The Devil In The Details

by anita marie moscoso 

 Based on the Soul Food Cafe Alphabet Project:

 “I ” is For Illumination   http://www.dailywriting.net/Alphabet/I.html                                     

 

Travel with me to a little town in Washington State called Stedman -don’t worry we’ll be long gone before Sunset…

Kersey Goss works for an office supply store.She takes phone orders for pens and paper, for business cards and blank forms. She even orders jars of candy for offices receptionists to put out on their desks next to acrylic card caddies that hold business cards.You might not get excited when things fruit scented pens and new colors of post-it notes hit the streets but Kersey Goss does.

Last year Kersey parted her hair on the left side of her head instead of the right and even changed her perfume from “Sweet Lilly” to something called “ Lemon Splash “and everybody noticed.

Well to be precise, everybody was stunned into silence when they saw Kersey and her new look.Times may change and fashion may change and every time it rains the earth changes too; but Kersey Goss doesn’t change.

 It’s a fact of life out there in Stedman, Washington.

It was a slow day around Harmon and Sons Office Emporium and Wayne Kirkland who was a Grandson of one of the “Sons” in Harmon and Sons was reading the newspaper. He was always reading the newspaper…if he wasn’t reading the newspaper he was doing the crossword  ( where he filled in the words WRONG and purpose in glitter pen ) and if he wasn’t doing the crossword he was doodling mustaches and horns on the pictures of politicians and anything else that caught his eye.  

Anyway,  on that slow day Wayne saw an article in the Stedman Times that nearly sent him into hysterics. He was about to start drawing and doodling when he looked up and saw Kersey at her desk.

She was smiling and humming and busy filling a phone order. She was telling somebody all about the new line of papers they would be carrying for computer printers. 

Wayne bit his lips to keep from laughing and as he did reached into his desk for his scissors.

Then he spread the newspaper across his desk started to cut.

When Kersey came into work the next morning she reached for her inbox and pulled out her shipped order forms and was about to file them away when a news clipping floated down from the top tray and landed on her desk blotter.She turned it over and read the headline:

 Grave Robbers Strike Rural Cemetery- Law enforcement Officials now working with Local Health Department as the investigation into recent grave desecrations in GreenviewCounty escalates….

 Written across the story in red glitter pen was:

 KERSEY GETS A HOBBY

Kersey carefully folded the article in half and  dropped it into her wastebasket. Then she went back to her work.  

 

A week later Kersey found another clipping in her in box and she turned it over briefly and saw something about “ Ghoulish Discovery” at Edmonds Cemetery and Funeral Home in Burr County. Written across this article in purple glitter pen was:

 COOKING WITH KERSEY

She pressed her lips together and looked up at Wayne. He was trying very hard not to laugh and finally he couldn’t help himself. “Why are you doing this Wayne? It’s not funny you know.”  Kersey shook her head but instead of throwing away the article about the Ghoulish Discovery she read it…she read it twice.   

 

For the rest of the month Wayne kept dropping the Grave Robbing stories into Kersey’s mailbox and he finally stopped one day because Kersey wasn’t neatly folding the articles up and dropping them into her trash basket anymore.

Wayne noticed Kersey was smoothing the articles  out and then she paper clipped them together and then she put them into her desk drawer.

On that last day Kersey  looked up at Wayne and caught his eye.   She shook her head and she said in the clear and concise way she talked to vendors who didn’t deliver to her customers  on time, “I really need to do something about you Wayne. I can’t have this kind of attention”

 “Oh come on Kersey. Can’t you take a joke?” Wayne asked.  Then he went on, ” no one could ever believe you were out there in the dark with a shovel robbing graves and if my Uncle is right… and he probably is considering he’s the Sheriff in Burr, you’re not doing a little midnight snacking on what you dig up after all that work.”

 Kersey dropped her pen into her pen holder and then she got up walked over to Wayne’s Desk. “Grave Robbing isn’t something you do Willy-Nilly, Wayne. You have to be prepared and meticulous and quiet. You have to know exactly what you’re doing.”

When Kersey was at Wayne’s desk she dropped her cool lemon scented hand on top of Wayne’s head and said,  “Organization, Wayne,  is the secret to be a success at any given profession. But if you knew that you would be a full partner instead of be working for your Daddy. Isn’t that right?” 

 Wayne nearly picked up his glitter pen and stabbed Kersey in the eye with it because at that moment he never realized how awful it was to be that close to Kersey.

The next morning Wayne was at work an hour before anyone else got in…including Kersey who was always exactly 15 minutes early. He flipped on all of the lights and without realizing it he grabbed a box cutter from the sales counter and took it with him to Kersey’s desk.

He sat in her chair for a minute without moving a muscle and then he reached down and opened her bottom desk drawer.   It was as neat and organized as the rest of her desk.  

The first thing he took out were the newspaper clippings with his glittering comments.

The next thing he took out were maps and Wayne could see they weren’t street maps they were the maps you got from Funeral Homes so that you could find graves out in the cemetery.

Each of the maps had little blue boxes with red check marks inside of them written in Kersey’s neat hand.

Then one map  caught his eye in particular because it was for the “ Pioneer Cemetery”

Pioneer was were all of  the Harmon’s were buried; it was sort of a famous place not because of who was buried there but because of the statue that was suppose to come to life on Halloween if you walked around it three times backwards and said “ Satan Loves Me.”

But Wayne wasn’t really thinking of that statue, he was looking at a little area on the Pioneer Cemtery map called “Reflection Meadow” where Kersey had written“Wayne Harmon for dinner next Friday”

Wayne dropped the map on Kersey’s desk and as the papers floated downwards  a cool lemon scented hand dropped onto the top of his head.       

                            

Myth and History

There are numerous historical and mythical stories about the mountains being associated with ‘white’, while the sea and low waters are linked with ‘black’.  Triglav is a fine example of pristine white, and to the East of my chosen land is the
Black Sea; but the karst is also a run from the white to the black.  Thought time and culture, white and black have been used to indicate a separation of thoughts – antipodes in contemplation of any type.  It has only been linked with Western concepts of ‘good-evil’ since the 17th century – and any reading of myth and ancient history should not use that overlay. In the Trebusca-Duuran system of divination (of which I shall write a book), the Caster Calls (painted ends of small sticks) is not used, as this would represent “absolute spirit with absolute power” – impossible for any human to handle.  We need only look to myth for the reason why. 

NIGHT MESSENGERS These thoughts relate to persons and events of mostly Turkic origin, but with involvement and acknowledgment of the Alan, Mongols, Chinese, Persian, Scythian and Thracian references.  I will pretend that all of these have a common legend source.  The earliest reference is about 5000 BCE.  The latest in the 11^th century when the Marmaluk Sultan decreed, “the white and black need not ride together.”  Many scholars feel this reference is to the ‘Yin-Yang’ dichotomy.  I know better. 

The name of the people/event can be translated as “Night Messengers,” “Night Riders,” “Shadow Hawks,” “Dark Wind,” etc.  I used to use ‘NightRiders’, but this has unfortunate connotations of racist American history and ancient Chinese societies.  I once invented the name ‘Shadus’ for another purpose – I will use that. As noted earlier, documentation is virtually impossible as the Shadus were ‘invisible’ within the cultures directly related – nomadic Turkic clans/principalities.  These people rapidly adapted to local environments and survival exigencies with attendant ‘aculturalization’.  However, these clans had a need for communication and were bonded by a common language and spirituality (not religion).  The uniqueness of the structure of the Turkish language allowed/required a continuous return to base concepts and ‘purity’ of stories.  Additionally, nomadic people had enough problems warring with new cultures without fighting amongst themselves.  What evolved was a system of communication between the “princes” that was protected from any local squabbles or power plays.  These messengers were the Shadus, and they form an ideal convergence of need and function that is unique in history (my limited view). 

On the surface, the Shadus was a team of two riders.  One was the ‘ultimate warrior’ – invincible in battle.  The other was of the Güslerindeniçi – seers/wizards/shaman/priest.  Thus they represented both physical and spiritual power and, by agreement, untouchable by either military or religious forces.  They represented ultimate power and authority – a terrifying thing.  This ‘threat’ was rendered impotent by decree and custom that they could not interact with common people – not in speech, food, drink or touch.  They were culturally ‘invisible’.  Whether they rode only at night is debatable – but they were cloaked in darkness and were never seen nor referenced by any Turkic accounts.  However, other cultures like the Alan did speak of them.  One story relates that it had been 1500 years since an Alani had stopped a ‘dark-flyer of the Türqüsi on their divine horse with one head white the other black’.  The implication is that these ‘most fierce warriors in history’ would allow the Shadus to pass. Now the good stuff.  The reason for the Shadus’ power and effectiveness is founded in a puzzle.  It is known that they rode two horses, one white and one black.  Each was dressed completely in white and black with veiled hoods.  Each had crossed silk scarves across their chests in opposing color.  It is not clear which person rode which horse.  It is legend that it was never known which was the warrior, and which the shaman.  Thus how could you challenge them?  What man would risk his spirit or his might in making the wrong choice? 

In post-medieval times we have come to equate white with good and black with evil.  This was not so then.  Black often represented honor, valor and strength; while white stood for purity, chastity, etc. – but this distinction was not ‘religious’.  Consider that for any problem you can call on (or challenge) ultimate power in either physical or spiritual form – but that if you choose the wrong one, it is death (physical or spiritual).  Standing in front of you are two champions – but you have no way of knowing which is which – and they are inseparable.  You may choose to ‘not see them’ either.  Thus is the myth of the Shadus. Now, I will play ‘fast and loose’ with possible extensions of this myth (but they were real).  Consider: 

• The ‘Yin-Yang’ depiction and represented dichotomy may derive from the Shadus
• The Zarathustran construction of ‘duality’ that is now part of most modern theistic religions is based on the Shadus.
• The use of the cross to symbolize sanctuary and protection is derived from the Shadus.  Indeed, Turkic clan members voted by crossing their arms before their faces – fists turned inward in negation or defiance; outward open palms for agreement.  Thus, the ‘open hand’ as a sigh of friendship (no weapon), and the modern handshake all could relate.  The Egyptian representation of ‘ka’ is two open, extended arms (life-force).  When the right arm is crossed against the chest it is a sign of physical support (also Roman).  When the left arm is crossed over it is a sign of piety, normally with bowed head.  To perform both actions together is a sign of fielty – complete commitment.  An acknowledgment of the Shadus.
• The Gusari were a medieval extension of this myth to the extent they were used as couriers by European princes.  They owed allegiance to no man and embraced all religious practices, and were considered exempt from local laws.  They were often ex-knights and were hired as trainers of martial arts.  To announce their coming they sent forth a medallion of a white falcon on a black background; or a black trizub on a white background.
• In medieval
  Turkey, performing magicians (safic) were not allowed to do anything resembling ‘arcane magic’ (mystical/occult).  Only the ‘seeing ones’ could do this, and they could not use ‘tricks’ to enhance their work.  The safic performed on patterned black and white rugs – the ‘seeing ones’ (Güslerindeniçi) carry a string of black and white beads.

I am sure you each can provide additional extensions.  Some of this may be ‘reverse engineering’, yet … 

Mongolian Shamans were depicted as dressed in white on a white horse, while the eversought ‘center tree’ was starkly black. The black and white tail feathers of raptors are always the most prized. 

Medieval knights in vigil wore only black and white, with a red sash to represent the blood of Christ (left to right) – in giving oath their sword was crossed right to left. I am going to suggest that ALL of our use of black and white symbolism, and that of the cross, originate from a single source that took visible, active form for more than 6000 years in the rides of the Shadus. 

or so it blends in the Valley of Whispers

The Duuran