Flexing Our Emotional Intelligence Muscles

“You cannot do a kindness too soon,

for you never know how soon it

will be too late.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Emotional Intelligence is one of the most important forms of intelligence we can possess which is represented by our ability to assess, monitor, and manage our own personal emotions and the emotions of others. It is the ability to gain an understanding of our and others’ emotions, and to draw upon that knowledge to manage situations before they become overwhelming for everyone involved. Making a commitment to our emotional well-being can be an uphill struggle.

Emotional intelligence involves the following:

·         Self-Awareness: Being aware of our inner signals, recognizing how our feelings affect us, and how we are attuned to guiding values for determining the best course of action in various situations.

·         Self-assessment: Knowing our limitations and strengths and exhibiting a meaningful sense about ourselves.

·         Self-confidence: Being able to use our strengths to assist us with handling any given situation.

·         Self-control: Finding ways of managing our dis-turbing emotions and impulses and the ability to channel these emotions and impulses in useful ways. 

·         Transparency: Establishing an authentic openness to others about our feelings, beliefs, and actions.

·         Adaptability: Being flexible in adapting to new challenges. There is no such thing as a problem free life, so accepting that there are going to be problems in our lives is important.

·         Optimism: Finding ways in which we can roll with the punches, and seeing challenges as opportunities for growth and learning rather than as setbacks.

·         Empathy: Being able to be attuned to a wide range of emotional signals of others.

·         Catalyst for change: Being able to recognize the need for change even if we are faced with oppo-sition. Sometimes the opposition exists within us (Coleman, 1995). 

The word “emotion” was derived from two root words meaning “move” and “out.”  Emotion is a form of energy that moves out from a person’s innermost recesses into an experience, and then into action and/or speech, by these means into the world at large. Our emotional history has been associated with fear which was based on our ability to react in a manner that ensured survival. Our ancestors possessed the capability to jump into action to protect their families from danger, dangers such as opposing tribes and the European invasion. Our emotions have provided us with the impulse to act. Without our emotions we would be walking around like robots without demonstrating or experiencing any feelings. 

We still encounter situations that require us to jump into action immediately. These automatic reactions are orchestrated by our limbic system, the older portion of our brain, which can aid in our continued existence. I was in a couple of serious car accidents and when the accident was occurring it felt as if I was in a dream state and my body was going through the necessary motions such as turning the stirring wheel in the right direction which saved my life and the lives of others. Being automatically placed in this dream state is a way in which we are protected from the seriousness of life threatening situations (Ellis, 2001). 

Healing from trauma requires cultivating emotion instead of extinguishing it. When we experienced trauma in our lives, the trauma tended to constrict our range of emotion. We may be stuck in feelings of resentment and/or fear, unable to experience positive emotions such as joy.  Healing from trauma needs to accompany feelings and expressing our feelings more. It may help to think of emotions as a flower garden with different kinds of plants, some weeds and thorns among the beautiful flowers. 

Cultivating emotions is the best way of managing our emotions and preventing an emotion overload. Because of the trauma many of us faced, we can feel bombarded by intense emotions and we are often blindsided due to our suppression of our feelings. When our feelings are sup-pressed, these feelings are intensified over time and come out in disruptive ways.  Cultivating our emotions creates greater awareness of all our emotions, negative and posi-tive. This is a preventative measure, because we cannot influence what we do not know. There are various emotions that play a major role in trauma: fear, anger, shame, guilt, disgust, and sadness.  Again, cultivating our emotions can prevent further eruptions. Our world is judged by our emo-tions; hence, our emotional judgments can be informative and motivating (Coleman, 1995). 

Fear and anger are a part of our self-protective emotions. When we feel threatened we automatically respond quickly and with vigor by running, or counter-attacking, depending on the situation. Our logic doesn’t step up to the plate in these circumstances.  Instinct guides our actions. Emotions set our priorities. If we have a history of trauma, then we may become horrified by a sudden bombardment of emotions such as anger. However, we can take a step back and examine our anger from another angle.        Emotions can interrupt our ongoing day to day activity, which can reorganize our priorities and can consequently reorganize our functioning. Perhaps we can go back to a time when we were doing our day to day activities and received an unexpected phone call. The person had bad news to tell us. The bad news reorganized our priorities from completing the task at hand to the newly discovered crisis.   

Emotions consist of major components which are physiological reactions, expressions, actions, thoughts, and feelings. Many emotions can trigger useful actions or reactions. When we are angry we may feel like striking out. The physiological reactions, expressions, and emotional actions can occur quickly before we have a chance to think.  Emotions trigger thoughts and thoughts trigger emotions. Our emotions either warn us about something that may harm us or they may steer us to something that may benefit us. Emotions are usually brief only lasting seconds or minutes. Self-awareness is essential for effective emotion regulation. Although, self-awareness can be extremely painful, it can be especially excruciating if we are exper-iencing feelings of fear, shame and guilt (Coleman, 1995). 

Today many Native American homes resemble war zones, homes laced with higher rates of domestic violence, child abuse, child neglect, and substance abuse than any other sectors of the population. The victims and the abusers are in a state of chronic crisis. Many people are in a con-stant flight or fight mode. Most abusers are in a flux of pain and suffering also along with the people who are being mistreated. Happy and content people are not cruel, exploit-tive and dependent on substances to deaden their pain. 

Throughout history the most common response to conflict has been violence: interpersonal, emotional, phy-sical, and international, concluding in an organized murder ritual called war. Many people see conflict as war and refer to peace as an ideal society. As a result, we repress our individuality as a way of eliminating conflict from our lives. Peace cannot be found in utopian societies because it goes against our nature. The more we are in denial about conflict, the more we struggle with denying our dark side, our alter ego we refer to as our evil twin. It is not the conflict itself but how we react to the conflict that gets us into trouble. Conflicting values and interests are inevitable. Opposition is not to be feared but to be ad-dressed in a beneficial way.  Conflict is normal between individuals, groups and globally (Block, 2009).

Each and every one of us has conflicting wants and needs. Reality often conflicts with our expectations. Dealing with conflict in a healthy manner is the way we learn. It’s the basis for all thinking, learning, creativity, problem solving and personal development. When reality goes against our belief system, opportunities for new ideas and insights occur. Our old beliefs are often challenged by new ideas. Through conflict we are often given the oppor-tunity to see more clearly. Our emotional well-being is challenged when we don’t possess the tools to handle con-flict in a healthy manner. We need to adopt an under-standing of our emotions in order to do so (Ellis, 1988). 

When we are fortifying our emotional intelligence we need to regain a sense of safety, which means finding ways to neutralize our anxiety. We need, with perhaps the help of a counselor, to explore why we are jumpy, hyper-vigilant, and experiencing nightmares and panic attacks, all symptoms associated with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other mental health issues. Gaining an under-standing of the symptoms and why they are occurring will lessen the fear associated with them. 

Once we develop an understanding of why we experience stressful feelings such as dread and anxiety, we can begin to establish a strong foundation for enhancing our emotional intelligence. Examine why we are feeling all emotions including happiness, anger, sadness, and anxiety. There is often a deeper meaning to why we are feeling the way we are. On the road to establishing a strong emotional intelligence base we also need to examine why others are exhibiting specific feelings. Look for cues such as facial expressions, voice tones, and gestures. Explore what is be-hind what they are saying and doing. 

When we are on our healing journey, we need to be emotionally committed to the process of healing. Great leaders may not be handsome or beautiful, but they are emotionally committed to a vision and to the people in-volved in the realization of the vision. An emotional com-mitment is necessary for anything we want to accomplish from establishing healthy relationships to accomplishing household tasks. During our healing journey we need to picture life without pain and suffering and then we need to become emotionally committed to our healing process.  

Managing emotions will take some time, but we will begin to recognize why we are feeling the way we are and in turn will be able to recognize triggers that may lead to unsettling emotions. Managing the emotions of others will also be comprised of making changes in the way we communicate (Coleman, 1995). For example, my dogs chased a man and his dog and demonstrated threatening behaviors when he and his dog were jogging past our home on a public street. He was very angry about my dogs’ behaviors.  Instead of get-ting defensive, I apologized and told him he was right. My proactive approach defused his hostility immediately. He had every right to be upset and I validated his feelings.

Enhancing our emotional intelligence skills is cru-cial for establishing healthy relationships with ourselves and others. If we don’t enhance our emotional intelligence, we will be stuck in a realm of uncertainty and dismay. Oftentimes when we don’t understand why we or others are distressed, angry or frustrated, we may feel lost and confused and perhaps take it to heart the perceived hurtful acts of well-meaning individuals. When we are able to read and manage our emotions and gain an understanding of others’ emotions, we will be on our way to healing from our unresolved trauma. 

Gilgamesh

The tale of Gilgamesh is the oldest story in the world with origins associated with Sumerian legends and poems found on the cuneiform tablets dating back to as early as 2750 BC, perhaps earlier. The story was preserved on 12 clay tablets. According to ancient Sumerian king lists, Gilgamesh served as the fifth king who ruled after the flood. Enlil, an Annunaki god, (an alien from planet Nibiru) flooded the entire Earth. This story is similar to the story in the Book of Genesis in the Bible. Enlil wanted to destroy all of mankind. Humans irritated him and Enlil thought the Annunaki could live without them. The god Enki, Enlil’s brother, forewarned Utnapishtim which enabled him to escape with his family with seeds from plant life, animals and his treasures on a boat he was ordered to build. The story of Gilgamesh involved his friend Enkidu and all their adventures. 

The people of Uruk, unhappy about Gilgamesh’s treatment of them especially the women, started rebelling. He slept with married women and used women like they were sexual objects. Arura, the goddess of creation, created a mighty wild man, Enkidu, who was as powerful as Gilgamesh.  He lived amongst the wild animals. He caused problems for the shepherds and trappers of the area. Gilgamesh was made aware of their concerns. He sent a prostitute, Shamhat, to lure and domesticate Enkidu. She spent six days and seven nights with the wild man. Converted from a wild man who lived with animals to a man who adapted the ways of men. Shamhat convinced him to move to the city. Meanwhile, Gilgamesh had strange dreams in which his mother confirmed it was an indication that he would be joined by a gargantuan friend.

            Enkidu worked with the shepherds and trappers to help them with their work. Gilgamesh attended a wedding party to sleep with the newly married bride. Enkidu stepped in and stopped Gilgamesh. He warned Gilgamesh that he must stop feeding his ego and stop his horrible treatment of women and he must stop defiling sacred marriage bonds. Gilgamesh and Enkidu fought against each other in a mighty battel. Gilgamesh defeated Enkidu and decide to spare his life. Enkidu wanted to provide Gilgamesh with many lessons involving the virtues of compassion and humbleness along with bravery and dignity. Enkidu discovered that he could learn important lessons from Gilgamesh. They developed a new-found friendship and saw each other as brothers, inseparable.

            After many years, Gilgamesh became bored with the peaceful life and wanted to shake things up. Having the desire to do something noteworthy, he suggested they travel to the sacred Cedar Forest to chop down some of the great trees and kill the demon Humbaba, the guardian of Cedar Forest. The council of elders, Gilgamesh’s mother and Enkidu did not support Gilgamesh’s plans. They told Gilgamesh that the Cedar Forest, a sacred realm of the gods, needed to be left alone. The sun-god Shamash was enlisted for his support regarding Gilgamesh’s plans. Gilgamesh pushed forward and was on his way to the Cedar Forest with Enkidu, while engaging in bad dreams. Enkidu explained his dreams away and said they were good omens. He encouraged Gilgamesh on even though he feared entering the Cedar Forest.

            The fearsome heroes confronted the demon-orge Humbaba and a great battle ensues. During the battle Gilgamesh offers his own sisters as wives and concubines to the monster to distract him. The monster’s seven layers of armor were peeled away slowly with the help of Shamash. He sent fierce winds to help remove the armor. They finally defeated Humbaba. Gilgamesh at first felt sympathy and spared the ogre’s life. He finally complied with Enkidu’s logical orders and put Humbaba to death. They cut down a huge cedar tree and the tree is used as a huge door for the gods.

           

            Later in Gilgamesh’s future, a vixen by the name of Ishtar, known as the and goddess of love and war and daughter of the sky-god Anu, made sexual advances to Gilgamesh. He was aware of her mistreatment of previous lovers so he rejected her. Offended, she requested her father to send down the “Bull of Heaven” to get back at Gilgamesh. She also threatened to raise the dead if he continued to refuse her. The bull brought great drought and plagues upon Uruk. Gilgamesh and Enkidu killed the beast and offered its heart to Shamash. The bull’s behind was thrown at Ishtar.

            The people of Uruk celebrated the victory, but Enkidu had a bad dream about the gods being unhappy with him for killing the “Bull of Heaven” and Humbaba and curses the door he made for the gods at the Cedar Forest. He cursed the woman he married and the day he became human. He changes his mind when Shamash tells him from heaven that he is not treating himself fairly. Shamash warned Enkidu that Gilgamesh will become a lesser man if he dies. Enkidu died and on his way to the underworld he described the darkness and how the dead wore feathers like birds and they ate clay. Gilgamesh was devastated about his death and refused to leave his side for six days and seven nights until maggots festered on his body and begin to fall off. He ordered everyone to mourn for Enkidu and ordered statues to be built in Enkidu’s honor (Mitchell, 2004).

            “Gilgamesh meant never to die. Having seen death at close quarters, he knew that it was not for him. He made a nonsense of all endeavor, made fame worthless, made achievements hollow. No, he would oversee Enkidu’s funeral, then leave Uruk -it held nothing for him now – and go in search of the secret” (McCaughrean, 2002, pg. 48).

            He had a conversation with his mother about pursuing the gift of immortality.

            “Gilgamesh, no one lives forever,” said Ninsun. She viewed the unkept wildness of her son after he came back from the forest and the look in his eye was one of sheer madness (McCaughrean, 2002).

            Gilgamesh made a dangerous journey to visit Utnapishtim and his wife. The only humans who survived the great flood Enlil inflicted on the humans to rid the planet of what he thought were useless, pesky, and noisy creatures. The journey involved crossing vast rivers and oceans and mountain passes and dealing with and slaying massive mountain lions, bears and other beasts. He finally reached the twin peaks of Mount Mashu which was considered the end of the Earth where the sun rises from another world. The gate was guarded by two scorpion monsters. They permit Gilgamesh to enter because he convinces them of his divinity and desperation. He traveled 12 leagues through a dark tunnel where the sun traveled every night. At the end of the tunnel a bright wonderland emerges which was full of trees with leaves made of jewels. Gilgamesh marveled at the splendor.

            He met a wine maker named Siduri. Siduri thought he was a murderer, an untrustworthy person, because he was dirty and disheveled. She finally believed him and sent him to meet Urshanabi, a ferryman. He needed to transport Gilgamesh across the Waters of Death. One quick touch of the water meant instant death. When he meets Urshanabi he was surrounded by stone giants. Gilgamesh hastily kills the stone giants. He felt they were probably hostile. He informed the ferryman of his good deed and asked for his help. Urshanabi explained that he has destroyed the sacred stones which eliminated the only way they could cross the Water of Death. Gilgamesh cuts 120 trees and makes them into punting poles by using a new pole each time and his garment was used as a sail.

            Gilgamesh finally reaches Utnapishtim and Utnapishtim told the story about his survival of the great rain storm and flood inflicted by the god Enlil.

“The boat I was instructed to build, housed seeds from animals and plants. We landed at the tip of the mountain of Nisir. We had to wait for the water to subside. We released the first dove, then a swallow and then a raven to search for dry land. We found out later that Enlil was furious when he learned that a few humans survived. Enki, his brother, convinced him to make peace. Enlil blessed Utnapishtim and his wife and the remaining humans were granted everlasting life. And that’s how we got to the island of Dilmun, the land of the gods.”

            Utnapishtim, reluctant to grant Gilgamesh his wish for eternal life, finally after much coaxing conceded to give him a chance of immortality. The first challenge Gilgamesh had to meet was to stay awake for six days and seven nights. Gilgamesh however fell asleep right away and did not meet the challenge. Utnapishtim mocks Gilgamesh and sends him packing for Uruk. The ferryman was also exiled along with Gilgamesh.

            Utnapishtim’s wife asked him to have mercy on Gilgamesh concerning his long journey. He conceded and told him of a plant that grew at the bottom of the ocean that will convert to his youth. Gilgamesh found the plant when he attached stones to his feet so he could walk on the bottom of the ocean. He found the plant and planned on rejuvenating the old men who live at Uruk. He placed the plant on the shore of a lake while he bathed and unfortunately a serpent had stolen the plant. Gilgamesh became saddened and frustrated because he lost two chances of immortality. He returned to Uruk. After a while, Gilgamesh died, the city mourned the loss and they knew they would never see anyone like him again (Mitchell, 2004).

           

Wendigo

The Wendigo was gaunt to the point of emaciation, its desiccated

skin pulled tautly over its bones. With its bones pushing out against its skin, its

complexion the ash gray of death, and its eyes pushed back deep into

their sockets, the Wendigo looked like a gaunt skeleton recently disinterred

from the grave. What lips it had were tattered and bloody.

Its body was unclean and suffering from suppurations of the flesh,

giving off a strange and eerie odor of decay and decomposition

of death and corruption.

“Basil Johnston, Ojibwe teacher and scholar, Ontario, Canada”

Barry, Clarence, Elenore and Tracy unknowingly embarked on a terrifying journey in which only two of them survive. The ground, covered in a thick layer of snow, crunched when walked upon. Cumulus clouds blanketed the morning the winter sky. Crows flew from tree to tree. A monster stomped through the forest looking for prey. Hungry all the time, he is only truly satisfied when he eats human flesh. An unsuspecting rabbit crossed its path. He pounced. The rabbit did not know what hit him. The monster gobbled up the prey and started looking for more. The more he ate the bigger he got, the bigger he got the hungrier he became. These creatures, known to Algonquian tribes of the Great Lakes region and other locations, are giants, much larger than humans.

They are referred to as the Wendigo and are known to be malicious and murderous. They are associated with starvation, the north, and frigid cold temperatures. They hunt all year round but seem to be hungriest during the colder months. Their origins vary from one culture to the next. The Wendigo may have been human at one point and became possessed, forced to become a monster or they were born a monster.

            The most common belief is that a Wendigo originates from a human who had to resort to cannibalism to survive. This terrible circumstance occurred more often when Indian people and settlers found themselves stranded and in a desperate situation, starving and trying to endure the cold of winter. Individuals may be forced to eat the dead of their traveling companions in order to survive. Some legends involve humans who have succumbed to greed, gluttony and excess and may be possessed by the Wendigo. This belief portrayed the importance of cooperation and moderation.

Barry stretched as he woke up from a long slumber. He nudged Elenore. She turned towards him and smiled. The cabin they rented with their friends was warm and toasty, each bedroom was equipped with a fire place that coupled with the electric baseboard heating system. Elenore reached over and grabbed Barry’s arm and pulled him back into bed. He didn’t mind. Being close to Elenore was one of his favorite pastimes. After they snuggled for several minutes, Elenore entered their private bathroom and took a shower.

            Barry opened the bathroom door and said, “I smell bacon cooking. Hurry up so we can eat before we hit the trails.”

            “Okay,” responded Elenore. She finished rinsing the conditioner from her hair.

Elenore enjoyed staying at cabin. This was their second year. They decided to invite Clarence and Tracy, two of their best friends, to join them. Snowshoeing the trails during the crisp winter months in northern Minnesota was a perfect way to spend time in nature. They would talk around the fireplace in the living room at night about how things may have been during the earlier times. One conversation involved the snowshoe priest, Bishop Baraga, and how he snowshoed everywhere around Michigan territory during the winter months. It amazed them that he could travel so far.

Elenore joined the others to eat a hearty breakfast of bacon, pancakes and scrambled eggs. Freshly brewed coffee topped off the satisfying breakfast. Elenore and Barry cleaned up the kitchen and did the dishes after everyone was finished eating.

“I will finish blow drying my hair so we can take off for our hike,” said Elenore.

“I am glad I showered last evening. I did not want to be outside with even slightly damp hair. It’s 18 degrees out there right now with a wind of 10 to 15 miles per hour. I don’t want my hair to freeze,” said Tracy.

“I wish I would have thought of that. I am so used to showering in the morning.”

Barry and Clarence brought in the snowshoes to warm them up so they would be easier to put on.

Barry spread the embers in the fireplaces so the fire would die out while they were on their trek.

A loud clanging sound rang through the cabin. They looked at each other to see who was going to check out what made the loud sound. Barry grabbed a long thin log from the pile by the fireplace and opened the door to the back yard where it sounded like the loud noise came from. Clarence was close behind him. Clarence pointed to the large metal garbage can that was tipped over on the concrete skirting of the storage shed. Three raccoons scurried off when they saw Clarence and Barry. They smiled when they saw the raccoons. Living in the city did the city did not afford them opportunities to see much wild life.

“What caused that noise?” asked Tracy.

“It was raccoons digging through the garbage cans,” replied Barry.

“Is this bear country?” asked Elenore.

“There may be a few black bear, but they are more afraid of you than you are of them. Besides they are hibernating,” replied Clarence.

“I heard that if you surprise them, they may attack you,” said Tracy.

“I guess we will need to keep talking, singing or whatever so we don’t surprise them,” said Elenore.

“I would not mind seeing a bear,” said an indignant Clarence. He knew the women would be serious about not spooking a bear so they were not going to be quiet. His hopes of seeing a bear were squelched.

“I am going to pack us peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and a thermos of hot chocolate in case we are gone awhile and we start getting hungry or thirsty,” said Elenore.

“I will pack that thermal pack so the sandwiches won’t freeze,” said Barry. Barry usually packed anything he could he think of. He never wanted to be without anything they may need. He prided himself on how prepared he was.

To pass the time, the men chopped wood for the fireplaces. Chopping wood made the men feel useful and it gave them an opportunity to show off their muscles. Their broad shoulders and sleek waists were the result of visiting the gym three to four times a week. The women also visited the same gym and were in very good shape. Tracy ran the 25-mile marathon last summer. She prided herself with maintaining her runner’s body. Elenore was not a runner.

They packed their back packs with water and extra mittens and hats. Their snowshoes were top of the line, easy to put on and lightweight. Barry and Clarence worked at a law firm and recently made partner. Elenore and Tracy worked at the same advertising agency. Money was not an issue. They were established in their careers and planned on being childless so they could enjoy the finer things in life.

Elenore and Tracy placed hats over their heads, covered their hats with their hoodies and then clamped their hoods of their thermal coats to ensure their warmth.

They headed to the trail. The sun brightened the snow, it crunched as they walked on it with their snowshoes. Snow hung heavily on the trees. The group was elated that the trail was groomed. That would make the excursion even more enjoyable.

Trees lined the trail on both sides. They stopped to look at a babbling brook and small water fall. Posing several times to take selfies and group pictures to send to their friends back home.

Barry picked up a strange scent. “Smell that?” he asked Clarence.

“I do.”

A large group of hawks were circling above them like buzzards circling their prey.

Tracy approached Clarence and asked if he noticed the strange smell.

He nodded.

“Let’s head back and call it a day,” said Barry.

Everyone turned around and headed back to the cabin. They had at least a couple of  hours of snowshoeing before they would reach the cabin. After an hour, a group of four other people, who were also snowshoeing, were getting closer to them. Soon they met.

“Hi. I think you are staying in the cabin down the road from ours,” said one of the men.

“Hi. My name is Barry and he offered to shake the man’s hand.”

“My name is Brad,” replied the man. He shook Barry’s hand.

“Let me introduce my group. This is my wife Elenore, this is Clarence and his wife Tracy.”

“This is my wife Gertrude and my friend George and his wife Bethany.”

            Something made a loud crunching sound off to the side of the trail and the eight of them looked towards the direction of the sound.

            Brad pulled a handgun from his backpack and George did the same. Brad fired his gun in the air to scare off whatever made the sound. Tracy and Elenore jumped, not expecting the gunfire to be so loud.

            “We’re used to the sound of gunfire. Our husbands belong to a shooting association and gun clubs and take us with them all the time. We both learned how to shoot guns and have our own pistols,” said Gertrude.

            “I’m impressed,” said Tracy. She looked over at Elenore and thought she felt the same.

            “We smelled something strange a way back on the trail,” said Barry.

            “Never smelled anything like it before, it smelled rotten and sweet at the same time. That’s the best way to describe it,” said Clarence.

            “We will head back with you guys,” said George. Their group turned around and started following Barry and the rest of his group.

            They finally reached the cabins and Barry turned to George and asked if they wanted to join them at their cabin that evening.

            “We have a lot of different kinds of meat smoked from the day before. Why don’t you come over to our cabin tonight,” replied Brad.

            “What time?” asked Elenore.

            “Would 7:00 work for you?” asked Brad.

            “7:00 it is,” replied Barry.     

            Back at the cabin, Barry and Clarence cracked opened a couple of beers after pouring a couple of glasses of wine for their wives and sat down at the kitchen table to talk about what happened.

            “I don’t know about you, but I think something terrible is hiding in those woods,” said Clarence.

            “I’m with you. I think I will bypass going into the woods tomorrow and perhaps we will head into town and do a little shopping. I saw a couple of shops that may sell souvenirs that the wives will really like.”

            “We need to explore getting guns and learning how to shoot so we can protect our wives and ourselves,” said Clarence.

            “I know of a couple of places that sell guns and there is a place with a shooting range not too far from where our office is,” said Brad.

            “Since it’s only 4:00, I think we have time to take a nap,” said Clarence as he winked at Tracy.

            Their new friends’ cabin was larger and had a second floor. Tracy and Elenore were given a tour. They drooled over the sauna and hot tub in the rec room.

            “You can come over anytime to use our sauna and hot tub,” said Gertrude.

            “That’s awfully friendly of you,” replied Tracy.

            “Dinner’s ready,” shouted Brad.

            It was a spread. There were smoked strips of New York Strip, turkey, chicken and ham. A bean dish, tossed salad and fruit sat in middle of the table next to the platter of meat.

            “There’s enough food here for an army,” said George proudly.

            “Hope everyone is hungry,” said Brad. He grabbed his plate and started loading it up with meat.

            “Save room for desert,” said Gertrude.

            “Desert?” said Elenore.

            “Yes, we made brownies and apple pie,” said Bethany.

            Everyone gorged themselves on the delicious food.

            “I am going to make a fire. We have stories to tell you about what we think was in the woods today,” said George.

            “I am interested in what you think we heard and smelled,” replied Barry.

            After everyone help clean up the kitchen, they sat down on the large sectional in front of the fireplace. George made a roaring fire. The blue and yellow flames danced around the burning logs. It was mesmerizing to watch.

            “We were talking to some of the local Indian people at one of the cafes yesterday and he told us about monsters that live in this neck of the woods. Scared the bejebees out of us so we decided to carry our guns with us today,” said George.

            “The Algonquian Indians have been telling legends for many years about monsters called the Wendigo. They told us they can possess you and get you to come to them. Wendigos prefer to eat human flesh and can survive in the harshest of weather. It’s like they prefer the cold. The more they eat the larger they get. They walk on two feet and may have been human before they were possessed and made into a monster. They have a funny smell and may smell like burnt flesh. They told us about a well-known case in which this man named Jack Fiddler, who happened to be a medicine man used his powers and defeated 14 Wendigos. These monsters are huge, some as tall as trees,” said Brad.

            Barry, Clarence, Tracy and Elenore looked at each other with huge eyes. They looked like they saw a ghost.

            “Even though this is scary, I think you need to hear about what we learned from the locals,” said Brad.

            “Go on,” encouraged Barry.

            “They told us that the Wendigo can take over a host slowly, taking over the person’s mind and body. They will give them nightmares and the host will become sleep deprived, slowly losing a grip on their sanity. They will experience an unbearable burning sensation with their feet and in the end will run into the woods barefoot no matter what time of year, screaming like a madman. They knew of a few people from their tribe that they have lost forever. Never to be seen again,” said Brad.

            “Do you think that is what we smelled today?” asked Elenore. She huddled close to Barry and pulled her knees to her chest like she was protecting her feet.

            “Yes, I believe that’s what you smelled and what we heard,” replied George.

            “Let’s forget about this for so we can all have a good night’s sleep tonight,” said Elenore.

            “Anybody up for a dip in the hot tub?” asked Bethany.

            “We don’t have a swimsuit,” said Tracy.

            “Let’s use our undergarments and you can use our robes while your things are drying,” said Bethany.

            “That will work,” replied Tracy. She was glad she wore a tank top over her bra so she would be more concealed.

            The hot tub was nice. They talked about their families, jobs and where they went to school. The wine was going to the women’s heads.

            “We should call it an evening,” said Tracy. She yawned and tried to cover it up.

            “Do you want to join us tomorrow when we go into town?” asked Elenore.

            “We would love that,” replied Bethany before anyone else could respond.

            “I am going to drive you to your cabin. You can’t take any chances at this time of night,” said George. He grabbed his gun and led them to his SUV.

            Before they closed the doors to the SUV, they heard howling off in a distance.

            “That’s just coyotes. You don’t have to be concerned about them unless you are a small animal,” said George.

            Elenore grabbed Barry’s hand. He squeezed her hand to reassure her.

           

            Barry was tossing and turning in bed that evening. He was having the terrible dreams. One of the dreams involved being chased by a large, scary monster. In another dream, he was tied up in the standing position and a monster was about to eat him. He woke up shaking. Elenore held him close and told him he was safe.

            Barry was up cooking breakfast. He was using the waffle iron that came with the cabin. Fresh strawberries were crushed to put on top of the waffles.

            “Something smells good,” said Clarence. Clarence always hated his name but did not want to hurt his parents’ feelings so he didn’t legally change it. He was named after his great grandfather.

            Clarence walked over to the counter to see what Barry was doing.

            Barry looked over and smiled at Clarence. Barry decided to cook breakfast to keep his mind off the dreams he had the night before.

            Tracy and Elenore walked into the kitchen and sat down at the kitchen table.

            “Want some coffee?” asked Elenore. She poured a cup of coffee from the carafe and handed it over to Tracy after she nodded.

            “You look tired, Elenore,” said Tracy.

            “Barry was having nightmares last night so I held him close to me to provide him with reassurance and I had the light on. He said the dreams were so real.”

            “I am sorry to hear that, Barry,” said Tracy.

            “I slept like a log,” said Clarence.

            “I may take a nap some time today so I can be peppy for tonight,” said Barry.

            “What time are we going into town?” asked Elenore.

            “I think we plan on meeting our new friends at the diner at about 12:30,” replied Clarence.

            Everyone enjoyed the waffles and departed to their separate rooms to shower and get dressed.

           

            “Hi, everyone,” said Clarence. Their four new friends saved them seats at the diner. Another table had to be pushed next to theirs to accommodate everyone.

            Clarence opened the menu and started reading some of the choices to Tracy. She decided on the whitefish sandwich with fries and Clarence decided to pick his usual choice of a hamburger and fries. The others had a little more trouble deciding what they wanted to order. Most of the food was cooked on the grill and in fryers and they wanted something a little healthier after all they ate the night before. Elenore, Bethany and Gertrude ordered salads and a cup of soup. Brad and George and Barry all ordered the turkey subs.

            Barry told everyone about the dreams he had the night before.

            “I wonder if I put some scary thoughts in your head when I told you about the Wendigo,” said Brad.

            “You may have.”

            One of the town’s tribal elder’s ears perked up and he pulled up a chair to their table.

            “You had dreams about the Wendigo, didn’t you?” asked the elder.

            “Perhaps I did,” replied Barry.

            “That is not a good sign. The monster may be targeting you,” said the elder.

            “Why do you say that?” asked Barry. He looked concerned and looked at Elenore to get her reaction. She also looked concerned.

            “When they target you, they start by messing with your thoughts and dreams and it sounds like that’s what happened to you last night.”

            “I usually sleep like a log and I don’t remember any of my dreams,” said Barry.

            “He’s right. I normally have to ask him to lie on his side because he is snoring,” said Elenore.

            “My son went missing two months ago. He started having nightmares just like you,” said the elder.

            “You never found him,” inquired Brad.

            “No. There was no trace of him,” replied the elder.

             “I want to forget about all this horrible stuff and perhaps head home earlier than planned,” said Elenore.

            “I think that may be a good idea,” said Tracy.

            “Don’t let your guard down at all. Do not wander off. I would stay in your cabins until you are ready to leave or book rooms at the Cherry Blossum Inn if you would feel safer in town,” warned the elder. The elder left their table as soon as he warned them.

            “What do you want to do?” asked Barry.

            “I would like to check out tomorrow and head for home. I know I am talking for everyone but you can’t be too careful. That monster may be after you, Barry,” said Tracy.

            “I think Tracy is right. We can check out tomorrow and leave the key under the mat as instructed for the next people,” said Barry.

            “I have an idea. Why don’t you guys move into our cabin. We have plenty of room and it may be safer. At least for tonight before you leave tomorrow,” offered Brad.

            “I like that they have an upstairs. I would feel safer,” replied Elenore.

            “Then that’s what we will do. We will clean our cabin and move into yours for tonight,” said Barry.

            “The food was really good. I enjoyed my soup immensely,” said Bethany.

            “I enjoyed my hamburger,” said Clarence. He rubbed his belly.

            “I want to go shopping and pick up a few souvenirs,” said Gertrude.

            They enjoyed exploring the shops and were surprised to find replicas of Wendigos in one of the Native American shops. The owner of the shop told them the replicas ward off the horrible creatures and also told them about placing sweetgrass and sage around their cabin to protect them. They did not buy anything in that store. They were from the city and were never exposed to any Native American customs so it made them feel uncomfortable.

           

            They returned to their cabins and Elenore, Barry, Tracy and Clarence started packing up their things and brought them to the car except for small overnight bags to take to Brad’s cabin. They heard coyotes howling in a distance and then they heard yelping like the sound of a dog if it was injured. They hurried back to the cabin.

            “I am never going to go to a place like this that is in middle of the woods again,” said Elenore.

            “I am never going to, either,” replied Tracy.

           

            Before the sun set they headed to Brad’s cabin.

            They enjoyed a hearty game of Pictionary and ended up realizing that their new friends were as competitive as they were. The eight of them ended the evening playing Apples to Apples and laughed so hard their sides hurt. The bottles of wine they consumed added to their merriment. The clock in the den struck midnight.

            “I better turn in before I turn into a pumpkin,” chimed Barry.

            “I hope you have a restful sleep. I think you are going to find the beds very comfortable,” said Brad.

            “Thanks for letting us stay here,” said Elenore.

           

            It was 3:00 in the morning. Barry sat up. He had a blank look on his face. He stood up and walked towards the bedroom door. He opened the door quietly and crept out into the hall. In a few minutes, he was outside standing in the snow because his feet felt like they were on fire. Barry was sleep walking. His name was being called. He walked towards the voice. Barry was led into a deep, dark cavern. He as tied up.

            Elenore felt Barry’s side of the bed. She discovered he wasn’t there. She jolted out of bed and ran to find Barry. He was no where to be found. Terrified she screamed for everyone to wake up. Streams of early daylight fell upon the dark kitchen tiles. Everyone came running.

            “What’s wrong?” asked a terrified Bethany.

            “Barry’s missing,” responded Elenore.

            “We will get dressed and look outside for Barry. You stay put,” ordered Brad.

            The three men were exploring outside around the perimeter of the forest. Afraid to walk into the forest.

            “I think we need to go into town and get the sheriff to help us and perhaps some other men will join in on the search,” said Clarence. He was fretting and rubbing his hands together and through his hair. Everybody was concerned.

            The three men rode into town with the four women and stopped at the local sheriff’s office. The sheriff agreed to gather a bunch of men together to start the search.

            The large group of men, twenty-five in all loaded with guns walked into the forest on the groomed path. Clarence was also given a gun. He did have some experience hunting with his dad so he was somewhat familiar with using a gun. They gave him a pistol.

            Clarence’s back was to the forest, when a large hairy arm reached out to grab him. No one saw it happen until they turned to check on him. They called out Clarence’s name. There was no answer. The group of men had two men to find. They were never located.

Bethany and Gertrude held Tracy and Elenore for a long time, while they sobbed and sobbed. Scared and heartbroken, they decided to leave Minnesota and return to Chicago.

Tracy and Elenore returned without their husbands. Both women moved in with their parents. Grief grabbed them and did not let go of them for months after their time in Minnesota. They never returned to the woods again.

           

            The Algonquin Indians told legends about the Wendigos. Some believed they actually existed while others wanted everyone to live a life without gluttony and to live in cooperation with others. The Wendigos origins vary, some were born a monster and others made into their monsters after they were forced to eat human flesh due to starvation. Reports of Wendigos go back to the 1600s. The television show Supernatural portrayed a Wendigo as a collector of humans so they could eat them throughout the long cold months. Wendigos were known to always be hungry and the more they ate the larger they became. Many people of all ages have been reported missing in locations in which Wendigos were known to exit. Beware of the Wendigo, they may be watching you.