Sparkling Crystals

It was Mid-October and the kaleidoscope of leaves , in crimson and gold , held on to their mother tree with great tenacity , requiring gusts of wind to drive them away as quickly as the season ; while the roses , laden with clusters of brilliant red bloom were not yet ready to succumb and fade away.The waning sun still warmed the days , but at night the full Hunter's Moon glinted off the hoarfrost that blanketed the earth with a thick icy carpet. It was on such a night that I was born. My mother named me Autumn Rose. My mother was half American Indian, her father a full-blooded Hopi , and her mother a country girl of mixed Irish and German descent. My mother's name was Alma , meaning "kind", and she was everything her name implied. She was a kind , understanding woman who treated the earth and mankind with great reverence.She married Lee , a tall , ready-built man of Nordic descent. His blonde hair , blue eyes , and fair skin against her ebony braid , soft doe eyes and warm tea - stained skin made an odd mix. Genes have a peculiar way of aligning themselves ; I have only my mother's rich brown eyes , all of my father's fair skin and features , and my Irish grandmother's red hair. My next two sisters followed close like lunar cycles.They too are fair and blonde like our father , and their names are as filled with Native American symbolism as mine.Sister number one was born in June under the Strawberry Moon , so her mother named her Summer June. My second sister was born in May under the Flower Moon , and she was named Spring May. Mother called us the "sisters three." My sisters and I grew up like vines entwined with one another , mother finding it difficult to keep us separate and often confusing us by name. Having names like ours bonded us together in a common front against the insults that blighted our world. I asked , "Mother , why are we named for the seasons?" "Because , that is when you were born ," she replied in her sweetest voice."Yes , I know that, but the other children tease us and even the adults laugh when they hear our names." Mother wrapped me in her arms and said , "They do not understand the importance of a name , and you are as beautiful as yours , Autumn Rose, never forget that." Mother told us the story of the Triplets." In Indian tradition , the Triplets (corn , squash and beans) are planted together to help each other grow; you "sisters three" will help each other grow strong against the cruel jokes and insults that children and adults hurl at you." Sister number three was born in December , under the Cold Moon sign. It was after Christmas and deep with snow. Ice hung in fingers from our roof , sparkling like diamonds in the sun , an illusion of warmth radiating from their cold exterior. Mother named her Crystal Noel. She was everything the "sisters three" were not , warm skin the colour of acorns and eyes that looked like chocolate drops. Her hair a burnt sienna tipped in red. She was exotic and a reminder of my mother's heritage. Our Mother often called her "pico," which meant "little" in her native language - Italian. Mother taught us how to cook and sew and put up the things we grew in the garden , while Crystal watched from afar, Mother always saying , " Pico " is too young yet , let her play with her dolls and imaginary friends." We often hid her dolls for spite. The "sisters three" never took Crystal along on those slow meandering days of summer when we wandered the back fields looking to fill our baskets with plump berries , hanging like jewels, because Mother would say , "Pico might get scratched by the bushes , or lost." We resented Mothers protectiveness. When we ran and splashed in the delicious clear cool creek that coursed through the back edge of our property , we left her behind with Mother ; she never complained or showed the sting of our slight , her icy exterior always blanketing her. In the evenings the "sisters three" chased fireflies. The tiny creatures put on an explosive fireworks display ; that beckoned us into the velvet blackness of night.Mother would sit with Crystal.

We would not allow her

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to join us in our chaotic ballet , as we danced after the magic lights. Then Mother would say , "Girls, come sit and look at the stars with me." She would point to her ancestors burning bright in the sky , watching us from heaven and telling us of our moon signs. Mother with a great gift for gathering information was a keeper of wisdom. She had an inherent sense of right and wrong and gave the advice in an honourable way. "Autumn, you were born in the sign of the Hunter's Moon. I named you because your red hair was like the leaves and the blooms on the rose that would not let go , never forget that you are strong and beautiful."Summer , your sign is the Strawberry Moon.I named you for the beautiful summer day that was a bunch of opportunities. Make your dreams come true." "Spring, you were born in the sign of the Flower Moon , and people are attracted to your natural beauty like a bee to a flower. You are lucky in life. I named you for the spring and all its box of new gifts." "Crystal you were born under the Cold Moon , and I knew you would face adversity , but you have an inner warmth that glows and radiates outward. The crystal you are bright and strong , you will overcome much, but you must learn to trust others."I hope you understand the importance of your names. They were chosen wisely and you will grow into them. Wear them proudly and never forget who you are." As we "sisters three" grew strong and flourished , Crystal's luster seemed to dull. She grew thin and weak. The mildest joggle appeared violet on her tawny skin. "Crystal, did you fall and bruise yourself?" Mother asked."No , I just bumped myself."Are you hungry Pico ? "No Mother , my stomach doesn't feel well."She said in a whisper. Many days we found her sleeping , her dolls lying quietly at her side. Mother's wisdom knew something was wrong , so she and Father took Crystal to a doctor and then a hospital in another town. When Mother returned without Crystal, she told us her story , saying , "Crystal is very sick, she has a blood disorder the doctors call Leukemia." As Mother told us what Crystal faced, the light seemed to leave the room , though it was still midday. The air became dry and stale , burning my throat ; my heart grew heavy as if it were covered in moss and its muffled beat could be heard in my ears. I felt like an autumn leaf being blown by the wind, fighting to hold on. "When can we see her?" "Is she coming home?" "Is she going to die?" we asked Mother."Yes, we can all go see her , but I do not know when she can come home, the rest is up to God." Mother replied as she gathered us in her arms. In the following months , we gravitated to Crystal for strength. Her intellect understood everything the doctors told her, even when our grief numbed minds could not. She radiated an inner warmth that drew us to her and kept our sorrow just below the surface. She accepted her fatal disease with a casualness that astonished everyone. Like the melting fingers of ice on our roof when she was born , we watched her disappearing before us, helpless to stop the erosion of her body. The "sisters three" sat with her and tried to store memories , like seashells , in the bottom of our hearts. In the final days when her eyes grew dim and her thoughts receded, we huddled around her, stroking her arms or holding her hands, trying to burn the image of her sweet face into our core , lest we forget it when she left us. When she was gone our grief weighed us down; it tore at our souls , keeping us from seeing the beauty around us. We carried much remorse and lajja for not treating Crystal better. Had we made her the "fourth sister ," as in Indian tradition, she would have extended our kingdom and made us "a powerful foursome." One day our Mother called us outside to look to the heavens, so we could see Crystal in a burning star as it burst across the black abyss of space. She is still present within our hearts and sparkling in the sky. "We see her face in the warm brown acorns that fall into the earth in autumn and in winter the ice that hangs from the trees and the snow that twinkles like a billion crystals".