A Short Story – The Eagle’s Feather

The store is located in an older part of the municipality. Entering through the doorway, one immediately notices the shadowy, amber lighting and the lingering, heavy scent of burnt cedar and sage. Walking ahead of the front door, one cannot help but take notice of the battered antique tables, shelves and other assorted antique objects. Its so cluttered inside. There are books piled in various places within the store in disarrayed stacks. I assume that they are used books for sale. Its difficult to distinguish the kind of store this is due to the dusky lighting and the hazy fog veiling the atmosphere. Intrigued, I walked a few feet ahead and looked over my left shoulder. I take note of a woman approximately ten years older than myself standing at a counter. There are old, round, decorative plates scattered in no particular order, all over the counter top and filled with various semi-precious stones, assorted divination cards and other small interesting knick-knacks. With a huge smile on her face, the woman asks me how I am doing.

“Its been a long time since I’ve seen you last,” she said.

Slanting my head sideways, I observe her with a puzzled look and question her, “has it?”

“I met you a long time ago in a store similar to this one. You can help me with mine if you want to,” she replied.

Squinting my eyes, I try to look deeper within the store but still cannot clearly observe the surroundings. The smudged-smoky air was too thick. It looked anything but the store I once worked in. Looking back at the woman behind the counter, I smile sheepishly and tell her, “I’m sorry, I don’t remember you.”

Smiling, the woman tells me: “You gave me a beautiful blue coloured Beatitudes bracelet once. I never forgot your kindness.”

Walking around the counter to stand in front of me she says, “I have something special to show and give you. I know you’ve wanted one for a long time.”

I follow her into another adjoining room and observe that it is as cluttered as the main store room. Looking at the far wall, I observe a single, large, and perfectly formed Eagles feather leaning up against it. The feather was inserted into a large, colourfully bundled smudge stick that lay atop a huge and beautiful iridescent coloured Abalone shell. I stare at it in disbelief.

“How did she know that I’ve always wanted an Eagles feather?” I thought to myself.

Suddenly, I am humbled. The kindness that I had once bestowed to this woman had been forgotten. But, the universe didn’t forget.