The Native Spirit on the Reservation Tracks

This will simply be a collection of my thoughts and stories of what is unknown. I have had thousands of experiences, but as we know, with time, these fade. I wanted to record them somewhere. On top of that, I wanted to discuss these experiences with a community. To begin, I have no reason to lie or share false information here. What you read is true, assuming there aren't any logical explanations. Skepticism is always welcome.

The Native Spirit on the Reservation Tracks

The Navajo reservation is vast, but empty, or so it appears. To new eyes, it seems like nothing is here or there. To more experienced eyes, the blue skies, straight lines of mesas, and the occasional spotted hogan prove that it isn't quite as empty as it first appears. In spirit, it is certainly full.

I once dated a handsome Navajo man who lived in the heart of the reservation. I quickly grew accustomed to the lovely landscapes, but perhaps I was too trusting of the space.

On a bright but cool summer day, my then boyfriend, his sister, and I decided to walk to the nearby railroad tracks. I'm not sure why we decided to do this, other than the fact there was not much else to do. Plus, when you're younger, I feel like you have some type of capacity toward exploration. By the way, I'm not that old, but that is beside the point.

We walked on the dusty road, and for whatever reason, my boyfriend decided to stay in his truck. His sister and I headed down the railroad tracks, nothing standing out in the distance. Sage brush, the occasional tree, and some trash encompassed us, but these were all specks in the vastness of the desert. The nearest hogan was miles away, and trees were short due to elevation. There really was not much reason for anybody to be out here. In fact, there was probably no reason to be out here, especially in the scoring summer sun. Despite the coolness of the breeze, the sun made its mark on my skin.

We talked and giggled halfheartedly. We had no plans or intentions.

We stopped when we saw an elderly lady in traditional Navajo clothing in the distance. She looked to be 60-80 years old.

We continued to walk, but then stopped again. It finally struck us that something was off.

"Do you see that?"

His sister turned to me, speechless.

We started running back toward the truck. Then we stopped again.

We turned around. She was gone.

The thing is, there is nowhere she could have gone or even hid. Certainly, that old lady could not run. On top of that, there was no housing near - there was not even a reason for anybody to be out here, especially dressed in heavy, traditional clothing in the dry, hot heat.

We ran back to the truck, breathlessly trying to express what we had seen, but what did it mean to anybody unless they, too, had seen it?

I still think of it to this day. Was it some type of glitch? Was it a ghost? Was it just our imaginations? Did we see a moment of history? Everything feels far-fetched, but I know this memory is real.