2. Copyright
  3. Dedication
  4. Contents
  5. Preface to the 20th anniversary edition
  6. Introduction
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. 60
  67. 61
  68. 62
  69. Keep Reading
  70. FURNACE
  71. Acknowledgements
  72. About the Author
  73. ALSO BY THE AUTHOR
  74. About the Publisher

An animal ran from the trees ahead. A coyote. Its eyes flashed in his headlights as it stood still, side on to the oncoming vehicle, before it bounded into the cover on the other side of the track.

Daniel loved that too. Being up here with all the animals and birds. He’d worried about Larry growing up off-reserve. For all the bad things about it, the space and the freedom was wonderful, and he would have grieved if his son couldn’t have grown up with the same love of nature that he’d oafishly taken for granted. This was the compromise. White life in town. Kinchuinick life in the hills. Pretty damn good.

He was nearing the turn-off and the snow was drifting badly. If needs be he could leave the truck and walk the rest of the trail way to the house. He’d done it often enough.

But it was worth having a go. He could always dig himself free in the morning. He checked he was in four-wheel drive and gave it a bit more gas. He wanted to get home.

25

It was taking longer than Billy had expected. Maybe it was because he’d had a regular dream first. He’d dreamed that he was the little freckled kid in that old sci-fi TV series Lost In Space they were always re-running, and the big robot was waving his arms about shouting Warning! Warning! Dumb really. But he’d woken for a few minutes, just long enough to reprimand himself for not concentrating properly to bring the wolf. He closed his eyes and let his eyeballs roll backwards under the lids, like he’d taught himself to do, and tried to find it. He never used to be able to do it like this, but then he hadn’t known that the wolf was his spirit guide. He knew that now. His teacher had taught them all about Indian stuff one afternoon during cultural studies and Billy was proud that he and Cindy LaBelle were the only Indians in class. He could tell the other kids were envious. She’d said they used to have a really different religion and that although they no longer believed these things, what they used to think was pretty interesting. He’d gotten kind of bored with the part about treaties and reserves but he was so excited about the spirit stories that he’d asked Uncle Gerry about it when he saw him in the corridor at lunch-break.

He’d looked at Billy with a raised eyebrow and then sat with him on the big steps in the atrium, watching Billy eat his sandwiches and telling him about animal spirit guides and the Indians’ love of nature and all kinds of stuff.

Then he’d looked at him and said, ‘It’s some heritage, Billy. No matter what your Dad thinks, and I’m sure he has his reasons, you be proud of who you are, son.’