Edited with my appreciation by Barney R. All mistakes are mine.

Author’s Note: The Osage Reservation is on the outskirts of Tulsa OK. I have never been there, and all references except locations are figments of my imagination.

I was awakened by a phone call at 2:00 AM

It had been a busy, tiring day; and I had decided to hit the rack early. Gail, my wife, was out of town on a family medical emergency at her sister’s. It was nothing life-threatening, but very disruptive to Gailia (Gail) and her sister Greta (Rita), so I was alone. I had my sleep disturbed by the phone, and when I looked at the bedside clock, it was just past 2:00 in the morning.

“Is this the Carson residence?” The voice on the phone asked.

“Before I answer that, who are you?” I said.

“This is the Officer John Black Bear of the Osage Tribal Police Office; sorry I didn’t identify myself.”

“Yes, I am Chuck Carson, is something wrong with Eagle or my sister? Or is it something wrong with either of my nieces, Feather or Birdsong?” I must have a panic tone in my voice.

“I am truly sorry, but Eagle Feather Deerkiller and Sara Deerkiller were killed this evening by a hit and run driver. Your nieces are here at the tribal offices with Eagle’s sister. We need you or someone from your family to come out and get the girls, as there has been a threat against them. It looks like your sister and her husband were murdered. It also looks like the work of some people who have taken several young girls off the rez’ in the last year.”

The Officer took a deep breath. “I am married to Eagle’s sister, and we just do not have room to take care of them. We also found a copy of your sister’s will, and she has designated you as guardian of the girls. I am very sorry to have to give you this news.” Then he asked; “Can you come out soon and get the girls and their stuff?”

“I will leave in the morning. Would it be possible for you to box their stuff and get it ready for shipping. When I get there, I will ship it. I will arrange a flight into Tulsa ASAP. Give me a number, and I will call you back when I have an itinerary.”

He agreed to pack, gave me his cell phone number, and ended the call.

I was wide awake now. I called the answering service for my company and informed them that I was taking all of my family leave act 12 weeks and would not be available by phone or e-mail for a couple of days. Then I called my mother. It was not a call I could put off until morning.

“Mother, it’s Chuck, are you wide awake?” I asked when she picked up the phone.

“Chuck, why are you calling me at 2:30 in the morning? Why do I need to be awake?” She was almost hysterical in the sound of panic in her voice.

“Eagle and Sara were killed last night. Probably by some child sex traffickers. The girls are under the Tribal Police protection. I am leaving as soon as I can get a flight to go retrieve them and bring them here. I know it’s bad news, and I know it’s late, but I couldn’t put off telling you. I will call you with the arrangements as soon as I find out what they are. I would think that they would want a tribal rite and final disposition, but I don’t have that information yet.”

After checking online and reserving a round trip for me and two one way tickets for the girls, I got dressed and waited for a couple of hours to call the others that needed to be informed. I left calling my wife until I was sure she would be up as she had enough on her mind with her family problems.

I am Chuck Carson; I am a very successful designer of miscellaneous gadgets. I also write historical fiction that sells very well. I was 36 the night I got the call about my older sister Sara and her husband. I am married to Gailia (Gail) Mason. Gail is 34, and we are childless because I have an extremely low sperm count. We have been married for ten years. We are very fortunate, as we have acquired a decent fortune, so we will not have hardship keeping the girls.

When I called Gail, she had just gotten out of the shower. I asked her to sit down as I had a lot to tell her. I gave her the news and the details of my itinerary.

She said, “Bring them back to the house, and we will keep them safe and loved. I love how you care for everyone in your family. Just like you care for me. We will treat the girls as if they were our own children.”

My flight was scheduled to get me into Tulsa at 1:00 PM. I had reserved a van from Hertz. I had decided that if there was enough room, we would drive back. I did not know how much stuff the girls had, but if I couldn’t fit it all in the van, I could still ship the excess. Murphy laughed.

Eagle was a full-blooded Osage Indian. He was also a doctor. He had no use for the white man’s riches and went back to practice on the reservation. He was a very happy, dedicated doctor and he loved my sister and his daughters.

I know that Sara loved him and their girls. She chose to live with her man with an intense passion that I wish could be bottled and dispensed to all of the married people in the world.

The girls were Robin-feather (Robin), 9-years-old and Evening-birdsong (Eve), 11-years-old. They were the most respectful little balls of mischief anyone could find. They did not have a mean bone in their bodies but could pull the subtlest and funniest little pranks.

Once I arrived at the reservation offices, John shook my hand and delivered more bad news. During the night, someone burned down Eagle and Sara’s house and clinic. It was probably done because the murderers did not get the girls.

That caused a reevaluation in my plans. Now that the girls only owned what they were wearing for possessions, we would fly back, and I would outfit the girls with whatever they needed. I would also provide some things that they might want.

The girls were very subdued, as one would expect. They were sad for their loss but seemed glad to see me. John told me that the arrangements for a tribal funeral ceremony had been made. He asked if I wanted to take Sara’s remains to go to my hometown for a ceremony there. I told him that Sara was a part of the tribe by choice, so the tribal arrangements were the correct and proper way.

I called Gail and mom and got them tickets to fly to the reservation. The ceremony was to be two days after I arrived. I took the girls into Tulsa to get them some clothes that would last until we got to my home.

The ceremony was very moving, the tribal elders were very vocal in their praise of Eagle and of the adopted tribe member, Eagle’s wife and partner, Sara.

When I was asked to speak, I spoke of the love my sister had for Eagle, the girls, and the reservation family she was a part of. I told of Sara’s initial worry that the tribe would look down on her as an outsider, a white woman; instead she was adopted into the tribe and treated like family. I thanked the tribe for the love they gave to them.

Before we all left, I got the girl’s school records and birth certificates. Then I offered the tribe enough money to rebuild the clinic and recruit a doctor. They refused, saying that the casinos were providing enough that they could replace the clinic. They also told me that two of the casino doctors had agreed to staff the new clinic.

When we got back to the house, I put mom up in the guest suite and put the girls in side by side bedrooms near the master. They were very subdued for about a month, then slowly started to get more outgoing. They seemed in awe of the things they were allowed to have and do. Eagle and Sara did not have a lot, but love. They liked their rooms but seemed to sleep together, alternating rooms weekly.

Gail and I tried to show them our love. They must have liked it because they decided that it was ok to prank us. It was nothing serious; once they brought a bottle of water into their room, put orange food coloring in it and using my computer, printed a label saying it was orange juice. Then they hid the real juice. Like I said earlier, mischievous, but not mean spirited.