Mii nange wii‑­zana­gi­zid a’aw ikwe dego­shing onaa­go­shig bii­da­wid gii­goon­yan begish­ka­na­ni­ni­jin. Inda­ni­mo­shiw wenji‑­mino­maa­mag gii­goonh. Onzaa­mi­doon a’aw ikwe wenji‑­nanii­zaa­ne­ni­mag. Gaa­wiin nini­si­do­tan­zii­nan odi­ki­do­wi­nan, nini­si­do­taan idash omii­jim ji‑­diba’­a­ma­wid. Ingo­naa gii­goonh mii dash noo­pi­na­nag a’aw ikwe.

Ninan­da­we­ni­mig nan­da­waa­ba­mag ogaa­zha­gen­si­man. Indi­baa­ji­mo­ta­wig gii‑­baa­kaa­ko­sing ish­kwaan­dem mii dash gaa­zha­gens gii‑­gii­miid. Imbiin­dige owaa­kaa’­i­ga­nim. Gizii­bii­ga’­i­ga­ning izhi­maa­gwad biin­dig. Inzhiin­gen­daan gizii­bii­ga’­i­gan wenji‑­maa­jaa­yaan wewiib. Azhash­kii­kaa agwa­jiing. Inzaa­gi­toon azhashki bebaa‑­onji‑­didi­bi­bi­zo­yaan bii­nish wii­ni­zi­yaan. Nimi­nwa­man­ji’.

Gezika nimaa­ji­ba­too. Ingii‑­nan­do­maa­maa mitig ezhi­maa­go­zid waa­go­shing. A’aw waa­gosh gii‑­ayaa omaa mii dash geget megwaa­yaak izhi­naa­zhi­ka­waad gaa­zha­gen­san. Imbi­ma’­a­naa a’aw. Niwii‑­mika­waa gaa­zha­gens apii mika­wag waa­gosh. Minwen­daa­gwad i’iw. Nimi­nwen­daan babaa­mi­ni­zha’­wa­gwaa waa­go­shag.

Ban­gan megwaa­yaak, imbe­zhig omaa. Gii‑­gichi‑­izhi­we­bad ish­kwaa‑­naa­wa­kweg wenji‑­gaa­ji­gaa­zo­waad awe­siin­yag geyaabi. Gaa­wiin nimi­ka­waa­siin waa­gosh, gaa­wiin nimi­ka­waa­siin gaa­zha­gens. Aabi­taa‑­dibi­kad wayiiba. Inda­ye­kwa­man­ji’ wenji‑­noo­gi­ba­too­yaan ji‑­zhi­gi­nag mitig. Aji­da­moo ebid wadi­kwa­ning imbaa­pi’ig bii­nish waa­ban­da’ag nii­bi­dan. Ani­mwe­we­ba­too a’aw. Ape­gish wii‑­mawa­di­shid wayiiba – nimi­sa­daang biin­ja­yi’ii.

“Aandi dash a’aw gaa­zha­gens‑­ish?” indaa­biji‑­gagwe­ji­mi­diz babaa­mo­se­yaan megwaa­yaak bisha­giish­kaag. “Aaniish mayaa­jaad ji‑­oka­wi’­aa­si­wag? Wego­nen endoo­da­wi­god waa­go­shan?”

Nimi­gosh­kaa­den­dam mii­na­waa nimaa­zhen­dam. (Indaa­ko­ziish­kaa­gon gii­goonh begish­ka­nang nina­gi­zhiing gana­baj.) Zana­gad inda­no­kii­wi­nim. Indaa‑­anweb.

Zii­biing indi­zhaa ji‑­daki­shi­naan. Ago­mo­yaan inga­na­waa­ba­maa dibik‑­gii­zis weji­chaa­go­bii­shing. Gosh­kwaa­waa­di­zi­yaan imba­ga­kaa­ba­maa dibik‑­gii­zis agi­di­biig. Mamaa­jii­yaan nibiing ingaa­we­gi­toon wenji‑­maa­daa’an dibik‑­gii­zis mii dash waa­ba­maa­si­wag. Booch niwii‑­gosh­kwaa­waa­diz ji‑­baga­kaa­ba­mag.

Gezika ingi­ken­daan aandi gaa­zha­gens. Waa­kaa’­i­ga­ning inda­pa­too, onji­gaa­noon nii­ni­zi­san geyaabi. Agwa­jiing ayaa a’aw ikwe nan­da­waa­ba­maad ogaa­zha­gen­si­man. Nimi­gi­naa ji‑­waa­ba­mid.

“Gaa­wiin gidi­nen­dam­zii­min weweni” indi­naa. Gaa­wiin oni­si­do­tan­ziin indi­nwe­wi­nim wenji‑­aabi­daa­na­gi­doo­naan. “Ani­mo­shing ingii‑­inen­dam, gaa­zha­gens idash ginan­da­waa­ba­maa­naan. Ji‑­mika­wan­gid gaa­zha­gens gidaa‑­inen­da­ma­min gaa­zha­gen­sing.”

Waa­kaa’­i­ga­ning imbiin­dige noo­pi­na­zhid a’aw ikwe. Gizii­bii­ga’­i­ga­ning izhi­maa­gwad geyaabi. Injaa­chaam.

“Gii‑­gichi‑­izhi­we­bad mii­na­waa gii‑­gimi­wan. Noon­gom azhash­kii­kaa agwa­jiing. Niin inzaa­gi­toon azhashki, gaa­wiin idash ozaa­gi­toon­ziin gaa­zha­gens.”

Jii­baa­kwe­wi­ga­mi­gong imbiin­di­ge­min. Oko­si­noon bii­zi­kii­ga­nan baa­na­kin. Injaa­chaam mii­na­waa. Inzhiin­gen­daan gizii­bii­ga’­i­gan.

“Gaa­zha­gens omi­nwen­daan aabiji‑­baa­sod. Waa­kaa’­i­ga­ning daa‑­dazhiike ji‑­baa­sod baa­ji­bii­saa­gin.”

Imbii’ bii­nish gana­waa­ba­mid wawiinge. Mii dash naa­zi­ka­maanh bii­zi­kii­ga­nan baa­na­kin.

“Ozhiin­gen­daan i’iw azhashki agwa­jiing gaa‑­onji‑­maa­jaa­sig gaa­zha­gens. Apane omaa biin­dig gii‑­ayaa a’aw.”

Indoom­bi­naa­nan bii­zi­kii­ga­nan. Imaa ayaa gaa­zha­gens api­shi­mod waa­boo­yaa­ning bes­kaag. Inzhoo­miin­gwe­ta­wi­go­naan a’aw gaa­zha­gens‑­ish.

Noon­gom mina­waa­ni­gozi a’aw ikwe. Oga­ga­noo­naan gaa­zha­gen­san wenji‑­gana­waa­ba­mi­sig. Ingi­mood oshki‑­gii­goonh jibwaa‑­maa­jaa­yaan. Wii‑­mino­po­gozi. Gaa­wiin inzhiin­gen­dan­ziin inda­no­kii­wi­nim ayaan­go­di­nong.