The Guardians
A True Tale of Travels in the Arizona Territory
by
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How I Come to the Big Black Rock I was workin’ my way up north to the San Juan River that fall. I had come up the river they call the Small Colorado, at least I think that was it. Anyway, I left it behind at a tradin’ post and headed almost straight north. There was a big dark mesa along to my right as I worked my way up. Near the end of that mesa I seen a arroyo or as you would call it a small canyon that had some water in it. The water was in pools. So I went down into it so’s I could have somethin’ to drink ever once in a while as I worked my way up north. Eventual I came up to kind of the end of that arroyo or canyon as you would call it but it was really small up at the north end and not really a canyon at all. While I was in the arroyo I seen one of them tarantula spiders which is good for scarin’ girls and young women but really ain’t dangerous at all, and I heard rattles from them rattlesnakes two times but never seen those critters. As I come up out of it I seen a tall black rock stickin’ up out of the ground. I have drawed a picture of it for you to see. It looked like something God hisself had hurled itdown into the ground. Kind of like a real big arrowhead with the back end stuck in the ground. I mean really big because it stood what seemed like a couple hundred feet high. I was glad to see that thing because it was the landmark they had told me about down south earlier in the spring. I knew I was on the right track to get to the San Juan if I seen that big black rock stickin’ up there.
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About the Book
When crossing through a stretch of land in Arizona Territory now known as Monument Valley, Pietr Raul O’Leary, an illiterate wanderer, encounters a strange, silent man blocking his route. Instead of backtracking and taking a longer route around the solitary guardian, O’Leary decides to press on—a decision that will forever change his life. A dust storm materializes suddenly; when it passes, O’Leary discovers he is surrounded by a tribe of mysterious people, apparently native to the valley. They tie him up and take him to their village. He is subjected to a series of trials in which he meets a shaman, the chief of the tribe, changing women, ephemeral beings, and a persistent raven. Eventually, he learns that the people, aided by natural monoliths, are guardians of a special way of life. O’Leary leaves the valley with a message he must share with the rest of the world, but nobody will believe him. A kind, anonymous woman records his words, but the manuscript soon disappears. Years later, the handwritten testament is discovered buried in a desk, bringing to light a valuable lesson for anyone willing to believe the story.
About the Author
Ernie Stech is a resident of Flagstaff, Arizona, and has traveled extensively through northern Arizona and southeastern Utah, including through Monument Valley. The guardians, in one form, still stand in random formation on the edges of this magical land.