A Billy Buckhorn

  Supernatural Adventure

  SUPRANORMAL

  by Gary Robinson

  © 2015 Gary Robinson

  All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced by

  any means whatsoever, except for brief quotations in reviews, without

  written permission from the publisher.

  7th Generation, an imprint of

  Book Publishing Company

  PO Box 99, Summertown, TN 38483

  888-260-8458

  bookpubco.com

  nativevoicesbooks.com

  ISBN: 978-1-93905-312-1

  20 19 18 17 16 15 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Robinson, Gary, 1950-

  Supranormal : a Billy Buckhorn supernatural adventure / Gary Robinson.

  pages cm. -- (Billy Buckhorn supernatural adventures ; 3)

  ISBN 978-1-939053-12-1 (pbk.) -- ISBN 978-1-939053-97-8 (e-book)

  1. Cherokee Indians--Oklahoma--Fiction. [1. Cherokee Indians--Fiction. 2. Indians of North America--Oklahoma--Fiction. 3. Supernatural--Fiction. 4. Animals, Mythical--Fiction.] I. Title.

  PZ7.R56577Su 2015

  [Fic]--dc23

  2015007692

  Book Publishing Company is a member of Green Press Initiative. We chose to print this title on paper with 100% postconsumer recycled content, processed without chlorine, which saved the following natural resources:

  • 18 trees

  • 563 pounds of solid waste

  • 8,414 gallons of water

  • 1,551 pounds of greenhouse gases

  • 8 million BTU of energy

  For more information on Green Press Initiative, visitgreenpressinitiative.org. Environmental impact estimates were made using the Environmental Defense Fund Paper Calculator. For more information visit papercalculator.org.

  CONTENTS

  Acknowledgments

  Note to Readers

  CHAPTER 1: What Next?

  CHAPTER 2: A Pile of Bones

  CHAPTER 3: Judge Not

  CHAPTER 4: Slithering Forth

  CHAPTER 5: The Missing Piece

  CHAPTER 6: One More Step

  CHAPTER 7: Out of Body

  CHAPTER 8: Serpent Repellant

  CHAPTER 9: Practice Makes Perfect

  CHAPTER 10: Winter Solstice

  CHAPTER 11: Casting the Spell

  CHAPTER 12: Nothing to Show

  About the Author

  THE CONTINUING ADVENTURES

  OF BILLY BUCKHORN

  Billy Buckhorn’s exciting story begins in Abnormal, when Billy’s supernatural abilities become enhanced and he uncovers a frightening secret about an evil teacher’s past. After Paranormal, the suspension mounts further, as Billy is faced with even greater challenges in Supranormal, during which he confronts the dark force that has spread across the Cherokee Nation. Watch for additional volumes in the Billy Buckhorn Supernatural Adventures series, coming soon!

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I wish to acknowledge the teachers I’ve had over the years. Some have been in classrooms. Others were authors of books I read. But many have been people I’ve met, worked with, or learned from out in the real world. They shared both practical and spiritual knowledge from one human being to another. A few, through their dysfunctional or negative behavior, taught me what not to do and how not to be. No names will be mentioned here.

  —Gary Robinson

  NOTE TO READERS

  O-si-yo (hello). You will notice a couple of places in this story where tobacco is used for ceremonial purposes. The use of tobacco in ceremony is an ancient tradition among many tribes. This has nothing to do with the cigarette industry that manufactures addictive, cancer-causing tobacco products. Ceremonial tobacco is used sparingly and is untreated. It is free of chemicals. Used properly, it can be a medium of healing and prayer.

  Also, as I noted in Abnormal and Paranormal, this third book of the Billy Buckhorn series is a work of fiction. However, the story has moved away from the boundaries of Cherokee culture and traditions to a wider scope. In this book, earlier cultures known collectively as the Mound Builders take center stage as the Billy Buckhorn saga continues. Many of today’s woodland tribes are descended from these earlier cultures. I hope you enjoy the ride. Wa-do (thank you).

  —Gary Robinson

  supranormal: rising above normal

  experiences; something that is greater

  than expected.

  CHAPTER 1

  What Next?

  A wicked wind whistled through the bare branches above Billy Buckhorn’s head. The weather had turned cold in the weeks since Thanksgiving Day. But this was normal for the Cherokee Nation. What wasn’t normal was the series of events that had taken place during the past few months. It had definitely been the strangest year of Billy’s young life.

  On Labor Day, he had been struck by lightning while fishing. Then he began seeing odd visions in his mind. These visions helped the Cherokee teen solve a strange and dangerous mystery. The ghost of Raven Stalker, an evil medicine man who took the form of an oversized raven, had been preying on young victims in the area. Creepy stuff.

  Then, on Thanksgiving, Billy and his best friend Chigger discovered an unknown cave. Their exploration of that mysterious place disturbed a colony of bats. In a frenzy of flying fangs and talons, the bats battered Billy as they escaped from the cave. Suffering from dozens of cuts, Billy fell thirty feet and passed out.

  Next, as if that wasn’t enough, Billy died on the hospital operating table and lived to tell about it. While he was dead, his grandmother Awinita, who had died many years before, visited him. She gave him a choice of staying with her in spirit or going back to continue living on earth. Although there had been something appealing about being “over there,” he chose to return to his life here.

  On top of all that, the Horned Serpent known as the Uktena, once imprisoned in the bat cave, was now roaming the countryside. This ancient beast was once thought to be just an old Native American myth. The legend of its existence had begun over a thousand years ago. That’s when the early Indians known as Mound Builders had first seen the creature.

  People who’d seen the serpent said it had antlers like a deer with a diamond in its forehead and a purple crystal at the end of its tail. It was dangerous to both man and animal. If you looked into its eyes, it could hypnotize and even paralyze you.

  Some Cherokees said that no one had seen the beast for centuries. Others, including a few medicine people, claimed to have seen it within their lifetimes.

  So what could possibly happen next?

  That thought flooded Billy’s mind as he drove to the Indian hospital. He was on his way to visit Chigger, who was recovering from his own very weird experience. Who could’ve known that the dark-purple crystal the Cherokee teen had taken from the cave would put him under a spell? That spell had turned Chigger into an angry, ranting maniac. He had held on to the crystal as though it was his own precious possession. But it didn’t belong to him, and it wasn’t really Chigger doing those things. Someone or something was controlling his mind.

  For the time being, the dark crystal was safely hidden away, as were the diamond staff and falcon-feather cape that had once belonged to the now-deceased Falcon Priest. The priest had used the crystal to tame the evil serpent and then he imprisoned the beast in the cave. Billy’s grandfather was keeping the dark gem hidden away at his house. The nearby university’s archaeologist, Dr. Stevens, had locked the staff and cape in an underground vault. And they would stay hidden away until the right time came, when everything could be arranged and the master plan could be hatched.

  Billy stepped into Chigger’s hospital room just as a nurse was leaving. Chigger’s mother, Molly Muskrat, sat in a chair next to the bed watching her son. Chigger was sitting up in bed, eating pudding from a cup. He was having trouble holding the spoon and the cup because both his hands were bandaged. A third gauze bandage was wrapped around the boy’s head. He looked like a scary character from an old horror movie.

  “Don’t you think it’s a little late for Halloween?” Billy said. Chigger and his mother turned to see who had come into the room. “You look like you’re dressed up as The Mummy,” he added.

  “Billy!” Chigger exclaimed. “I wondered when you were going to find time to visit your oldest best friend.” He put the spoon and cup down on the tray.

  “We’re so glad you came,” Mrs. Muskrat said, standing up. “Your mother said you might be stopping by today.”

  Billy’s mother was a nurse at the same hospital.

  Standing near the bed, Billy reached out and pulled his friend close. They hugged.

  “This is awkward,” Chigger said jokingly when Billy held his friend for what seemed like a long time. “You’re going to make Sara jealous.”

  That made Billy let go.

  “I’m breaking up with her,” Billy said seriously. “Right after I leave here.”

  “What? Are you kidding me?” Chigger asked. To Chigger, this was good news, although he’d never say that to Billy.

  “I’m serious,” Billy replied. “You know how I hate outside attention or publicity.”

  “Yeah, I know it all too well,” Chigger said. “You’ve never taken me up on my offer to be your agent and get you on a reality TV show. But what does that have to do with Sara?”

  “Well, she’s become a social-media freak,” Billy said. “She’s bu ilt an online fan club of friends who follow her because she’s the girlfriend of the famous Lightning Boy.”

  “How’d you find this out?” Chigger asked. “You don’t have a Facebook page.”

  “My mother does,” Billy said. “She’s online all the time. She told me about it.”

  Chigger had always known that Billy’s mom was on his side. Go, Mrs. Buckhorn!

  “That’s too bad,” Chigger said, acting all sad. “You need to be with someone who appreciates you for you, not your special abilities.”

  “Yeah, well, don’t lay it on too thick, Chigger,” Billy said. “I know you never liked her.”

  “Whatever,” Chigger replied.

  “So tell me what happened with the dark crystal,” Billy said. His tone was serious again. “Grandpa Wesley and I are trying to understand how it works. You’re a firsthand witness to its power.”

  “I’m afraid I can’t help you,” Chigger replied. “My mind’s a blank. The last thing I remember is coming to your house for a visit. You were recovering from your fall at the cave and dying on the operating table. In fact, you were all bandaged up, looking like this.” He gestured to his own hands and head.

  “That’s too bad. I was hoping for some clues.”

  Then something clicked in Chigger’s mind.

  “Now that I think of it, I do remember having a sort of weird dream,” Chigger said. “It seemed to go on and on forever.”

  “What was it?” Billy sat on the edge of the bed.

  “I was moving through water, just gliding along,” Chigger said. “I looked down at my body, and it looked like I was a big snake. I mean really big. Then I saw my reflection in the water. And I had antlers. Like deer antlers.”

  “You saw the beast!” Billy said excitedly. “You were under its spell.”

  “If you say so.”

  “Anything else?” Billy asked.

  “It felt like I was searching for something,” Chigger answered. “Something very important that had been stolen from me. Whatever it was, it belonged to me.”

  “The diamond from the Falcon Priest’s staff.”

  “The what on the who?” Chigger said.

  “The brilliant gemstone that used to be fixed to the Horned Serpent’s forehead.”

  Billy saw the very puzzled look on Chigger’s face.

  “A lot has happened since you and I came out of that cave, Chigger. A lot.”

  Billy quickly gave him a rundown of the events: The trip back to the cave with the experts. The withered grass and bushes along the trail at the Spiral Mounds site. The curious hole in the side of one of the mounds. The discovery of the Falcon Priest’s cape and staff.

  “Get well soon,” Billy said when he’d finished his story. “I want you with us when we return to the cave to recapture the serpent. Maybe we can use the bond you had with the beast to help us draw him back.”

  Chigger eagerly agreed to help out however he could. Just before Billy left, Chigger wished him good luck with Sara.

  Now it was time for Billy to face his girlfriend, or rather, his soon-to-be former girlfriend. They had only been seeing each other since right after he’d saved Sara from the claws of Raven Stalker, the evil medicine man Billy had confronted in September. Billy had never had a girlfriend before that. But he soon learned that girlfriends expect things—things like time and attention and promises. Billy realized he wasn’t ready for any of it.

  “Billy!” Sara yelled when she saw him across the high school parking lot. He’d timed his arrival at the school so he’d be waiting for her when school was out. Billy hadn’t been in class much lately. His mother had complained about it, but there were too many things to do. Too many people to see. Too many preparations for events to come. There would be plenty of time for school later.

  Sara ran to the truck and climbed in the passenger door. She leaned over, expecting a kiss. But Billy had other plans. He took a deep breath.

  “Sara, I’m breaking up with you,” he blurted out.

  Sara responded with stunned silence. That was rare for this girl. Billy continued.

  “I saw your Facebook page and read all the comments you posted,” he said sternly. “Over and over, you brag like you’re the girlfriend of a big-shot celebrity. You use me to get friends and boost your popularity. It makes me feel like a circus freak. I want out!”

  Anger filled her eyes. Panic ran through her veins. How dare he ruin her climbing social status! How could he be so selfish to not think of her needs! Then she realized what she was thinking. She listened to what she was saying in her mind. And she thought of what she’d been doing.

  “Billy Buckhorn, you’re the most incredible human being I know,” she said. Tears began to form in her eyes.

  “Sara, don’t—”

  “Shut up and listen,” she demanded. “I will never be half the person you are. All I have are my little shares, likes, and selfies to give to the world. That’s all.”

  “No, don’t say that,” Billy responded. “I know you’ve got— ”

  “Stop interrupting!”

  Billy fell silent. Sara recomposed herself.

  “I want to be somebody some day,” she continued. “This is the only way I know how.”

  “You saw that thing, that creature, in the plant nursery,” Billy reminded her. “You saw how it shifted and changed from a man into an evil bird thing. It was about to suck the very life out of you.”

  “I know,” she admitted. “I try to forget it, but I can’t erase those images from my mind.”

  “That sort of thing seems to be a permanent part of my life now,” Billy said. “There’s no turning back for me. I’ve been called into action, and I’m going to answer that call. I’m obviously not going to lead a normal life.”

  Sara looked into Billy’s eyes. For the first time she really saw the depth there. It was the same depth Billy’s father had seen before. Now she understood. She finally got what Billy was all about.

  “Friends?” she asked putting out her hand. “I mean real friends, not the Facebook kind.”

  “Friends,” Billy responded, shaking on it. Before letting go, he lifted her hand and kissed it. “Thanks for understanding,” he said.

  Sara raised her index finger to her lips and kissed it. Then she placed that finger in the middle of the spiderlike scar on the side of Billy’s neck, just like she’d done when she had thanked him for saving her life.

  Smiling and holding back tears, the girl opened the truck door and climbed out. She waved to Billy and turned away. Then, as her ex-boyfriend drove away, her tears flowed freely. The bottom fell out of her heart, and she knew there would never be another boy in her life like Billy Buckhorn.

  CHAPTER 2

  A Pile of Bones

  Saturday was Grandpa Wesley’s busiest day as a Cherokee medicine man. His doctoring skills were known far and wide. Even though Native medicine men weren’t part of the medical establishment, their people called them doctors. Using methods long kept secret, they would prepare, or “doctor,” herbs to help heal their patients.

  On Saturdays, people began lining up early in hopes of seeing Wesley. He didn’t make appointments. As with most Native medicine people, it was first come, first served.

  Billy knew the time was fast approaching when he’d be taking over his grandfather’s practice. But he still had a lot to learn about Cherokee medicines, songs, and healing techniques. Saturdays were when he went to help the elder out and get more lessons in the process.

  As Billy pulled up in front of Wesley’s white frame house, he noticed that the line of waiting patients seemed to be longer than usual. A few of the patients spotted Billy and moved toward him as he got out of the truck.

  He could see the need in their eyes. This used to scare him a little when he came to help his grandfather. Wesley always took care of that need. Then Billy became famous for his psychic abilities, saving a busload of children, and stopping a child predator. People started turning more of that need toward him. Many would reach out just to touch him as he passed, like he was a saint or a miracle worker to them. That really shook him up.

 

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