Note

 from  Brad:  
Tom  Brown,  Jr.  is  a  prolific  American  author  and  tracker,  and  I’ve  read  several  of  his  books,  
which  are  wonderful  and  powerful.  Tom  was  taught  by  an  Apache  elder,  who  he  calls  
Grandfather.  Grandfather  had  this  vision/prophecy  in  the  1920s,  when  he  was  in  his  40s,  and  
lived  into  the  1970s  or  so.  He  taught  Tom  during  Tom’s  childhood  and  teenage  years  in  the  
1950s  and  1960s.  
 
I  was  so  moved  by  this  passage  that  I  transcribed  it  from  Tom  Brown’s  book,  The  Quest.  It  is  
excerpts  from  two  chapters—one  in  which  Grandfather  gives  his  prophecy  and  one  in  which  
Tom  Brown  receives  his  own  vision/prophecy.  
 
The  Quest,  by  Tom  Brown,  Jr.  
 
Pages  13-­‐23  
 
…For  a  long  time  there  was  no  other  conversation.  I  retired  into  my  own  thoughts  
and  doubts.  I  did  not  want  to  live  within  society,  for  the  wilderness  was  my  home,  
my  love,  my  life,  and  my  spiritual  rapture.  I  could  not  see  why  a  man  could  not  live  
his  Vision  in  the  purity  of  wilderness,  away  from  the  distractions  of  society.  I  could  
feel  no  urgency,  or  any  reason  why  I  should  take  what  I  have  learned  back  to  society.    
 
Grandfather’s  voice  shattered  my  thoughts,  saying,  “The  Earth  is  dying.  The  
destruction  of  man  is  close,  so  very  close,  and  we  must  all  work  to  change  that  path  
of  destruction.  We  must  pay  for  the  sins  of  our  grandfathers  and  grandmothers,  for  
we  have  long  been  a  society  that  kills  its  grandchildren  to  feed  its  children.  There  
can  be  no  rest,  and  we  cannot  run  away;  far  too  many  in  the  past  have  run  away.  It  is  
very  easy  to  live  a  spiritual  life  away  from  man,  but  the  truth  of  Vision,  in  spiritual  
life,  can  only  be  tested  and  become  a  reality  when  lived  near  society.”  
 
“How  do  I  know  that  we  are  so  close  to  that  destruction?”  I  asked.  “I  had  a  Vision,”  
Grandfather  said.  “It  was  a  Vision  of  the  destruction  of  man.  But  man  was  given  four  
warnings  of  that  destruction,  two  of  which  gave  man  a  chance  to  change  his  ways  
and  two  of  which  would  give  the  children  of  the  Earth  time  to  escape  the  Creator’s  
wrath.”  
 
“How  will  I  know  these  warnings,  these  signs?”  I  asked.  
 
Grandfather  continued,  “They  will  be  obvious  to  you  and  those  who  have  learned  to  
listen  to  the  spirit  of  the  Earth,  but  to  those  who  live  within  the  flesh  and  know  only  
flesh,  there  is  no  knowing  or  understanding.  When  these  signs,  the  warnings  and  
prophecies,  are  made  manifest,  then  you  will  understand  the  urgency  of  what  I  
speak.  Then  you  will  understand  why  people  must  not  just  work  for  their  own  
spiritual  rapture  but  to  bring  that  rapture  to  the  consciousness  of  modern  man.”  
 
Grandfather  had  been  wandering  for  several  years  and  was  well  into  his  forties  
when  the  Vision  of  the  four  signs  were  given  to  him.  He  had  just  finished  his  third  

  1  
Vision  Quest  at  the  Eternal  Cave  when  the  Vision  made  itself  known.  He  had  been  
seated  at  the  mouth  of  the  cave,  awaiting  the  rising  sun,  when  the  spirit  of  the  
warrior  came  to  him.  He  felt  as  if  he  were  in  a  state  somewhere  between  dream  and  
reality,  sleep  and  wakefulness,  until  the  spirit  finally  spoke  and  he  knew  that  it  was  
not  his  imagination.  The  spirit  called  Grandfather’s  name  and  beckoned  him  to  
follow.  As  Grandfather  stood,  he  was  suddenly  transported  to  another  world.  Again  
he  thought  that  he  was  dreaming,  but  his  flesh  could  feel  the  reality  of  this  place;  his  
senses  knew  that  this  was  a  state  of  abject  reality  but  in  another  time  and  place.  
 
The  spirit  warrior  spoke  to  Grandfather,  saying,  “These  are  the  things  yet  to  come  
that  will  mark  the  destruction  of  man.  These  things  you  may  never  see,  but  you  must  
work  to  stop  them  and  pass  these  warnings  on  to  your  grandchildren.  They  are  the  
possible  futures  of  what  will  come  if  man  does  not  come  back  to  the  Earth  and  begin  
to  obey  the  laws  of  Creation  and  the  Creator.  There  are  four  signs,  four  warnings,  
that  only  the  children  of  the  Earth  will  understand.  Each  warning  marks  the  
beginning  of  a  possible  future,  and  as  each  warning  becomes  reality,  so,  too,  does  the  
future  it  marks.”  With  that  the  spirit  warrior  was  gone  and  Grandfather  was  left  
alone  in  this  strange  new  world.  
 
The  world  he  was  in  was  like  nothing  he  had  ever  known.  It  was  a  dry  place,  with  
little  vegetation.  In  the  distance  he  saw  a  village,  yet  it  was  made  out  of  tents  and  
cloth  rather  than  from  the  materials  of  the  Earth.  As  he  drew  closer  to  the  village  the  
stench  of  death  overwhelmed  him  and  he  grew  sick.  He  could  hear  children  crying,  
the  moaning  of  elders,  and  the  sounds  of  sickness  and  despair.  Piles  of  bodies  lay  in  
open  pits  awaiting  burial,  their  contorted  faces  and  frail  bodies  foretelling  of  death  
from  starvation.  The  bodies  appeared  more  like  skeletons  than  flesh,  and  children,  
adults,  and  elders  all  looked  the  same,  their  once  dark  brown  complexions  now  ash  
gray.  
 
As  Grandfather  entered  the  village,  the  horror  of  living  starvation  struck  him  deeper.  
Children  could  barely  walk,  elders  lay  dying,  and  everywhere  were  the  cries  of  pain  
and  fear.  The  stench  of  death  and  the  sense  of  hopelessness  overwhelmed  
Grandfather,  threatening  to  drive  him  from  the  village.  It  was  then  that  an  elder  
appeared  to  Grandfather,  at  first  speaking  in  a  language  that  he  could  not  
understand.  Grandfather  realized  as  the  elder  spoke  that  he  was  the  spirit  of  a  man,  
a  man  no  longer  of  flesh  but  a  man  that  had  once  walked  a  spiritual  path,  possibly  a  
shaman  of  his  tribe.  It  was  then  that  he  understood  what  the  old  one  was  trying  to  
tell  him.  
 
The  elder  spoke  softly,  saying,  “Welcome  to  what  will  be  called  the  land  of  
starvation.  The  world  will  one  day  look  upon  all  of  this  with  horror  and  will  blame  
the  famine  on  the  weather  and  the  Earth.  This  will  be  the  first  warning  to  the  world  
that  man  cannot  live  beyond  the  laws  of  Creation,  nor  can  he  fight  Nature.  If  the  
world  sees  that  it  is  to  blame  for  this  famine,  this  senseless  starvation,  then  a  great  
lesson  will  be  learned.  But  I  am  afraid  that  the  world  will  not  blame  itself  but  the  
blame  will  be  placed  on  Nature.  The  world  will  not  see  that  it  created  this  place  of  

  2  
death  by  forcing  these  people  to  have  larger  families.  When  the  natural  laws  of  the  
land  were  broken,  the  people  starved,  as  Nature  starves  the  deer  in  winter  when  
their  numbers  are  too  many  for  the  land  to  bear.”  
 
The  old  one  continued.  “These  people  should  have  been  left  alone.  They  once  
understood  how  to  live  with  the  Earth,  and  their  wealth  was  measured  in  happiness,  
love,  and  peace.  But  all  of  that  was  taken  from  them  when  the  world  saw  theirs  as  a  
primitive  society.  It  was  then  that  the  world  showed  them  how  to  farm  and  live  in  a  
less  primitive  way.  It  was  the  world  that  forced  them  to  live  outside  the  laws  of  
creation  and  as  a  result  is  now  forcing  them  to  die.”  The  old  man  slowly  began  to  
walk  away,  back  to  the  death  and  despair.  He  turned  one  last  time  to  Grandfather  
and  said,  “This  will  be  the  first  sign.  There  will  come  starvation  before  and  after  this  
starvation,  but  none  will  capture  the  attention  of  the  world  with  such  impact  as  does  
this  one.  The  children  of  the  Earth  will  know  the  lessons  that  are  held  in  all  of  this  
pain  and  death,  but  the  world  will  only  see  it  as  drought  and  famine,  blaming  Nature  
instead  of  itself.”  With  that  the  old  one  disappeared,  and  Grandfather  found  himself  
back  at  the  mouth  of  the  Eternal  Cave.  
 
Grandfather  lay  back  on  the  ground,  thinking  about  what  he  had  witnessed.  He  knew  
that  it  had  been  a  Vision  of  the  possible  future  and  that  spirit  of  the  warrior  had  
brought  him  to  it  to  teach  him  what  could  happen.  Grandfather  knew  that  people  all  
over  the  Earth  were  now  starving,  but  why  was  this  starvation  so  critical,  so  much  
more  important  than  all  the  rest,  even  more  important  than  the  starvation  that  was  
taking  place  now?  It  was  then  that  Grandfather  recalled  that  the  tribal  elder  had  said  
that  the  entire  world  would  take  notice  but  that  the  world  would  not  learn  the  
lessons  of  what  the  death  and  famine  were  trying  to  teach.  The  children  would  die  in  
vain.  
 
Grandfather  looked  out  across  the  barren  land  that  surrounded  the  Eternal  Cave  to  
try  to  reestablish  the  reality  of  his  now.  He  said  that  it  was  till  hard  to  discern  
between  waking  reality  and  the  world  of  Vision,  but  he  felt  that  he  was  back  into  his  
time  and  place.  He  told  me  that  the  Eternal  Cave  was  always  a  place  to  find  Visions  
of  the  possible  and  probable  futures,  and  it  was  not  uncommon  for  the  searcher  to  
have  Vision  at  the  mouth  of  the  cave  and  not  just  inside.  In  a  state  of  physical  and  
emotional  exhaustion,  Grandfather  fell  into  a  deep  sleep,  but  it  was  in  this  sleep  that  
the  warrior  spirit  appeared  to  him  again  and  brought  the  remainder  of  the  first  sign  
to  completion.  
 
In  his  dream  the  spirit  spoke  to  Grandfather,  saying,  “It  is  during  the  years  of  the  
famine,  the  first  sign,  that  man  will  be  plagued  by  a  disease,  a  disease  that  will  
sweep  the  land  and  terrorize  the  masses.  The  doctors  (white  coats)  will  have  no  
answers  for  the  people  and  a  great  cry  will  arise  across  the  land.  The  disease  will  be  
born  of  monkeys,  drugs  and  sex.  It  will  destroy  man  from  inside,  making  common  
sickness  a  killing  disease.  Mankind  will  bring  this  disease  upon  himself  as  a  result  of  
his  life,  his  worship  of  sex  and  drugs,  and  a  life  away  from  Nature.  This,  too,  is  a  part  

  3  
of  the  first  warning,  but  again  man  will  not  heed  this  warning  and  he  will  continue  
to  worship  the  false  gods  of  sex  and  the  unconscious  spirit  of  drugs.”  
 
The  spirit  continued,  saying,  “The  drugs  will  produce  wars  in  the  cities  of  man,  and  
the  nations  will  arise  against  those  wars,  arise  against  that  killing  disease.  But  the  
nations  will  fight  in  the  wrong  way,  lashing  out  at  the  effect  rather  than  the  cause.  It  
will  never  win  these  wars  until  the  nation,  until  society,  changes  its  values  and  stops  
chasing  the  gods  of  sex  and  drugs.  It  is  then,  in  the  years  of  the  first  sign,  that  man  
can  change  the  course  of  the  probable  future.  It  is  then  that  he  may  understand  the  
greater  lessons  of  the  famine  and  the  disease.  It  is  then  that  there  can  still  be  hope.  
But  once  the  second  sign  of  destruction  appears,  the  Earth  can  no  longer  be  healed  
on  a  physical  level.  Only  a  spiritual  healing  can  then  change  the  course  of  the  
probable  futures  of  mankind.”  With  that  the  warrior  spirit  let  Grandfather  fall  into  a  
deep  and  dreamless  sleep,  allowing  him  to  rest  fully  before  any  more  Vision  was  
wrought  upon  him.  
 
Grandfather  awoke  at  the  entrance  of  the  cave  once  again,  the  memory  of  the  
warrior  spirit  still  vivid  in  his  mind,  the  spirit’s  words  becoming  part  of  his  soul.  
When  Grandfather  looked  out  across  the  landscape,  all  had  changed.  The  landscape  
appeared  drier,  there  was  no  vegetation  to  be  seen,  and  animals  lay  dying.  A  great  
stench  of  death  arose  from  the  land,  and  the  dust  was  thick  and  choking,  the  intense  
heat  oppressive.  Looking  skyward,  the  sun  seemed  to  be  larger  and  more  intense;  no  
birds  or  clouds  could  be  seen;  and  the  air  seemed  thicker  still.  It  was  then  that  the  
sky  seemed  to  surge  and  huge  holes  began  to  appear.  The  holes  tore  with  a  
resounding  thunderous  sound,  and  the  very  Earth,  rocks  and  soil  shook.  
 
The  skin  of  the  sky  seemed  to  be  torn  open  like  a  series  of  gaping  wounds,  and  
through  these  wounds  seeped  a  liquid  that  seemed  like  the  oozing  of  an  infection,  a  
great  sea  of  floating  garbage,  oil,  and  dead  fish.  It  was  through  one  of  these  wounds  
that  Grandfather  saw  the  floating  bodies  of  dolphins,  accompanied  by  tremendous  
upheavals  of  the  Earth  and  of  violent  storms.  As  he  held  fast  to  the  trembling  Earth  
his  eyes  fell  from  the  sky,  and  all  about  him,  all  at  once,  was  disaster.  Piles  of  
garbage  reached  to  the  skies,  forests  lay  cut  and  dying,  coastlines  flooded,  and  
storms  grew  more  violent  and  thunderous.  With  each  passing  moment  the  Earth  
shook  with  greater  intensity,  threatening  to  tear  apart  and  swallow  Grandfather.  
 
Suddenly  the  Earth  stopped  shaking  and  the  sky  cleared.  Out  of  the  dusty  air  walked  
the  warrior  spirit,  who  stopped  a  short  distance  from  Grandfather.  As  Grandfather  
looked  into  the  face  of  the  spirit  he  could  see  that  there  were  great  tears  flowing  
from  his  eyes,  and  each  tear  fell  to  the  Earth  with  a  searing  sound.  The  spirit  looked  
at  Grandfather  for  a  long  moment,  then  finally  spoke,  saying,  “Holes  in  the  sky.”  
Grandfather  thought  for  a  moment,  then,  in  a  questioning,  disbelieving  manner,  said,  
“Holes  in  the  sky?”  And  the  spirit  answered,  saying,  “They  will  become  the  second  
sign  of  the  destruction  of  man.  The  holes  in  the  sky  and  all  that  you  have  seen  could  
become  man’s  reality.  It  is  here  that  man  must  heed  the  warning  and  work  harder  to  
change  the  future  at  hand.  But  man  must  not  only  work  physically,  he  must  also  

  4  
work  spiritually,  through  prayer,  for  only  through  prayer  can  man  now  hope  to  heal  
the  Earth  and  himself.”  
 
There  was  a  long  pause  as  Grandfather  thought  about  the  impossibility  of  holes  in  
the  sky.  Surely  Grandfather  knew  that  there  could  be  a  spiritual  hole,  but  a  hole  that  
the  societies  of  the  Earth  could  notice  would  hardly  seem  likely.  The  spirit  drew  
closer  and  spoke  again,  almost  in  a  whisper.  “These  holes  are  a  direct  result  of  man’s  
life,  his  travel,  and  of  the  sins  of  his  grandfathers  and  grandmothers.  These  holes,  
the  second  sign,  will  mark  the  killing  of  his  grandchildren  and  will  become  a  legacy  
to  man’s  life  away  from  nature.  It  is  the  time  of  these  holes  that  will  mark  a  great  
transition  in  mankind’s  thinking.  They  will  then  be  faced  with  a  choice,  a  choice  to  
continue  following  the  path  of  destruction  or  a  choice  to  move  back  to  the  
philosophy  of  the  Earth  and  a  simpler  existence.  It  is  here  that  the  decision  must  be  
made,  or  all  will  be  lost.”  Without  another  word  the  spirit  turned  and  walked  back  
into  the  dust.  
 
Grandfather  spent  the  next  four  days  at  the  cave  entrance,  though  for  those  four  
days  nothing  spoke  to  him,  not  even  the  Earth.  He  said  that  it  was  a  time  of  great  
sorrow,  of  aloneness,  and  a  time  to  digest  all  that  had  taken  place.  He  knew  that  
these  things  would  not  appear  in  his  lifetime,  but  they  had  to  be  passed  down  to  the  
people  of  the  future  with  the  same  urgency  and  power  with  which  they  had  been  
delivered  to  him.  But  he  did  not  know  how  he  would  explain  these  unlikely  events  to  
anyone.  Surely  the  elders  and  shamans  of  the  tribes  would  understand,  but  not  
society,  and  certainly  not  anyone  who  was  removed  from  the  Earth  and  spirit.  He  sat  
for  the  full  four  days  unmoving,  as  if  made  of  stone,  and  his  heart  felt  heavy  with  the  
burden  he  now  carried.    
 
It  was  at  the  end  of  the  fourth  day  that  the  third  Vision  came  to  him.  As  he  gazed  out  
onto  the  landscape  toward  the  setting  sun,  the  sky  suddenly  turned  back  to  a  liquid  
and  then  turned  blood  red.  As  far  as  his  eyes  could  see,  the  sky  was  solid  red,  with  
no  variation  in  shadow,  texture  or  light.  The  whole  of  creation  seemed  to  have  
grown  still,  as  if  awaiting  some  unseen  command.  Time,  place,  and  destiny  seemed  
to  be  in  limbo,  stilled  by  the  bleeding  sky.  He  gazed  for  a  long  time  at  the  sky,  in  a  
state  of  awe  and  terror,  for  the  red  color  of  the  sky  was  like  nothing  he  had  ever  
seen  in  any  sunset  or  sunrise.  The  color  was  that  of  man,  not  of  Nature,  and  it  had  a  
vile  stench  and  texture.  It  seemed  to  burn  the  Earth  wherever  it  touched.  As  sunset  
drifted  to  night,  the  stars  shone  bright  red,  the  color  never  leaving  the  sky,  and  
everywhere  was  heard  the  cries  of  fear  and  pain.  
 
Again  the  warrior  spirit  appeared  to  Grandfather,  but  this  time  as  a  voice  from  the  
sky.  Like  thunder,  the  voice  shook  the  landscape,  saying,  “This,  then,  is  the  third  sign,  
the  night  of  the  bleeding  stars.  It  will  become  known  throughout  the  world,  for  the  
sky  in  all  lands  will  be  red  with  the  blood  of  the  sky,  day  and  night.  It  is  then,  with  
this  sign  of  the  third  probable  future,  that  there  is  no  longer  hope.  Life  on  the  Earth  
as  man  has  lived  it  will  come  to  an  end,  and  there  can  be  no  turning  back,  physically  
or  spiritually.  It  is  then,  if  things  are  not  changed  during  the  second  sign,  that  man  

  5  
will  surely  know  the  destruction  of  the  Earth  is  at  hand.  It  is  then  that  the  children  of  
the  Earth  must  run  to  the  wild  places  and  hide.  For  when  the  sky  bleeds  fire,  there  
will  be  no  safety  in  the  world  of  man.”  
 
Grandfather  sat  in  shocked  horror  as  the  voice  continued.  “From  this  time,  when  the  
stars  bleed,  to  the  fourth  and  final  sign  will  be  four  seasons  of  peace.  It  is  in  these  
four  seasons  that  the  children  of  the  Earth  must  live  deep  in  the  wild  places  and  find  
a  new  home,  close  to  the  Earth  and  the  Creator.  It  is  only  the  children  of  the  Earth  
that  will  survive,  and  they  must  live  the  philosophy  of  the  Earth,  never  returning  to  
the  thinking  of  man.  And  survival  will  not  be  enough,  for  the  children  of  the  Earth  
must  also  live  close  to  the  spirit.  So  tell  them  not  to  hesitate  if  and  when  this  third  
sign  becomes  manifest  in  the  stars,  for  there  are  but  four  seasons  to  escape.”  
Grandfather  said  that  the  voice  and  red  sky  lingered  for  a  week  and  then  were  gone  
as  quickly  as  they  were  manifest.  
 
Grandfather  did  not  remember  how  many  days  he’d  spent  at  the  mouth  of  the  cave,  
nor  did  it  make  a  difference,  for  he  had  received  the  Vision  he  had  come  for.  It  was  in  
his  final  night  at  the  Eternal  Cave  that  the  fourth  Vision  came  to  Grandfather,  this  
time  carried  by  the  voice  of  a  young  child.  The  child  spoke,  saying,  “The  fourth  and  
final  sing  will  appear  through  the  next  ten  winters  following  the  night  that  the  stars  
will  bleed.  During  this  time  the  Earth  will  heal  itself  and  man  will  die.  For  those  ten  
years  the  children  of  the  Earth  must  remain  hidden  in  the  wild  places,  make  no  
permanent  camps,  and  wander  to  avoid  contact  with  the  last  remaining  forces  of  
man.  They  must  remain  hidden,  like  the  ancient  scouts  and  fight  the  urge  to  go  back  
to  the  destruction  of  man.  Curiosity  could  kill  many.”  
 
There  was  a  long  silence,  until  Grandfather  spoke  to  the  child  spirit,  asking,  “And  
what  will  happen  to  the  worlds  of  man?”  There  was  another  period  of  silence  until  
finally  the  child  spoke  again.  “There  will  be  a  great  famine  throughout  the  world,  
like  man  cannot  imagine.  Waters  will  run  vile,  the  poisons  of  man’s  sins  running  
strong  in  the  waters  of  the  soils,  lakes,  and  rivers.  Crops  will  fail,  the  animals  of  man  
will  die,  and  disease  will  kill  the  masses.  The  grandchildren  will  feed  upon  the  
remains  of  the  dead,  and  all  about  will  be  the  cries  of  pain  and  anguish.  Roving  
bands  of  men  will  hunt  and  kill  other  men  for  food,  and  water  will  always  be  scarce,  
getting  scarcer  with  each  passing  year.  The  land,  the  water,  the  sky  will  all  be  
poisoned,  and  man  will  live  in  the  wrath  of  the  Creator.  Man  will  hide  at  first  in  the  
cities,  but  here  he  will  die.  A  few  will  run  to  the  wilderness,  but  the  wilderness  will  
destroy  them,  for  they  had  long  ago  been  given  a  choice.  Man  will  be  destroyed,  his  
cities  in  ruin,  and  it  is  then  that  the  grandchildren  will  pay  for  the  sins  of  their  
grandfathers  and  grandmothers.”  
 
“Is  there  then  no  hope?”  Grandfather  asked.    
 
The  child  spoke  again.  “There  is  only  hope  during  the  time  of  the  first  and  second  
signs.  Upon  the  third  sign,  the  night  of  the  bleeding,  there  is  no  longer  hope,  for  only  
the  children  of  the  Earth  will  survive.  Man  will  be  given  these  warnings;  if  unheeded,  

  6  
there  can  be  no  hope,  for  only  the  children  of  the  Earth  will  purge  themselves  of  the  
cancers  of  mankind,  of  mankind’s  destructive  thinking.  It  will  be  the  children  of  the  
Earth  who  will  bring  a  new  hope  to  the  new  society,  living  closer  to  the  Earth  and  
spirit.”  
 
Then  all  was  silent,  the  landscape  cleared  and  returned  to  normal,  and  Grandfather  
stepped  from  the  Vision.  Shaken,  he  said  the  he  had  wandered  for  the  next  season,  
trying  to  understand  all  that  had  been  given  to  him,  trying  to  understand  why  he  
had  been  chosen….  
 
Grandfather  had  had  this  Vision  sometime  in  the  1920s,  and  now  it  was  1962,  and  
still  there  were  no  great  famines,  and  certainly  no  holes  in  the  sky.    
 
Pages  125-­‐133  
Excerpt  about  Tom  Brown’s  vision  quest  near  the  gravel  pit  in  the  Pine  Barrens:  
 
I  could  feel  my  body  and  mind  begin  to  slip  away.  Reality  no  longer  existed  and  I  
could  not  think  at  all.  I  had  the  sense  that  I  had  awakened  from  a  bad  dream,  but  
what  I  had  awakened  to,  I  could  not  comprehend.  The  world,  my  world,  had  
changed.  The  pit  lay  before  me  as  always,  but  all  around  things  were  different.  The  
once  lush  Pine  Barrens  that  had  framed  the  edge  of  the  excavation  were  now  wilted  
and  dying.  There  was  no  sound  or  motion.  The  air  was  thick  with  the  smell  of  caustic  
chemicals  and  mingled  with  that  of  rotten  flesh.  As  I  looked  to  the  sky  the  stars  
dripped  great  drops  of  blood  that  fell  to  the  Earth  with  a  searing  and  thunderous  
crash.  The  stars  and  the  sky  were  red,  blood  read,  and  I  grew  so  sick  that  I  couldn’t  
breathe.  
 
I  lay  gasping  at  the  edge  of  the  pit,  trying  to  get  my  breath  and  settle  my  stomach.  It  
was  then  that  I  noticed  that  the  entire  floor  of  the  excavation  was  covered  with  
bodies.  Bodies  of  humans,  young  and  old,  badly  scarred,  partially  clothed,  and  
almost  fully  rotted,  lay  from  one  end  of  the  pit  to  the  other.  The  stench  was  so  
sickening  that  it  made  my  eyes  water.  The  horror  of  it  all  terrorized  my  very  soul,  
and  the  reality  was  too  much  to  bear.  I  couldn’t  run;  no  matter  how  much  I  struggled  
to  stand,  I  was  held  fast  to  the  Earth.  
 
I  heard  voices  and  the  sound  of  light  footfalls  on  the  gravelly  earth  below  me.  A  
surge  of  hope  welled  up  in  my  chest  and  I  struggled  to  the  edge  again.  As  I  looked  
down  into  the  misty  grayness  of  the  pit  I  saw  a  line  of  children,  stalking  into  the  pit.  
As  they  went  along,  they  looked  around  carefully.  Some  held  clubs,  others  held  
spears  made  from  broom  handles,  all  of  them  were  sparsely  clothed,  very  dirty,  and  
terribly  thin.  They  seemed  frightened,  yet  they  appeared  to  know  what  they  were  
doing  and  where  they  were  going.  
 
I  pulled  back  from  the  edge  again  and  lay  on  my  back,  trying  to  clear  my  mind  of  this  
nightmare.  It  was  then  that  I  heard  a  crunching  sound  that  drew  my  attention  back  
to  the  edge.  As  I  carefully  peered  over  the  edge  I  gagged  at  what  I  saw,  barely  able  to  

  7  
control  my  stomach.  The  children  were  tearing  at  the  bodies.  Some  of  the  children  
were  feeding  on  limbs  and  fingers,  others  were  feeding  on  the  internal  organs,  and  
all  were  covered  in  rotted  flesh,  blood,  and  maggots.  I  could  bear  to  look  no  more  
and  pulled  back  from  the  edge  again,  unable  to  understand  or  even  think.  
 
The  sound  of  a  truck  coming  to  the  edge  of  the  pit  startled  me.  At  the  far  end  of  the  
pit  a  huge  dump  truck  was  backing  to  the  edge.  I  looked  down  to  see  if  the  children  
were  still  there,  but  they  had  vanished.  I  caught  sight  of  some  of  the  children  hiding  
behind  a  large  pile  of  bodies,  watching  as  the  truck  approached  the  edge.  It  was  
obvious  that  they  did  not  want  to  be  seen.  Suddenly  the  truck  began  to  dump  its  load  
over  the  edge  of  the  excavation.  To  my  absolute  horror  the  truck  was  dumping  a  
load  of  bodies.  These  bodies  looked  even  more  emaciated  than  the  ones  in  the  pits.  
Apparently  most  of  these  people  had  died  of  starvation.  
 
I  watched  the  truck  pull  away.  Armed  guards  stood  on  its  sides  as  it  slowly  rumbled  
up  the  road,  then  disappeared  in  the  dusty  horizon.  The  children  below  me  came  out  
of  hiding  and  cautiously  began  to  make  their  way  to  the  far  end  of  the  pit.  Some  of  
the  children  could  not  have  been  over  six  years  old,  with  the  oldest  being  about  
eleven  or  twelve.  As  they  reached  the  pile  of  fresh  bodies  they  began  to  feed  on  the  
flesh  with  a  ravenous  appetite.  They  seemed  to  care  little  that  they  were  eating  
humans,  nor  did  they  let  down  their  guard  as  they  fed.  They  reminded  me  more  of  a  
pack  of  feral  dogs  feeding  in  a  dump  than  a  group  of  humans.  
 
Suddenly  a  shot  rang  out  from  across  the  pit,  and  a  young  boy  fell  from  the  top  of  the  
body  pile,  blood  pouring  from  his  chest.  Then  another  shot  and  another  child  fell,  
then  another  and  another.  The  children  ran  through  the  body  dump  and  up  the  
distant  bank,  heads  held  low  and  zigzagging  as  they  ran,  which  told  me  that  they  had  
been  through  this  before.  Four  children  lay  dead  on  the  body  piles,  and  one  
wounded  child  in  apparent  agony  was  trying  to  crawl  to  safety.  Another  shot  and  the  
child  was  dead.  My  mind  was  so  sick  with  horror  that  I  was  paralyzed,  unable  to  
even  think  of  helping.  The  whole  scene  was  so  alien  to  me  that  I  could  not  
rationalize  it,  for  now  I  was  running  almost  purely  on  the  instincts  of  the  primal  
mind.  
 
I  watched  as  a  group  of  men,  dressed  like  bedraggled  soldiers,  stalked  over  to  the  
edge  of  the  pit.  They  scanned  the  pit  and  the  walls,  guns  ready,  as  if  at  any  moment  
they  would  be  attacked.  Finally  three  of  the  men  entered  the  pit  and  headed  for  the  
dead  children  as  the  others  stood  guard.  The  men  in  the  pit  gutted  the  children,  
much  like  a  deer  hunter  guts  and  field-­‐dresses  a  deer,  then  pulled  the  children  back  
up  to  the  distant  lip  of  the  excavation.  A  strange  four-­‐wheel-­‐drive  vehicle,  also  
camouflaged,  entered  the  scene  and  a  fire  was  started.  The  men  now  seemed  more  
relaxed  and  began  to  joke  around  and  talk  loudly.  
 
I  watched  them  for  what  seemed  like  hours.  They  cooked  one  of  the  children  on  the  
fire  and  began  to  feast.  The  other  children’s  bodies  were  tied  onto  the  vehicle’s  
hood,  bumpers,  and  roll  bar.  I  noticed  that  one  of  the  men  urinated  into  a  can  and  

  8  
passed  the  can  to  another,  who  drank  it  down.  Just  as  they  got  into  the  vehicle  and  
began  to  drive  off,  more  shots  rang  out  and  the  car  crashed  into  a  pile  of  bodies  that  
lay  on  the  top  of  the  ridge  road.  The  children  who  had  originally  been  in  the  dump  
had  ambushed  the  men  and  had  burned  the  vehicle.  They  collected  all  the  guns  
quickly  and  returned  to  what  remained  of  the  Pine  Barrens.  The  whole  thing  
happened  so  fast  that  I  could  barely  keep  account  of  all  the  killing.    
 
For  the  next  several  hours,  nothing  moved.  The  stench  of  the  rotting  bodies  and  the  
caustic  air  was  all  that  existed.  It  was  then  that  I  noticed  that  one  of  the  men  had  
only  been  wounded  and  now  slipped  quietly  down  the  road.  Instinctively  I  followed,  
cautiously  watching  the  landscape  for  any  movement.  There  were  no  animals,  no  
birds,  and  no  living  plants.  There  wasn’t  any  sign  of  water,  and  the  only  animal  life  
seemed  to  be  the  persistent  flies  and  carrion  beetles.  I  followed  the  man  for  hours  
through  the  dead  landscape,  as  the  air  grew  thicker  with  smoke  and  the  caustic  bite  
of  chemicals.  
 
In  the  distance  I  could  see  the  rubble  of  a  city,  and  I  cautiously  got  as  close  as  
possible.  The  once  proud  city  lay  in  ruin.  The  air  was  thick  and  more  choking  than  
back  at  the  pit.  People  lay  dying  and  bodies  were  piled  along  gutters.  Some  of  the  
bodies  had  been  eaten.  Smoldering  fires  held  the  remains  of  charred  human  bones,  
and  people  drifted  around  in  the  littered  streets  as  if  in  a  daze.  I  passed  what  
appeared  to  be  a  store,  and  hanging  from  hooks  were  parts  of  human  bodies.  People  
seemed  to  be  buying  these  as  one  would  a  side  of  beef.  Canisters  of  what  looked  like  
murky  water  lay  at  the  back  of  the  store,  watched  over  by  an  armed  guard.  
Everywhere  was  suffering,  death,  and  the  most  vile  pollution.    
 
I  wandered  the  streets  in  a  daze,  too  numb  to  think  or  react.  I  realized  that  these  
people  could  not  see  me,  for  I  was  a  ghost  from  the  past  and  not  of  their  world.  The  
more  I  wandered  and  saw,  the  more  I  cried.  Surely  I  knew  that  this  would  become  
the  possible  future  that  the  prophecies  spoke  of.  As  I  began  to  walk  back  in  the  
direction  of  the  pit  an  old  man  approached  me,  apparently  able  to  see  me.  His  face  
was  drawn,  full  of  oozing  sores,  his  body  frail  with  starvation.  He  looked  me  right  in  
the  eye  and  screamed  in  a  feeble  voice,  “Why  have  you  done  nothing?  Why  have  you  
sentenced  me  to  this  living  hell?”  he  paused,  looking  into  my  eyes  for  a  long  time,  
then  said,  “is  this  the  legacy  you  have  left  for  me  Grandfather?”  then  I  awoke  back  at  
the  edge  of  the  excavation.  All  had  returned  to  my  reality.  
 
I  was  so  shaken  from  the  dream  or  the  Vision,  I  did  not  know  which  it  had  been.  I  
was  aware  that  a  considerable  amount  of  time  had  passed,  for  there  was  evidence  of  
rain,  and  the  trees  had  grown  paler  and  drier.  I  could  have  been  gone  for  a  day  or  a  
month,  I  did  not  know,  nor  did  I  know  where  I  had  been  or  how  I  had  gotten  there.  I  
vividly  remembered  that  world  of  death,  and  especially  the  old  man’s  words.  Could  
this  be  my  grandchild,  or  great  grandchild,  and  what  did  he  mean  by  my  legacy?  I  
surely  was  not  responsible  for  any  destruction  of  the  cities  or  for  the  death  of  those  
children.  Surely  he  did  not  mean  me.  
 

  9  
It  was  then  that  I  remembered  what  Grandfather  had  told  me.  That  we  are  all  
responsible,  for  we  are  all  part  of  the  spirit-­‐that-­‐moves-­‐in-­‐all-­‐things.  So  then  I  was  
responsible  for  this  and  I  had  nothing  to  prevent  it  from  happening.  I  felt  sick,  for  
this  old  and  frail  man  could  have  been  my  grandson,  or  anyone’s  grandson;  it  made  
no  difference,  for  we  are  all  family  and  all  responsible.  I  again  remembered  his  
words.  “What  have  you  done?  What  have  you  done?”  I  again  lost  the  reality  of  time  
and  place  and  slipped  back  off  into  the  abyss  of  emptiness.  
 
To  my  horror  I  was  back  in  that  world  of  possible  futures.  I  lay  again  at  the  edge  of  
the  pit,  still  strewn  with  bodies  and  filled  with  the  vile  stench.  As  I  rose  from  the  
ground  I  looked  across  the  pit,  and  on  the  distant  edge  sat  the  old  man  I  had  seen  in  
the  city.  He  appeared  to  be  praying,  as  his  position  was  bent  toward  the  ground  in  
an  attitude  of  reverence.  I  stalked  around  the  edge  to  where  he  sat,  and  as  I  
approached  him,  he  spoke  to  me  again.  Without  lifting  his  head  he  said,  “You  do  
whatever  you  must,  but  you  can  never  run  away.”  With  that  he  lifted  his  head,  and  
there  in  front  of  him  was  a  tiny  seedling,  his  hands  cupped  lovingly  around  its  
leaves.  He  said  again,  “You  do  whatever  you  can,  no  matter  how  little  you  feel  it  may  
be.”  With  that  he  vanished,  and  I  returned  to  my  place  at  the  edge  of  the  pit  of  death.  
 
I  sat  for  a  long  time  trying  to  think  and  to  put  everything  I  had  learned  into  some  
order.  But  the  stench  of  death  disallowed  any  clear  thought.  The  horror  of  it  all  
overwhelmed  me.  This  was  a  place  where  nothing  really  existed.  There  were  no  
plants  or  animals,  and  death  was  the  only  escape.  The  spirits  did  not  even  come  to  
this  world,  for  the  battles  now  raged  in  the  world  of  spirit,  and  this  world  had  long  
been  forgotten.  Here  the  demons  had  won.  Man’s  greed  and  hatred  had  finally  been  
rewarded.  This  was  the  fruit  of  man’s  labors.  These  were  the  sins  of  man’s  
grandfathers  and  grandmothers  and  the  results  of  living  a  life  chasing  the  false  gods  
of  the  flesh.  This  was  a  world  without  spirit,  without  hope.  
 
The  call  of  a  hawk  sounded,  and  I  looked  up  and  across  the  pit.  There  on  the  far  side  
stood  a  group  of  people,  so  unlike  the  ones  in  the  city.  These  people  were  healthy,  
yet  they  carried  no  weapons,  nor  were  their  faces  wrought  with  anger.  Instead  they  
glowed  with  an  inner  peace  and  an  outward  happiness.  They  met  the  old  man,  
hugged  and  kissed  him,  and  turned  not  to  the  city  but  to  the  wilderness.  In  them  I  
could  feel  a  hope,  a  new  hope.  As  the  destruction  of  man  lay  all  around  them  I  felt  
that  they  held  the  answers  to  a  new  tomorrow.  Truly,  I  thought,  these  must  be  the  
children  of  the  Earth.  “It  doesn’t  have  to  end  this  way,”  a  voice  said.  I  turned  
abruptly  toward  the  voice.  Standing  before  me  was  the  man  in  white  robes  I  had  
seen  in  the  Vision  that  had  driven  me  to  this  quest.  
 
It  was  not  Jesus,  as  I  first  suspected,  but  a  young  Native  American  dressed  in  white  
buckskin  robes.  Quilled  onto  the  robes  were  various  signs  of  the  Earth,  Spirit,  and  
the  Creator.  As  he  stood  before  me  I  had  the  deep  feeling  that  I  somehow  knew  who  
he  was,  but  I  could  not  place  his  face,  though  that  was  also  very  familiar.  I  thought  
that  I  might  have  possibly  seen  his  picture  in  a  history  book,  but  that  seemed  too  
farfetched.  He  seemed  to  possess  a  knowledge  that  caused  him  to  glow,  a  knowledge  

  10  
that  I  so  desperately  wanted  and  needed.  Around  him  seemed  to  be  an  aura  of  
peace,  and  though  he  was  quite  young,  it  seemed  to  me  that  he  was  a  shaman.  
 
As  he  spoke,  the  distant  sky  tolled  with  thunder  and  the  Earth  trembled.  He  gave  me  
no  chance  to  speak  but  said,  “You  have  seen  the  stars  that  bleed  and  witnessed  the  
destruction  of  the  possible  futures.  You  have  seen  the  sick  and  barren  Earth,  the  
hatred,  the  destruction,  and  the  Vision  of  your  grandchildren  dying.  You  have  seen  
the  children  feed  upon  the  remains  of  the  children  and  you  have  seen  an  Earth  of  no  
spirit  or  hope.  This  is  not  the  possible  future  but  the  probable  future,  and  all  that  
you  have  seen  will  come  to  pass.  You  are  responsible  for  this  future.  So,  too,  are  all  
the  rest.  All  those  who  have  run  to  the  mountains  and  wilderness  to  hide  are  
responsible,  like  all  those  who  chased  the  false  gods  of  the  flesh.  There  are  no  
innocent,  except  for  the  children  who  die  in  this  place.”  
 
The  spirit  continued,  saying,  “The  old  man  asked  what  you  had  done  to  prevent  this,  
and  you  had  no  answer.  Nor  have  you  even  thought  to  answer,  for  you  have  done  
nothing.  For  you,  who  has  borne  witness  to  this  land  of  death,  there  can  be  no  
answers,  for  there  can  be  but  one  question.  When  will  you  do  something  to  stop  this  
death?  Only  when  you  have  worked  to  save  the  Earth  and  the  grandchildren  can  you  
have  any  answers.  Only  when  you  no  longer  run  away  and  hide  can  there  be  hope.  
To  run  and  hide  in  wilderness  is  to  be  responsible  for  the  death  of  the  world.  There  
can  be  no  running  away  for  those  who  love.”  
 
“But  what  can  I  do?”  I  asked.  “I  am  only  a  child,  a  small  and  weak  voice  in  a  land  that  
hears  nothing  but  money  and  power.”  
 
“You  cannot  change  things  by  thinking  about  changing  things.  You  must  do  
something,  not  talk  or  dream.  The  only  answers  lie  in  teaching  people  and  leading  
them  back  to  the  Earth  and  the  spirit.  All  other  methods  of  change  are  temporary  
and  shallow.  You  can  only  change  things  changing  the  hearts  of  man.  Each  man  must  
change  before  society  changes,  for  it  is  the  individual  that  contributes  to  the  society,  
the  wars,  the  hatred,  and  the  destruction  of  the  Earth.  So  then,  if  enough  men  and  
women  are  reached,  the  course  and  destiny  of  the  flock  will  change.  To  teach  and  to  
lead  is  to  love.”  
 
The  spirit  vanished  into  a  violent  flash  of  lightning,  and  the  Earth  trembled  with  the  
thunder.  I  was  back  in  my  own  time  and  place,  seated  on  the  lip  of  the  excavation  
and  filled  with  the  words  of  the  spirit.  I  knew  then  that  someday  I  would  have  to  
leave  the  wilderness  and  try  to  do  something  to  change  the  probably  future.  For  me  
there  could  be  no  running  away,  for  I  had  to  do  something,  no  matter  how  small  and  
feeble  I  thought  my  voice  might  be.  I  was  ready  and  willing  to  give  up  my  dreams  of  
wilderness  to  live  my  Vision.  I  did  not  know  how  or  when,  but  I  had  to  follow  that  
Vision,  and  that  Vision  would  provide  the  way.    
 
Through  the  flashes  of  lightning  I  could  see  another  man  approaching  me,  again  
wearing  a  white  robe.  I  ran  from  the  hill  to  meet  the  spirit  in  the  pit  and  to  thank  

  11  
him  for  his  wisdom  and  for  the  truth.  I  stumbled  before  the  spirit  and  fell,  exhausted  
by  the  quest.  I  looked  up  into  Grandfather’s  face,  his  buckskin  robes  white  against  
the  dark  sky,  and  I  saw  the  quillwork  of  Earth,  Spirit,  and  the  Creator.  Crying,  
Grandfather  said,  “Welcome  to  the  Vision  of  Love,  Grandson.”  And  my  forty-­‐day  
quest  was  over,  forever  changing  my  life.  

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