Backwoods Boy

Thanks for your observations, Flip Flop. Yes, all of the mentors gathered together in one spot. And you're quite correct - Shago was a desirable piece, indeed

The name came from a short fictional book I read during high school about an Indian in Arizona. I was quite enamored with the story and the name - and the boy, of course

That pretty well sums it up, Scrubber. You notice the story isn't marked "finished" quite yet, though

The other Fancy Dance contestants wore elaborate regalia that highlighted their athletic movements, but Shago did not. Equally colorful and including all of the traditional elements, his was designed to display his muscular body to its best advantage. The feathered double-bustle, headband, armbands, moccasins, and breechcloth were all present, but the rest was hot, young American Indian. His smooth, dark skin glistened with perspiration as he performed in the hot afternoon sun. Benny had ex

Thanks for sharing that experience, Scrubber. The business of working one's way through school resonates with me. Fortunately, when one is young, one has the energy to do that

I was a member for four or five years during my "spiritual quest" period, and didn't encounter it either. A second spelling is "Dallin". The online source listed it as the number one favored name for boys in the LDS church. Perhaps that was historically, but they mentioned a resurgence possibly due to long-time Quorum of the Twelve Apostles member, Dallin Oaks. And in the final analysis, the internet can be a fount of misinformation. In any event, I used the name because I fell in love with it

That he does, but keep in mind that the "fun" is part of the education

Thanks for your continuing encouragement, Reader Paul. I guess I should read all of the comments before answering, since you covered the parent issue better than I did

Thanks, Centex. I appreciate your encouragement. You have lots of good thoughts there, and we will indeed see quite soon. Interesting what you point out about equal time for his dad, who only puts in a few cameo appearances. I guess I saw his mom as the person who really understood what was below the surface - the empathetic parent. Dad only came to the forefront in a leadership role in the rescue chapter. It wasn't a conscious choice - it just "felt right" as the story developed.

I found your thoughts on Celtic ancestry interesting. I selected the name Dallen because it is a popular name in the LDS church that his parents once belonged to. Also because it appealed to me. But as @ReaderPaul pointed out early on, the name is Gaelic meaning among other things "from the valley". Though I chose not to go into it at all, in my mind, Dallen's primary ancestry was from the British Isles, a major source of early membership in the LDS church. The Hawaiian connection was peripheral, but useful to the story. So,logically, your thoughts were very reasonable - and food for thought for the future

Well, you won't have long to wait now to learn quite a bit more

Those are all interesting thoughts, Craig, and some are not far off the mark. A couple more chapters will reach the goal for this story. As I said elsewhere, reader comments have suggested a possible sequel

Thanks for your kind comments, Reader Paul. I appreciate your support. I'm starting to think about a sequel, though I can't mention the theme publicly until this story is complete, except to say that certain reader speculations about where this story might have gone have suggested a direction for a sequel

Yep, that's exactly where we are right now.

I understand your difficulty. I'm way behind on the works of @Geron Kees, and there are three other authors I enjoy that haven't received appropriate attention.

I'm happy I made you smile, Daddy Dave. I doubt if mom and dad believe any of his excuses - they just let him think they do.

Thanks for your observations, Flip Flop, which made me smile. The Wizard of Oz parallel seems fitting at this point. While doing Darren's research for the "Hawaiian connection", I had the same reaction about shape-shifting - it was way too complicated. Then I did some more research on the American Indian concept, and realized that wasn't so simple either, as you'll find out later. But if you want to read some great stories about shape-shifting, I recommend you look at @WolfM's Running with the Pack series if you haven't already.

"Mom, do we have any Hawaiian ancestors?" I hadn't figured out a strategy. I was winging this one. "Why do you ask?" "Well, I met this Hawaiian guy a few days ago, and he thought we might be related." Mom could smell bullshit a mile away. "Let's see, a blue-eyed, blond-haired, white-skinned European is related to a brown-eyed, black-haired, dark-skinned Pacific Islander. Well, this time of year, the skin color might not be so different, I suppose. Maybe he mistook you fo

Outstanding! Appropriate recognition for an excellent collection of stories. I hope this will help inspire many more

Good questions. Tradition has it that historically at the vision quest sites, the physical labor of piling rocks was accompanied by fasting and perhaps peyote. Tradition also has it that the sites are still in use in much the same manner as Pahana used his - meditation with with fasting. Whether peyote or its equivalents are used now, I don't know - accurate information about current use is unobtainable. There are many sites throughout the Columbia Gorge region, many of them well-known and highly accessible. The site that I referred to is little known and difficult to access, and pictures taken 60 years apart show no physical change in them. What "look further" means will become clear eventually. Now that the "shape-shifter" words have been uttered, one might surmise they will surface again. Time and a few more chapters will tell.

Thanks for your comments and speculations, Flip Flop. I appreciate your enthusiasm. As to your questions: Only The Shadow knows (and he's not telling) 🤐

Thanks for reading and for your comments, Centex. Dallen's mom is full of surprises

No problem with the extra post. Technology is great - when it works I fed the lyrics for White Rabbit into the Bing Image Creator. The AI results were interesting, to say the least 🫣 In my opinion, Grace Slick was a fantastic singer. The two referenced songs are my favorites, but Jefferson Airplane of that era did some great work

Well, that last is interesting to speculate about. And he'll have to wait about 50 years for ancestral DNA tests 🤔

Thanks for your comments, Daddy Dave. Personally, I cannot either. Plot-wise, its purpose will become clear