Chapter 10: Pappy's Story

Pappy and BB drove back to the ranch after the family dinner because ranch work needs constant attention. Martha, Seth, and Sean, followed the next morning. Martha asked Seth to remind her to note the date and time in the family bible; September 25, 1975. She viewed the arrival of Sean as the beginning of momentous changes for the Gordian Ranch, and their lives.

Those changes began when Seth's Ford Bronco slowly rumbled across the steel cattle guard that protected the gate from cows straying in or out. The cattle guard was situated about 20 feet from the massive ranch entrance so maintenance on the cattle guard could be accomplished without affecting the entrance itself.

A large symbol of a Gordian knot was burned into the giant oak beam that spanned the forty foot ranch entrance. The knot almost seemed to glow in the morning light as the Flynn's pickup approached the threshold of the ranch. Seth's grandfather named the Ranch after the Gordian knot.

His grandfather told the story of determining the name for the ranch after his first winter in the Bradshaw mountains. He had arrived in the mountains late in the season and barely had time to prepare a place to protect himself from the elements and gather food. It was the worst winter that anyone could remember in the Bradshaw Mountains. Grandpa Flynn said that he found a man froze to death after the first heavy snow storm and all he had with him was a pile of books. Now, books were worth their weight in gold in the late 1800's but the man should have had some food and gear with him too. Grandpa Flynn always shook his head at the stupidity of pilgrims. Grandpa Flynn buried the man and spent the rest of a long cold winter reading those books. One thing that startled him was mention of a Gordian knot in two different contexts.

The first mention was a story about Alexander the Great. Some ancient named Gordias made a knot. Seeing the intricacy of the knot, an oracle declared that whoever succeeded in untying the rope knot would become the king of Asia. In 333 BC, Alexander attempted to untie the knot. When he couldn't find any end to the knot, he proceeded to slice it in half with a stroke of his sword. Grandpa Flynn always thought that was cheating but he wasn't surprised because kings and such didn't play fair anyway. He was impressed with a knot that couldn't be untied.

Another book was translations from something called the Emerald Tablets of Thoth. Now, Grandpa Flynn didn't know anything about Emerald Tablets or where Thoth was but the reading was interesting. They also had a picture that looked a lot like the Gordian knot. The translation said it represented the three levels of existence. Grandpa Flynn quoted it so many times when Seth was young that he knew it by heart. "The circle of Light where dwells nothing but God and only God can traverse it. The circle of Chaos, from which all things by nature arise from death. The Circle of awareness where all things spring from life."

Grandpa Flynn was so impressed that he decided to name his ranch after the knot. He had met a pretty girl in Tucson on his way to the mountains and was thinking that he wanted to build something permanent. He couldn't think of anything more permanent than that Gordian Knot. His new wife agreed with him the following summer.

Sean gurgled contentedly as they approached the entrance and the symbol seemed to glow brighter. A huge red tailed Harris Hawk landed on the beam along with doves, wrens and half a dozen other bird species that populate that area of the Bradshaw Mountains. Sean laughed as they passed under the shadow of the symbol that would define Sean's life.

"And so it begins," Seth said with a chuckle as he watched all the birds fly away in his rear view mirror. He smiled as animal heads started turning towards him as he drove the 150 yards to the barn yard.

BB was pouring grain into a feed trough for the calves they were raising for their own meat locker. Three would provide the family's meat for a year and two were donated to charity every year. The charitys had the option of auctioning off the yearling calves at the county fair and using the money, or butchering and using the meat in food kitchens.

Pappy was moving some mares from a corral to a pasture. One of the mares was showing signs of coming in season and they wanted to keep her separated from the other mares. She was left in the corral with Prince in the corral next to her. Seth planned on breeding her with Prince, their stallion, and he was dangerous to the other mares at times like that.

The animals noticed the pickup entering the yard like all farm animals would and they watched the truck coast to a stop. That all changed when Seth lifted Sean out of the back seat of the Bronco. Prince reared up on his hind legs, and screamed a greeting. The mares Pappy was leading turned and trotted back to the fence, close to the truck. Pappy was cursing all the way because he was being dragged along with them. The bulls, Hamburger and Rib Eye, bellowed and pawed the ground. The calves that BB was feeding abandoned their mash, an unprecedented action, and congregated at the fence. They were all mooing their greeting. Queen, the English Mastiff, and two cats, hurried out of the barn to sit in a row beside Seth. The noise was horrendous.

Sean was looking at the animals as if he were a king surveying his subjects when Pappy walked up. He was muttering something in Spanish and trying to knock some of the dust and fresh cow droppings off his clothes. His jaw was clenched and his face was deathly pale under his swarthy skin. He stopped and looked at the animals before looking back at Sean.

"Sean, I'm assuming that they're telling you hi and that's fine. But, this is a working ranch, and if we can't handle the animals then someone is going to get hurt," Pappy explained in a loud voice to be heard over the bedlam. No one made a comment at the oddity of the statement to a three month old boy.

Sean looked at Pappy, for a moment, then back at the animals. He started gurgling something, and waving his arms and legs, and the noise stopped. He gurgled again, and most of the animals went back to what they were doing. Prince, and Queen, continued watching the baby boy.

BB walked up shaking his head, and said, "I thought what I saw at the Cavalla's was strange, but this is unbelievable."

"It is pretty strange," Pappy agreed with an angry tone. He was scowling when he continued and his voice had an edge that indicated a barely controlled anger. "I've seen some stranger things with animals but this is right up there. It sure wasn't the scariest thing I've seen, but if it looks like it could go in that direction, then I will leave," he said in a flat voice.

Everyone was shocked at Pappy's words. He was a fixture at the ranch. None of them could imagine the ranch without Pappy. Martha broke the silence with, "Let's go in the house, and get some coffee. We can unload the truck later. I want to hear what Pappy's seen that was stranger that might make him want to leave."

Coffee around the kitchen table had been the accepted forum for any serious discussion on the ranch since Seth was a little boy. Determining what to do about a bad report card was decided at the kitchen table over coffee. The same level of seriousness was applied when deciding what to do about a mountain lion killing calves.

"I want to hear about what could scare Pappy off," Seth muttered. "I've never seen him afraid of anything." Everyone heard what Seth said, but no one commented. All of them were worried about what could scare Pappy.

They all started walking toward the house and Martha adjusted the blanket around Sean as they walked. "Sean, if you can talk to them critters then you really do need to let them know they aren't supposed to hurt the men. We don't want Seth or Pappy or BB to get hurt, you know."

Sean started gurgling again as if in answer as they walked. His arms and legs waved and his little hands clenched.

"Senora Martha," Pappy said hesitantly. "Do you really think he knows what you're saying?"

"I don't know for sure Pappy, but he sure seems to respond as if he does. The animals seem to respond to him too," Martha replied, with a sigh.

"And that's what worries me," Pappy replied quietly with a sigh of his own.

"This looks like it's going to get interesting," Martha said just as quietly. "I don't know what's going on and I don't know what could scare you but we'll handle it together, just like we always have. We've handled fires, floods, bear, and mountain cats. We've always made it through. I don't know what's happening, but, we'll handle it, whatever it is, just like we always have." She put an arm around the old Mexican's shoulder and squeezed.

"As for Sean, well, he doesn't have control of his vocal cords, yet, but his other motor controls seem to be ahead of normal. Maybe after he learns to talk we'll have a better idea about what's going on. I wonder what it'll be like when he starts to talk."

"He does seem to have control of his hands," BB observed thoughtfully. "Maybe I should teach him to sign." He opened the door for Martha and the rest of them.

"That might be a good idea," Seth agreed as they all walked into the kitchen. "Then ya'll can tell me what he's talking about."

"Why don't you open that cradle board so it's in an upright position and put Sean on the kitchen table," Martha instructed. "I'll pour some coffee. I want to hear what Pappy has to say."

Moments later they were settled around the old kitchen table and Sean gurgled as if he were urging Pappy to start his story.