ANTELOPE GIRL – CHAPTER 16

Juniper was slow in paying a visit to her old friend Albert Tuvengwa, the Hopi Sun Chief. It was the Fourth of July, so she took him a box of red, white, and blue Bomb Pop popsicles shaped like rocket ships.

“That was very thoughtful of you, my young friend,” grinned Albert, “but I have no freezer.”

Juniper grabbed a popsicle from the box, laughing. “Well, then start eating, old man, before they melt.”

The two sat down in lawn chairs outside Albert’s small pueblo, devouring the flavored ice treats. They had an unobstructed view of sacred Navajo Mountain to the east. They had to eat fast. It was pushing ninety degrees, and the frozen popsicles were going to melt quickly.

Juniper wanted to talk to Albert about her curious dream from the previous night. It was troubling. She hoped he would be able to interpret what it meant. Everything about the dream had seemed so real; Juniper had felt she was running for her life.

When she had described her dream quest in vivid detail, Albert smiled and nodded. He kept licking his popsicle, reminding Juniper of her dog Chuka when he drank from his water bowl. Just like the dog, Albert was dripping popsicle juice all over the place and smiling happily like a child. Juniper wanted to give him a big hug.

Albert finished his popsicle and reached for another. As he did so, he asked Juniper a leading question. “What do you make of this wonderful dream?”

Juniper frowned. “I don’t have a clue, Albert. That’s why I came straight over to you. You’re the guy with all the answers about Hopi magic. What I do know is that I wasn’t going to let ugly old Masaw catch my ass.”

“Perhaps that was the lesson,” said Albert with a flick of the tongue. “Life is precious and magnificent, no matter our circumstances. We all have much to live for.”

Juniper put a popsicle stick on the ground in front of her chair and reached for another one. The things were addictive. “Maybe it was just a dream. All dreams are weird.”

Albert chuckled as he licked. “You love to deny what’s right there in front of you, don’t you? And pretend that what is, isn’t.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” asked Juniper.

Albert squinted his eyes tightly as he finished off his second popsicle. Juniper couldn’t tell whether he was basking in delight or having a bout of brain freeze from eating the frozen ice too quickly. His eyes snapped open and he shook his head sadly. “You still think that all humans and animals just die and that is all there is to it?” 

Juniper realized that Albert was echoing her Guardian’s accusing words from her dream. How did he do that? That’s what she loved about Albert. He seemed to know everything, but he did not argue or debate. He preferred to tease. He had made his point perfectly clear.

The Sun Chief patted Juniper’s knee. “You have been given a rare gift. I, too, received a similar lesson from my Guardian Spirit when I was a teenager veering away from the true Sun Way. Such wisdom should not be ignored. It should be treasured and followed.”

Juniper took a big bite out of her popsicle and, mouth full of sweet ice, considered her next words very carefully. “You believe in the Hopi path to beauty, Albert. You hold dear to your heart the Sun and Moon, the Kachinas, Masaw, the seasonal ceremonies, and Skeleton House. I respect your unquestioning willingness to put your life—and death—into the hands of these higher powers. You are a good man. I love you like a father. But that is not my way. I am different. I believe in science. I see life and death in a far different light. I think that aging is elastic and that it is encoded, like a computer. If something is encoded, you can crack the code. If you can crack the code, you can hack the code! That would be the end of aging. We would never die.”

Albert chuckled as he finished off the last popsicle. “I believe that forever is elastic.”

Juniper pointed her half-eaten popsicle at the Hopi elder. “Sure. Play word games, old man. But you don’t know everything there is to know about what makes life tick or stop ticking. I just read this fascinating article in the New Yorker magazine about a science fiction writer named Kurzweil who is working for Google on overcoming the aging process.”

“I hope the white Googles pay him a lot of money,” winked Albert.

“This guy is not a crackpot. He’s very well respected in scientific circles. He believes the current work around the world to combat aging, using the latest medical technology to slow the aging process, is already working. The biotech revolution has extended our lifetimes by thirty years. He calls this step Bridge One.”

“Bridges are always handy,” said Albert as he wiped his chin with the back of his wrinkled brown hand.

Juniper ignored the jab. “He also thinks we humans are essentially big, complex computers. Doctors will be able to prescribe personally tailored immune therapies to beat cancer and other deadly diseases. This will be Bridge Two.” 

“For coming and going,” said Albert with a mischievous smile.

“By 2030, he expects us to have perfected nanotechnology. We will have microscopic robots the size of blood cells running around our bodies ridding us of all illnesses. That’s the third bridge.” 

“Imagine that,” said Albert. “I wish I could be around to see that.”

“Finally, around 2050, he predicts that we will cross over Bridge Four, and the nanobots will connect our brains through a neocortical connection to the Cloud. At that point, we will be smarter than smart, almost like gods.”

Albert clicked his tongue and smiled. “Sounds like a lot of bridges to cross. I think we will need some Hopi clowns to help guide and protect us on our way.”

“Go ahead and joke,” said Juniper.

“I never joke when it comes to the gods,” Albert answered.

Juniper didn’t feel like listening to Albert’s cryptic pronouncements and jokes about life and death. All that ice had made her head feel like it was going to explode.  

Juniper stood up. “I need to go, Albert.”

“But you just got here,” the old Hopi replied.

Juniper gave Albert’s shoulder a tender squeeze. “My dream gift left me pretty sleepy. If I’m going to stay up tonight and watch the fireworks show over Winslow, I’m going to need to get some shut-eye.”

Albert put all the popsicle sticks back in the box. “Now that you outran ol’ Masaw down in the Little Colorado, your plan is to wait for your science to turn you into a god. Is that it?”

Juniper leaned forward and kissed Albert on the top of his head. “Don’t be silly. I plan to do as I was instructed in the dream. I’m going to be the best person I can be. Be as nice as I can to others. And try to make the world a better place.”

Albert smiled brightly. “See! You aren’t as lost as you claim to be. You don’t need me to explain what the gods have in mind for you. You figured it all out yourself.”

“Well, thanks for listening, old man. And I’m glad you liked the popsicles. Happy Fourth of July.”

Juniper turned toward her pueblo on the other side of Oraibi, leaving the Sun Chief to ponder the future. Later that night, as she and Chuka watched the fireworks light the dreamy clouds over Winslow from her rooftop, she wondered what explosions were about to take place in her crazy life. She had a feeling she was sitting on a powder keg that was going to blow her sky high.