Volume Three

It was shortly after the name change that I had a dream where I was Sampson. My light didn’t shine through physical strength; mine was directed towards creative images. My light was so strong that the original image would pale in its light. Everyone I met was mesmerized by my art.

One day, I met a beautiful goddess who was aluft to my glory. I was curious as to why. Every time I would strive to bring her within my aura, she would hide within the shadows. There was always a secret side, something, no matter what, she wouldn’t share. The more I wanted to know, the more she resisted.

Finally, she said her name was Delilah and that she would learn the secret of my strength. I awoke with a cold sweat.




The Leash
It’s impossible to describe the look on Delilah’s face when I put the harness on her. Every limb was in survival in her struggle to be free from it. I had to wrestle it on her, bringing out anger I never seen before, she was hissing at me and threatening with claws open. I learned her look of hatred along with another. When I finally got it on and let her go, it was the look of total disappointment, “how could you do this to me?” Such despair, she collapsed onto her side on the floor and wouldn’t move. It took endless amount of petting to get her to try to get up. Finally she did, took one step and collapsed again, with the same look. Freedom died that day as Delilah was born.

Delilah was introduced to the leash in a National forest. http://www.pbase.com/koyote11/chirachua
The test came when I staked her to a tree. It was sad watching her go over and over again in all directions trying to be free. She would be yanked in mid air and pushed back within her circle of freedom. Finally in exhaustion she sat at the edge of a circle she inscribed on earth. Soon her curiosity gets the best of her and she would get intoxicated with all the smells that a national forest offered.

In short time she was leading us on a trek through the forest in search of new smells. When she tired, I put her in my back pack. However, if she didn’t really want to go there, I would have to contend with four independent claws with the holistic aim of freedom. I usually lose. Fortunately that was rare, most of the time she would rest in the pack and keep a watchful eye out for prey. When she spotted something, she bolted out of the pack with me holding onto the leash in a mad dash after it.

Delilah with her heavy fur coat was no match for the desert sun so I learned the limit of such exercise. Mostly she amused herself at camp along a river, endlessly sniffing within her paradise.

One night, Delilah escaped the confines of our tent. By butting her head repeatedly at the intersection of the three zippers, she was opening a space for escape. The effort paid off, she escaped to freedom. As a rule, I am a very light sleeper to the point of insomnia, but for some karmic reason, I slept soundly till awaken by the rising sun and then discovered that she was gone.

I walked the perimeter of our camp site calling her name. I had a nagging feeling and the question ringing in my head, “what is the secret of my strength?” She was nowhere to be found. I was gripped with panic and I had to fight away images of her being attacked by the many predators inhabiting a national forest. I felt totally helpless.

Then I spotted her. She was sitting quietly not far from the tent waiting patiently in front of a ground hog’s hole. When I got close, she looked at me with a strange look in her eye, one I’ll never forget.