New France

my father made a deal with a frenchman who told him we would go to paradise if we believed in his god for tools made of steel we took him up the river that walks along the way i fell in love with his attendant the frenchman wore a black robe and luke wouldn’t look at me whenever he was around i asked luke about it he said it was complicated one day my father took me aside and said you’re a pretty girl too pretty for a frenchman i smiled that maybe so father my father believed that nothing the french did made much sense if france is so much better than new france why do they come here to die alone so far away from their clan he asked i had no answer it didn’t make sense to me either i asked luke if the black robe is a demon we were laying on the snow under a tree he said no he isn’t he doesn’t sleep with women i said that is kind of strange isn’t it luke said and smiled but i’m not sure i trust him my uncles and an ottawa medicine man convinced my father to abandon the black robe and luke and go to our winter hunting grounds luke left the black robe and followed us my father told my mother that luke follows us because he lusts after your daughter she’s your daughter too my mother said my father grunted my uncle aimed his arrow at luke my father stopped him and decided we should go back and get the black robe we told him we would take him to the huron mission my father said we found the black robe hiding behind bushes he tried to warn us but we were ambushed by an iroquois hunting party and taken prisoner my mother and uncle were killed in the skirmish and they marched us to their village while they were deciding what to do with us they took my sister from my arms and slit her throat that night i tricked a guard with my body and hit him on the head with a piece of firewood i cut my father and luke loose we will leave the black robe i said my father said no and we ran through the snow to our boats on the river my father wanted to go back the black robe said we will go to the huron village they would never expect us to go up the river you are not as dumb as i thought my father said my father had a arrowhead in his side the black robe said if we take it out you will die my father is a warrior he knew his blood was black he had a dream throughout his life about an island and a bird it was very cold when we found the island my father laid down under a leafless tree on the snow you must go with them he told me but i could not leave him my father said it’s no use leave me here like my dream if i had known it was a death dream i would have been braver i would not have shied away from things that scared me all of my life i have been so greedy the black robe wanted to bury my father he stays as he lays i said he is not Christian luke and i and the black robe went on to the huron mission take care of her the black robe said to luke i will stay with you luke said to the black robe i wasn’t surprised the black robe smiled but he looked sad you are all that she has i will be ok the black robe said so we left him almost alone and now i am french but i still believe that my dreams are more important than life and i will teach my french children this in the land my husband calls new france