Chinibuck the Observer

		Henry Kellogg was a simple man who enjoyed hiking in his Shawnee Forest and working on web projects for his clients. Then one day, while out hiking the top of Limestone Gap, he found Keyawa, a Wauami Indian, and Keyawa was injured and in need of help. But the help Keyawa needed was not to be rescued from the ledge he had fallen to, as Henry had thought upon finding him there. Keyawa needed help dying, and in order to do so, he needed a successor to the Gift of the Egg. He needed to pass along the Gift, and in doing so, create a new Chinibuck. Henry just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time...
	The Gift of the Egg, created by the Great Father and delivered to the People by Yellow Eagle, was never intended for the use or abuse of the white man. Now, Henry Kellogg, a white man, was the bearer of the Gift; the Observer that should never have been allowed to exist. But exist he did, and now it was up to Nahni Strange Owl, his Keeper, to prevent Henry from interfering with the normal order of time and events.

C.H. Foertmeyer was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1949, the eldest of four children. After graduating from New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico, he returned to Cincinnati to pursue a career in his hometown. Today, Mr. Foertmeyer divides his time between a full-time job and fiction writing.

AUTHOR

Henry walked to John Walker’s office and rapped on the door.
"Come in," a burly voice invited.
Henry opened the door and entered, discovering Rollie close on his heels, as he turned to close the door behind him.
"Mind if I listen in too?" Rollie asked.
Henry stepped aside to allow Rollie room to get past him, and then closed the office door. Rollie took a seat against a side wall of the office, and Henry pulled up a chair directly across Chief Walker’s desk.
When everyone was settled, John asked, "So what’s up, Henry?"
"He says he found a dead Indian in Limestone Gap," Rollie blurted out.
"Rollie. Let Henry talk, please," John said, shooting Rollie a stern glare.
"Sorry, Chief."
"Henry…"
"That’s about it, John. Like Rollie said, I found a dead Indian in Limestone Gap, but he wasn’t dead when I first found him."
"You didn’t tell me that," Rollie said, interrupting Henry’s story.
"I didn’t come here to talk to you, Rollie. I came to make an official report to John."
"Go ahead, Henry. Rollie, put a lock on it," John ordered.
Henry shot a brief smile at Rollie, and continued.
"I was up hiking at the top of Limestone Gap, on Camelback, when I heard moaning coming from over the edge of the gap. When I looked over I spotted an Indian lying on a ledge below me. He seemed injured and helpless, so I climbed down to check on him. To make a long story short, he said his name was Keyawa, and he grabbed my arm and told me that I was now Chinibuck the Observer. Then, he just rolled over the edge before I could stop him, and fell to the bottom of Limestone Gap. That, I’m sure, did him in. That’s a good hundred foot drop."
John stared at Henry, his chin resting on his clenched fists, his elbows resting on his desktop. He shook his head slightly, and said, "Killed himself then?"
"Yes," Henry replied.
"Wonder why he would do that?"
"Couldn’t say, John, but he did."
"The place where this happened isn’t familiar to me. I’ve never heard of Camelback, or Limestone Gap. Where are they?"
"In Shawnee Forest."
John stared blankly at Henry until Henry suddenly realized that he was using the names that he had given these places.
"Got a map of the county, John? I’ll show you. I don’t know the real name of the gap. Those are the names I gave those places. Sorry."
John didn’t answer, but pointed to a large wall map on the wall behind Henry. Henry stood and walked to the map, studied it for a minute, and pointed to the large canyon he had come to call Limestone Gap.
"Right here, John. This is just about where it happened."
John nodded, and then asked; "Did this Keyawa say where he came from; where he lives?"
"No, I told you everything he said, except he did say I was only to observe, never interfere."
"Observe what?"
Henry shrugged his shoulders.
"Hell if I know."
"Huh," John replied. "Well, just so you’ll know where we’re going, your Limestone Gap is really named Spirit Valley. The Wauami Indians once had a big village there, but that was back before Ohio was even a state. It was in the seventeen nineties, if I remember correctly, that they were moved out of there. Funny though, you finding an Indian there. You will come along with Rollie and me, and show us where exactly to find this Indian, won’t you?"
"Sure, John, but I don’t know how we’re going to get down to him. Not without climbing gear and all."
"Don’t need to get down to him, Henry. There’s an old road through that valley. We may have to move a few trees and rocks out of our way, use a winch maybe, but a good Jeep can get through all right."
"I don’t know, Chief," Rollie said, breaking his silence. "Ed Taggert tried going through there a short while back, and had to turn back. Said there had been a big rockslide about three miles in. You can’t get through to Meadow Lake anymore, he says."
"Then we’ll go as far as we can in my Jeep, and then hike the rest of the way when we have to. Tomorrow morning okay with you, Henry?"
"Yeah, sure, John. What time should I be here?"
"Oh, I think sunup should be early enough."

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2004 © C.H. Foertmeyer