Porcelain Skull

INTRODUCTION
Who knows where love and attraction come from? Are we really drawn to anything outside ourselves? Is it possible perhaps, that most of the time we are attracted to something in ourselves, mirrored in an external form? Was The Indian youth under a spell, or the bear? Did they fall into a mutual enchantment, and does that make their love any less valid, or tragic?

THE MIS EN SCENE
A young man named Porcelain Skull lived with his family near where the Snake River bends around the mountain. Every Spring he would disappear and not return until after the leaves started falling. He would go up, into the mountains, and live like a wild thing.

THE HUNTER AND THE HUNTED
A girl bear had her den near where Porcelain Skull liked to fish, and she watched him every day, admiring his strength and smoothness, and his skill in fishing.Every night she would prowl outside his brush tent, intoxicated by his man smell, wanting to come closer, but fearful.One night, as Porcelain Skull was lying half asleep, dreaming of being pleasured, he heard a sound outside his tent. He leapt to his feet and, grabbing his lance, rushed outside the tent to confront his intruder. He saw only the tail end of a Grizzly disappearing into the brush. Porcelain Skull built a fire and slept by it that night.In the morning, he took his lance and tried to track the bear, but the tracks were too blurry.

THEY MEET
The next day the girl bear made herself known. She made herself appear as a young woman, and walked into Porcelain Skulls camp. Porcelain Skull looked up and saw a beautiful girl walk out of the trees. When he asked her what she wanted, she responded by coming up and sitting down beside him. Now Porcelain Skull had a large heart, but he didn't know how to talk to a woman, so they just sat quietly as he offered to share his food with her.Finally he thought to ask her where her camp was. She simply pointed up the mountain, saying, "I came to find out if you want to marry me."Porcelain Skull didn't know anyone who lived up the mountain, and wanted to check with his father. These strangers might be enemies. He said he would be back in ten days with his answer. When Porcelain Skull came back, they fell in love and joined together.They stayed in the camp until after the leaves fell, when Bear Girl said, "Now we will go to my home." When Porcelain Skull saw that her home was underground, fully stocked with food for the winter, he realized that she was a bear, but he didn't care because he loved her so much. They stayed in the cave all Winter, making love and sleeping.

NEMESIS APPROACHES
One night she stirred and roared in her sleep. When Porcelain Skull asked her what was the matter, she asked him to build a fire. By the fire she sang a song, and Porcelain Skull could see the blood rushing out of her mouth. She sang, "This is not my blood you see. It is the blood of five men who are coming to kill me. In the morning I will do my killing."The next day she wore a different dress, a red dress, her killing dress. When the hunters gathered outside the cave, she rushed outside and killed four of the five hunters. The fifth one ran away.The next night, Bear Girl dreamed again. Again She sang by the fire and blood ran from her mouth, saying, "This is my blood you see. Ten men are coming to kill me. In the morning I must meet them.When she woke she put on her red dress, the killing dress. This time the hunters draped a mans clothes over a framework of sticks, When Bear Girl, smelled the man smell she roared and rushed out of the cave, only to feel the sting of their lances. She was brave and strong, but she died at the hands of the hunters.Then Porcelain Skull could hear the hunters talking among themselves, saying, "There must be another one in there." He came out, and went home with the hunters in great sorrow. It was silently agreed among the men that no one must ever speak of this thing to the tribe.

THE END OF THE MATTER
All this happened the year before the white fur trappers came. That year, Porcelain Skull disappeared and went to live alone on the mountain.

AFTERWORD
In falling in love with Bear Girl, Porcelain Skull broke the social code. He fell in love with a reflection of something in himself with which his people were not comfortable, so it had to be broken. What they broke was Porcelain Skulls heart.

with grateful thanks to Daniel, the Guy in The Desert, who first posted this story but with some slight name differences.