Slaughter on the Plains

 

“A cold wind blew across the prairie when the last buffalo fell – death-wind for my people.”

--Sitting Bull

 

The post-Civil War western army’s conspiracy regarding the “Indian Problem” encompassed the extermination of the buffalo. Which involved the belief if the Indians’ sustenance was taken away, they would be forced onto reservations and reduced to relying on the government to care for them. Their independence served as a threat to further colonization, the Euro-Americans’ right to “Manifest Destiny.” The army made an attempt at killing the buffalo, but the numbers exceeded their capabilities. The military enlisted wealthy men to hunt the buffalo for sport. The army hunted the buffalo to feed the troops. Buffalo hides became a commodity to be used for the industrialized market which ended up with the recruitment of hide hunters to do the dirty work of eliminating the buffalo. Various tribes raised up in anger and fought the military and white buffalo hunters. Eventually, the buffalo were almost completely erased from the vast open prairies.

            Brigadier General S. L. A. Marshall claimed Generals William T. Sherman and Phillip Sheridan rallied for the elimination of the buffalo as a way of gaining control over the Plains Indians. The aforementioned served a key role in the slaughter of the buffalo. Other military officers and soldiers went against their plan and worked to end the slaughter (Smits, 1994).

            Sherman succeeded Grant as commanding general in 1869, a role he maintained until he retired in 1883. Sherman learned from fighting in the Civil War that the best way to defeat the enemy was to destroy their ability to provide for their people. His long march of slashing and burning from Atlanta to the ocean served the final blow and won the Civil War. He acclaimed that “must make old and young, rich and poor, feel the hard hand of war” (Smits, 1994, page 314). He also believed that railroads served the military immensely by moving troops, ammunition, and supplies. According to Sherman, to service the Union Pacific and Kansas Pacific Railroads the military must exterminate the buffalo. General Sherman acclaimed “as long as Buffalo are up on the Republican the Indians will go there. I think it would be wise to invite all the sportsmen of England and America there this fall for a grand Buffalo hunt, and make one grand sweep of them all. Until the Buffalo and consequently Indians are out from between the roads we will have collisions and trouble” (Smits, 1994, page 314). Serious attempts of carrying out Sherman’s proposal were carried out by the military.

            Sherman and Sheridan sent letters of introduction to American citizens and foreigners regarding possible hunts. They were promised supplies, equipment, military escorts and knowledgeable scouts and other forms of assistance. The military leaders looked forward to  rubbing elbows with the prominent and rich. A group of wealthy businessmen visited Fort McPherson in 1871 to join a hunting party as Sheridan’s guests. Two companies of the Fifth Cavalry provided them with escorts. Any guest who wished were permitted to use army guns. The party killed over 600 buffalo, they saved the tongues (known delicacy) and choice cuts and left the rest to rot on the plains. Many other groups of wealthy men participated in additional hunts and slaughtered many buffalo.

            Congress did not want the military, ten full regiments, to focus to the extermination of the buffalo. The soldiers slaughtered buffalo whenever and wherever it was practical. Military officials wanted the Indians to become civilized and Christianized. The military believed the Indian people respected martial power. Sherman said “if he [the Plains Indian] does not now give up his cruel and destructive habits, I see no other way to save the lives and property of our people, than to punish him until peace becomes a desirable object” (Smits, 1994, page 317). The military believed the buffalo and the Plains Indians were inseparable.

            Buffalo were used for shooting practice. The hunts broke the soldiers’ boredom, provided them with practice with aiming and shooting and they fine tuned their scouting abilities. Military officials granted hunting passes to hunt buffalo to supplement the government rations. Many Native Americans and white people considered the buffalo tongue a delicacy and many craved them. Each buffalo weighed approximately 2000 pounds, which could provide a lot of meat for the soldiers.

            The Plains Indians used every part of the buffalo they killed. The meat from the buffalo provided them with sustenance. Tanned hides with fur removed served many purposes: cradles; men and women’s leg coverings; tipi covers; mocassins; saddle blankets; gun carriers; pouches; different types of bags; and for burial coverings. Rawhide had various uses from drumskins, ropes, to saddles. Horns served useful purposes such as for cups, spoons, ladles, arrow points, and bowls. The bones were used as knives, axes, arrowheads and scrapers. The Plains Indians utilized sinew as thread for clothing, mocassins, and bindings (Goble, 1996). The waste of the white people angered them when they left many buffalo to rot on the plains.

            At Fort Cobb, soldiers used cannons when the beasts ran in a stampede near the fort. They shot cannons into the herds of buffalo. They shot the buffalo by the hundreds. The weather got warm and the stench from the rotting carcasses almost drove the troops from the fort. The soldiers were ordered to haul the carcasses away and burn them (Smits, 1994).

            During the Medicine Lodge Treaty Council in 1867, the Kiowa Chief Satanta complained about the buffalo being slaughtered. He said “A long time ago this land belonged to our fathers, but when I go up to the river, I see a camp of soldiers, and they are cutting my trees down, or killing my buffalo. I don’t like that, and when I see it my heart feels like bursting with sorrow” (Smits, 1994, page 321). Satana witnessed the infantry, who escorted the peace commissioners from Fort Larned to the Medicine Lodge Creek, when they slaughtered buffalo along the march. The soldier hunters stopped and cut the tongues from the buffalo and sliced rump steaks from the buffalo they killed and left the rest to rot. They continued their blood shed during the entire march. “Has the white man become a child, that he should recklessly kill and not eat? When the red men slay game, they do so that they may live and not starve” complained Satana (Smits, 1994, page 321). Before the treaty council, the military officials were hopeful the buffalo were being hunted to extinction.

            Major General Winfield Scott Hancock, commander of the Department of the Missouri which covered Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, and New Mexico, was stationed at Fort Dodge in April of 1867. He warned Arapaho chiefs, including Little Raven that they may need to find another means of surviving because game has become scarce. They needed to befriend the white man so they would take care of them if necessary.

            Sherman joined the Peace Commission for the Fort Laramie Treaty of April 1868. The treaty granted the Great Sioux Reservation the right to hunt on any lands north of North Platte and on the Republican Fork and on the Smokey Hill River where buffalo roamed. Sherman opposed their right to hunt.

            On February 29, 1868, Sheridan assumed command of the Department of the Missouri and was stationed at Fort Leavenworth. He brought attention to the problem about “Indian depredations” in relation to the raids by the southern plains’ warriors. They were not confined to the reservation. They were permitted to hunt in various areas according to the Medicine Lodge Treaty. Sheridan’s answer to the problem involved the killing of the Indians’ horses and buffalo. Lietenant Colonel Luther P. Bradley received strict orders to set up camp near buffalo herds. “Ordered to the forks of the Republican to make permanent camp to kill all the buffalo we find, and drive the Arapahoes and Cheyennes south, the Sioux north” (Smits, 1994, page 323). He and his troops carried out their mission with gusto but only killed a few buffalo. The buffalo had moved to another location.

            Sheridan’s confidence dwindled when he saw the massive amount of buffalo. During the 1868-69 campaign he saw north of the Union Pacific Railroad huge herds. He saw at least 200,000 in one day. The amount of buffalo he viewed could last the Native Americans at least 20 years. Other officers estimated the numbers ranged to at least ten billion animals. Sheridan had to face the dilemma and he realized his small army could not wipe out the animals. The troops resumed to hunt the beasts to supplement the government rations.

            An attempt to save the buffalo occurred when Edward W. Wynkeep, agent for the Cheyennes provided Henry Bergh, the president of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, with a reason to save the buffalo from the white hunters. He told Henry the most prominent reason for the hostilities of the Indian people was the killing of the buffalo. Little Robe of the Cheyennes told representative in Washington that they don’t kill the white farmer’s ox. The killing of the buffalo secured an incentive for war.

            Some army officials such as Custer boasted about how he could wipe out a lot of Indians with just his seventh cavalry. Captain William J. Fetterman bragged about his prowess “give me eighty men and I would ride through the whole Sioux nation” (Smits, 1994, page 325). Both of their military careers were ill-fated. It did appear foolish to some of the military officials that the army had to resort to killing buffalo to defeat Indians and the killing of the buffalo did not serve as a noble pastime.

 

            The buffalo robe served as a source of warmth and style for the eastern United States, Europe and the west. The buffalo were usually killed in the fall and winter months when the fur was the thickest. From 1830 to 1870 the buffalo trade flourished for the Plains Indians. People also used buffalo hides for mattresses, coats, blankets and any purpose which required warmth and comfort. Approximately 200,000 buffalo robes entered the market each year usually supplied by Native American and Metis hunters of the Great Plains. Native Americans traded hides for tobacco, sugar, whiskey, bracelets, coffee beans and sometimes guns. One of the robes would retail in the east from $5. to $50. The buffalo would have lasted for years without danger of extinction if the perfect storms did not hit the Plains. The first storm involved the introduction of the transcontinental railroad which served as cheap and quick transportation and the second storm involved the commercial tanneries in the eastern portion of the country made a discovery of buffalo for industry purposes (Rinella, 2008).

            The answer for the “Indian problem” revealed itself for Sheridan as a result of the industrialized companies’ discovery. The Pennsylvania tannery in 1871 created a method of converting buffalo hides into commercial leather which was used for harnesses and machine belting needed by industrializing America. The hides sold for $1. to $3. Hide hunters flocked to western Kansas where the buffalo were plentiful. The fate of the southern herd was sealed.

           

            In the spring of 1874, buffalo runners left Fort Dodge to open a post in the Texas Panhandle at Adobe Walls by the Canadian River. Hundreds of angry Comanches and Cheyennes ambushed the post on June 27, 1874. Thomas A. Osborn, Governor of Kansas, pleaded with General John Pope, commander of the Department of the Missouri, to send soldiers to the fort to rescue the buffalo runners. Pope refused and the reason he gave for his refusal involved the fact that the post sold whiskey, guns and ammunition not only to the buffalo runners but also to the Indians. These weapons were used for the ambush and he also did not want to enable the buffalo runners to unlawfully intrude on Indian reservations. Pope’s refusal infuriated Sheridan. He wanted the southern herd’s elimination. In order to accomplish this, was to end tribal treaty rights to hunt (Smits, 1994).

            The U.S Government usually did not make an attempt to protect Indian land from white invaders. The Indians often took matters into their own hands. The Comanches vigilantly fought and killed many buffalo runners.  They scalped them and mutilated their bodies. Some of the dead were displayed with many bullet holes and arrows stuck in them. The hide hunters worked on driving the Indians away from their hunting areas. Paranoia rose amongst some of the hide hunters (Rinella, 2008).

            President Grant went back on his word to use the army to keep hide hunters off the Indian reservations. He did promise a group of Southern Cheyennes and Arapahoes that he would keep the interlopers off their land.  On September 30, 1874, as a result of the white invasion, John D. Miles, the tribes’ agent, sent a letter to the commissioner of Indian Affairs with a compilation of the grievances of the tribes. The plea was ignored. Instead the army decided to support the efforts of the hide hunters.

            The army posts on the southern plains provided ammunition to the hide hunters. They also equipped the hunters with protection, supplies, markets, storage and shipping facilities. Near Fort Griffin a settlement grew up from a small village to a town that became the main shipping and supply depot for the buffalo hunters in West Texas. Because of the army’s protection, the hide hunters expanded their posts to Forts Dodge, Concho and Richardson.

 

            Due to Sheridan’s leadership the buffalo were exterminated from the southern herd or the beasts were driven away from Indian hunting grounds. He organized a campaign that involved five military regiments. They attacked hostile bands of Indians in the Texas Panhandle. The Red River War of 1874 resulted in the final conquest of the southern plains tribes. One of the commanders during the war was Colonel Nelson A. Miles. Miles went on further campaigns and wiped out a lot of Native Americans and buffalo near the Washita River. “This might seem like cruelty and wasteful extravagance but the buffalo, like the Indian, stood in the way of civilization and in the path of progress, and the decree had gone forth that they must both give way… The same territory… was supporting those vast herds of wild game, is now covered with domestic animals which afford the food supply for hundreds of millions of people in civilized countries” (Smits, 1994, page 333).

            The question came up why the army could not subdue the Native Americans without killing their food supply by the federal government. Sheridan went undercover and gave covert orders. He ordered verbally his military commanders to continue to attack various Indian communities while the buffalo continued to be annihilated by soldiers and hide hunters.

With the help of the army, the buffalo runners managed to destroy the entire southern herd by 1879. The termination of the buffalo occurred on the central plains during the early 1870s, and the destruction of the buffalo occurred on the northern plains by the early 1880s. Granted all buffalo were not destroyed because they still exist today.

 

The culmination of destruction and takeover of Native American land took the shape of many forms from the killing of the buffalo to outright murder of the indigenous people. Treaties were put into place and the Native Americans were made to believe they would be protected from white settler intrusion. The Euro-Americans continued to take their land from them no matter what laws existed. Some people stood up for their rights while others only wanted them terminated or reduced to beggars. Many Indian warriors fought long and hard to protect their rights to land, hunting to feed their communities and for their mere existence.

Betty Soskin, Oldest National Service Ranger

 

At 100, The National Park Service's Oldest Active Ranger Is Still Going Strong

September 22, 20214:50 PM ET by JONATHAN FRANKLIN

National Park Service ranger Betty Soskin greets visitors at the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond, Calif., in January 2020. Soskin turned 100 Wednesday and is the oldest ranger with the park service.

Betty Soskin has accomplished a lot over the course of her life.

She's been a published author, a songwriter-activist during the civil rights movement and a businesswoman and now serves with the National Park Service — holding the title as the country's oldest ranger.

Oldest National Park Ranger Shares 'What Gets Remembered'Now Soskin can add another milestone to her story: turning 100.Soskin was born in Detroit on Sept. 22, 1921. She currently is a ranger at the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond, Calif.Growing up in a family with Cajun-Creole roots, Soskin and her relatives migrated to the West Coast, eventually settling down in Oakland, Calif., after the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 damaged New Orleans, according to the National Park Service.

She had a love-hate relationship with Rosie the Riveter Soskin's career with the National Park Service began in 2000 after she attended a presentation on a plan to create the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park.                                                                         Soskin proclaims "a love-hate relationship with Rosie," the park service wrote in an article.Soskin said she never saw herself as a "Rosie the Riveter." "That really is a white woman's story," Soskin said in a 2014 NPR interview.                    Soskin told the National Park Service that she knew firsthand the stories of women who worked in wartime industry, including their experiences battling racism, segregation and discrimination. Soskin sits in front of the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park Visitor Education Center.Despite her mixed feelings on Rosie, Soskin began working with the park service on a grant to help tell untold stories of Black Americans and the homefront during World War II, according to the park service.                     Before Making Military History, She Witnessed One Of History's Worst Race Riots The grant experience ultimately led Soskin to a temporary position with the park service at the age of 84. Four years later in 2004, Soskin officially became a park ranger.

Soskin's legacy will live on. As a ranger, Soskin continues to leave a lasting impact on those around her — being honored for her years of dedication and service. To celebrate her birthday, the park announced it will be giving out limited edition ink and virtual stamps honoring Soskin.                                     "Over the past decade and a half, Ranger Betty has shared her experiences as well as the efforts and sacrifices of women from diverse backgrounds living and working on the World War II home front," the National Park Service said in an Instagram post honoring her birthday.                                                             She's already received a presidential commemorative coin from then-President Barack Obama at the 2015 National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony. A year later, she was honored with an entry in the Congressional Record. But her achievements may have their most lasting impact at a Bay Area middle school renamed in her honor: the Betty Reid Soskin Middle School. "Having a school named for me is more than I ever thought of because it means that a number of children will go into the world knowing who I was and what I was doing here," Soskin said in an interview with KGO-TV. "Maybe it will make a difference."

 

The Face of Death

 

Maxine stared at her monitor, an evil, dark face stared back at her. She was frozen in her seat awaiting the next command. Bound by dark manipulation, she was a slave to her addiction. Her existence depended upon the computer monitor and the voices from another world, a world filled with hatred and violence. She played one computer game after another competing against beings she thought were her friends. Cry of Fear was her favorite game, the more she played, the more addicted she became. Sixteen-year-old Maxine sat for hours at a time, eating barely anything, mesmerized by her addiction.

Maxine, who ran track and belonged to the year book committee, removed herself from outside activities completely. She only went to school if the mood struck her. Once a straight A student, her grades were slipping considerably. Her mother was surprised to get a call from the school.

“Hi, Mrs. Bentworth. This is Mr. Baxtine, the school principal.”

“Hi” asked Connie. Connie was surprised to hear from the school.

“We are concerned about your daughter, Maxine,” said Mr. Baxtine.

“Why are you concerned?” asked Connie.

“Maxine is not keeping up with her school work. And it has been reported that she is missing a lot of days. One of her teachers told me they were concerned with the way she looked. She looks very tired,” said Mr. Baxtine.

“I will check on her. I am surprised to hear that she is not keeping up in school. She has always been a good student,” replied Connie.

“I know. That is why we are surprised and concerned,” said Mr. Baxtine.

Mr. Baxtine asked, “Has there been any changes in her life?”

“Yes, her father moved to another city a hour away so she can’t see him as often as she would like,” reported Connie.

“When did that happen?” asked Mr. Baxtine.

“Two months ago.  She was mad at her dad at first and then she seemed to adjust to him not being in her life.  She hasn’t said anything to me about having difficulty in school.”

“Teens her age don’t always confide in their parents when something is wrong. You should discuss what is going on with her,” said Mr. Baxtine.

“I know, I need to spend more time with my daughter. I work tonight so perhaps we can talk tomorrow night when I have the night off,” said Connie.

Mr. Baxtine sighed and then said, “That will have to do. Thanks for your time.” The call ended.

Connie was a single mother who worked most days at two jobs to make ends meet so it was next to impossible to pay enough attention to her daughter and see what she was up to. Maxine’s unemployed father did not consider financial support a necessity for their daughter. The woman he moved in with, did not want anything to do with Maxine.

Maxine was left to her own device many days and some nights. She would often have to prepare her own dinner and sit by herself to eat. Before she would use this time to hang out at  with her friends but now she stayed by herself when she wasn’t working at McDonalds.

Connie knocked on Maxine’s door. Maxine didn’t answer so she opened the door to Maxine’s room. Maxine was staring at her desktop computer screen. She looked like she was in a trance.

Connie called out her name and Maxine ignored her. She placed her hand on Maxine’s shoulder and Maxine jumped. Maxine continued staring at the screen. People were running and she was holding the joy stick and shooting at them. Connie was horrified at the sight and at her daughter’s interest in such a game.

Connie turned Maxine’s chair around so she was facing her. Maxine took a while to recognize her mother. She was in a daze. Connie was confused and concerned that her daughter was in such a state.

“Mother, don’t you need to be somewhere right now instead of coming into my room uninvited to interrupt me.” Maxine’s tone was disturbing.

Connie turned off the monitor. And turned her daughter back around to face her.

The monitor turned on by itself and the game was on where Maxine left off.

The hair on the back of Connie’s neck stood up and she got a prickly feeling in her stomach. She turned off the monitor again and the same thing happened. The screams of the people running for their lives rang in her ears.

“You see mother, they do not like it when you do that. You must leave the game on and let me play.” The voice Connie heard was not her daughter’s.

Connie did not know where she found the strength and nerve but she unplugged the monitor and disconnected it from the screen and started hauling it out of the room. The game still appeared on the computer screen. Connie could not believe what was happening. She put down the monitor and walked out of the room.

“I can’t come into work tonight,” said Connie.

“What’s wrong. You never miss,” said her boss.

“My daughter is really sick and I think I have to take her to the emergency room,” lied Connie.

“I am sorry to hear that. Hope she feels better soon.”

Connie ran up the stairs and when she got to the top of the stairs, she was shoved down the stairs with great force. She ended up breaking her arm and received a large bump on her head from banging her head on the banister. She was passed out at the bottom of the stairs from the concussion.

Maxine walked to the top of the stairs and gazed at her mother. She begrudgingly called for an ambulance. Connie came to when the paramedics were placing her on the stretcher.

“What happened?” asked one of the paramedics.

“I don’t know. I reached the top of the stairs and then it felt like I was shoved down the stairs backwards.”

The paramedics looked at Maxine to see what she knew about the incident. They were wondering if she pushed her mother down the stairs.

“I don’t know what happened. I was in my room,” replied Maxine.

“I did not see anyone, but it did feel like I was pushed,” said Connie.

“Are you coming with us?” asked one of the paramedics.

“No, I have homework to do,” replied Maxine.

Connie looked hurt and said, “Yes, you do have homework to do. I did get a call from the school today about you not turning in assignments. Please work on the assignments and get them turned in.”

“I will.”

Maxine turned around and entered their home. She did not look back. The paramedics were surprised at her daughter’s lack of concern.

Connie had a tear rolling down her cheek.  One of the paramedics handed her a tissue.

 

“Now that we are alone at last, we have an assignment for you,” said the gruesome creature staring at Maxine from the computer screen. His face was dark, his eyes were red and two horns protruded from his head.

“What do you want me to do?”

A group of similar creatures were standing behind him.  They also had red eyes and appeared to be very tall. Their skin was a strange shade of gray. Maxine thought they were very handsome. She was being manipulated to like what she saw so they didn’t have to change their appearance.

“We want you to seduce and poison the mayor. We have someone else in mind for the position,” said the entity named Frezenik.

Maxine washed her long blond hair and styled it on top of her head. She was told that the mayor liked long sleek necks. She pulled out a little black dress that accentuated her bust with a low cut and she donned black high heel shoes from her mother’s closet. Maxine examined herself in the mirror. She placed the vial of poison she found in a desk drawer in her small black beaded purse. She did not question how the poison got there. Unexplained things were happening in Maxine’s life. She did not question anything she was asked to do, she only followed orders.

The mayor was expected to be at his favorite local establishment having a few drinks with some of his friends. A pretty young woman like Maxine would be more than welcomed to be a part of that womanizing group of men.

As Maxine entered the bar, which was dimly lit, she walked to the bar and ordered a glass of wine. She had to present her phony ID which she found next to the poison in the drawer. Maxine imbibed in alcohol with her friends on occasion and wine was her favorite alcoholic beverage.

She took a sip of wine and let it rest in her mouth as she savored the taste. The wine was dry chardonnay and she was used to the sweeter wines. She liked the boldness of the wine. After one glass, she started feeling the effects. She needed to slow down so she asked for a white wine spritzer.  The men she wanted to pay attention to her definitely had their eyes on her. She started flirting with the bartender pretending not to notice.

The mayor, Fred Burstein, walked over to her and offered to buy her a drink.

“You can pay for my spritzer, sir,” said Maxine.

“No need for the formalities. My name is Fred.”

“Thanks, Fred.”  Maxine smiled at him coyly.

“Do you want to join us?” asked Fred.

“I can for a little while,” said Maxine. She picked up her wrap that fell to the floor which got every man’s attention as she bent down to pick it up. They either got a good view of her backside or her breasts that were somewhat exposed as she bent down. She was taught very well by some of the friends, she used to hang out with, about the art of getting attention from men.

The bartender smiled and handed her the spritzer and she walked to Fred’s table. He knew women like her would bring in more business. One of Fred’s friends retrieved a chair for her to sit on. She noticed, as she sat down, that all the men were wearing wedding rings including Fred. She slipped the vial from her purse and put it on her lap.

“What are you drinking, Fred?” asked Maxine.

“I am drinking rum and coke. Do you want to try a sip?” asked Fred.

“Sure.”

He handed his drink to her. As he did so, she knocked over her spritzer. It went all over the table and in the laps of a couple of men. She used the distraction to slip the vial of poison into Fred’s drink. He was none the wiser as they all jumped up to get something to clean up the drink she spilled.

“I am not sure I like this drink. It tastes strong to me,” said Maxine. She handed Fred’s drink back to him. She was told that the poison would be slow working and would take a couple of hours to kill him. It had to work through his system.

The men were bragging about their jobs. One worked as the city manager, the other was the chief financial officer for the local hospital and Fred told her he was the mayor. She feigned  she was impressed with what they did, but she could not care less. She did what she was assigned to do so it was time to leave. She wanted to get back to her computer game.

Her phone rang and it was Frezenik pretending to be her boss.

“I have to go into work. I am glad I didn’t drink too much. I liked hearing about what you do for a living. I would like to meet with you, again.” She smiled coyly at the men. They returned the smile and looked disappointed she had to go.

“Where do you work?” asked Fred.

“I am a lawyer and work at Sampson and Connoway’s firm. We have a big case coming up and they need my help. Last minute stuff, if you know what I mean.”

They were impressed that the young woman was a lawyer. She picked up her purse and wrap and walked out of the bar. Even the bartender looked disappointed. He liked watching her.

Fred died in his sleep. His wife discovered he was dead when she tried to wake him when he didn’t get up to his alarm. Frezenik seemed pleased that Maxine carried out her assignment to the letter.

 

Connie had to call one of her friends to drive her home from the hospital the next day. Maxine was in school.  She had two broken ribs, a concussion and a broken arm. She was in pain and refused to take painkillers because she could not handle the way they made her feel. She was hopeful ibuprofen would work for her. She took a couple of pain relievers and called into work and told them what happened. They were shocked and gave their condolences. She fell fast asleep. She heard her name called out and left her bed to see who could be saying her name. It sounded like a man. No one was in her home. She checked the locks and windows and everything was closed and locked.

Perhaps I was dreaming that someone was saying my name. 

Connie went into the bathroom to relieve herself and looked in the mirror at the bruising on her face and she saw what looked like a monster standing behind her in the mirror. She screamed and looked behind her. No one was there. She looked in the mirror again and the monster was gone.

I am losing my mind.

It was somewhat of a gray day which matched her dismal mood. She walked outside to get some fresh air. Her home, which usually felt like her safe place, was now a place of fear. She was wondering if Maxine brought something into their home by playing the games she was playing. What she saw on the screen was horrible. People were running and being killed. Why would anyone want to play a game like that? She felt like she lost her daughter. She didn’t know her anymore. 

Am I working too many hours? Am I too exhausted? Now, I don’t have a choice, I have to stay home until I heal. Aflac comes in handy sometimes.

Betsy Kindlewood was outside pruning her flowers.

“Hi neighbor. It’s weird seeing you home during the day. What happened to you?” asked Betsy when she looked at Connie.

“I fell down the stairs last evening.”

“Oh, my. Are you going to be okay?”

“I have a few broken ribs, a concussion and a broken arm,” said Connie.

“Is there anything I can do for you?” asked Betsy.

“Would you mind picking up some dinner for us?” asked Connie.

“Sure.”

Connie went inside to get her purse.

Betsy said, “I owe you for taking in our mail and watering my plants. Let me pay for your dinner.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“Yes, I do. It was mighty neighborly of you to take care of our plants and take in the mail when we went on our vacation.”

Connie didn’t feel like arguing so she agreed with Betsy.

“Could you pick up a bucket of that fried chicken from the supermarket?”

“That’s sounds good. I think I will get some for us, too.”

“Do you need anything else?”

“I need you to look at something in my house.”

Betsy followed Connie into her home. They went upstairs and into the bathroom.

“Look into the mirror,” said Connie. Betsy looked at Connie strangely and then looked in the mirror.

“Why am I doing this?”

“I saw something scary this morning,” said Connie.

“Maybe that bump on your head is making you see things.”

“I was thinking I was working too hard and my mind is playing tricks on me.”

“That might be it. It will probably be good for you to rest for a few days.”

“I think so, too.”

            The mayor’s face was plastered on the front page of the local newspaper. The reason behind his death was unknown. His heart and lungs were fine. An autopsy was conducted and they found no trace of anything foreign. The cause of his death was a mystery.

           

            Maxine was sitting in front of her computer. She was playing a new game, House of Abandon. A hand reached out from the game and she was pulled into the game. She was one of the people in the house who were running for their lives. She was terrified. She woke up shaking in her bed. The dream felt so real. She opened her window and threw her computer monitor out of the window.  It crashed on the pavement of the walkway. Her computer screen was next. That crashed and broke into several pieces. Her keyboard was thrown out last. She closed her window and looked into the mirror in the bathroom, she no longer saw the man that stood behind her. He was gone. She went into her mother’s room and laid down beside her. Connie woke up and rested her hand on her daughter’s arm.

 

            A few miles away, a teenager by the name of Zeke was staring at his laptop. A man with gray skin and red eyes was looking back at him. He pressed play and started playing the game Cry of Fear.

 

 

 

 

 

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 was similar to the story in the Book of Genesis in the Bible. Enlil wanted to destroy all of mankind. They 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. Shamhat converted Enkidu 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 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-ogre 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 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 cut 120 trees and made punting poles out of the trees. Each pole was used to punt across the water and he used his garment 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 plants and animals. 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 by Gilgamesh, he 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 him 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  stole 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).