Oscar Meyers Part 2: Academia By Lazlo Zalezac Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2005 Chapter 35 Returning to their dorm room, Debbie noticed that Oscar’s name had been removed from the name plaque beside the door and had been replaced by We Gahe Sukawaka. She thought about mentioning it to Oscar, but unpacking from their trip to the great plain drove the thought form her mind. Of course, Oscar didn’t help by making jokes about how much gear she had taken on the trip. After unpacking, the trio went to find some food. On the way, one of the students nodded at the three of them. It took them by surprise since most of the students were still distant around Oscar. When the student was about to pass Oscar, he grinned and said, “We Gahe Sukawaka.” Turning to look at the student, Oscar asked Georgia, “Did he say we go suck water?” “I don’t think so,” Georgia answered although it did sound a little similar to that. Debbie shrugged her shoulders and said, “Let’s eat. I’m starved.” “Sure thing,” Oscar said. He put an arm around Debbie and then around Georgia. The trio had just about reached the cafeteria when another student, while passing them, grinned and said, “We Gahe Sukawaka.” Georgia said, “I don’t know what he said, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t we go suck water. It sounded more like, We going suck a egg.” “That wasn’t it,” Oscar said staring at the back of the student walking away from them. The three of them turned in time to see another student who was passing by chuckle and say, “We Gahe Sukawaka.” Confused they went into the cafeteria and picked out a meal. When they went to pay for it, the cashier looked at Oscar and said, “We Gahe Sukawaka.” It didn’t seem like a malicious statement, but it seemed to him as if some joke was being played upon him. Oscar asked, “What did you just say to me?” “We Gahe Sukawaka.” “What does that mean?” Oscar asked. “It’s your new name,” the cashier answered with a grin. Not having a good feeling about what he would learn, Oscar requested, “Would you translate that for me into English?” The cashier looked around the room and said, “Go ask David Bear Claw.” Frowning Oscar picked up his tray and headed over to the table where David Bear Claw was seated. The young man laughed when Oscar put his tray on table and asked, “How are you doing, Oscar Meyers?” Frowning, Oscar asked “What are people calling me?” “We Gahe Sukawaka.” David Bear Claw answered just as Debbie and Georgia arrived at the table with their trays. “What does it mean?” Oscar asked taking his seat. “It means Broken Horse.” David Bear Claw answered. He chuckled at the expression of dismay that flickered across Oscar’s face. Georgia and Debbie burst out laughing. Georgia was the first of the three to recover and said, “Just think about it, Oscar. You can be the main character in the movie, A Man Called Broken Horse.” The entire table broke out laughing while Oscar laid his head on the table and covered it with his hands. One of the other students said, “I’m not sure there is a Hollywood actor short enough to play that role.” “Just kill me and be done with it,” Oscar said with a groan. He knew he was never going to live down his first horse ride. He sat back in his chair and eyed his food. He said, “I think I just lost my appetite.” “Eat well, We Gahe Sukawaka. Tomorrow you begin your fast,” David Bear Claw said. “I forgot about that,” Oscar said looking down at his food. It would be three days before he had a chance to eat again. Oscar stumbled away from the sweat lodge and followed the path to a private place. He had no idea what to expect. Kotyit had suggested that he would encounter an animal spirit and it would lead him to a vision. This was to be a private journey that Oscar would share with the wise men when he returned. The small meadow seemed to be the perfect place to stop and Oscar collapsed onto the ground. Lying on his back, he stared up at the blue sky above wondering what animal would come to him. The ground was soft underneath his body, giving him the feeling that it was embracing him. He looked to his left and saw the fat man sitting next to him. “You were expecting an animal?” the fat man asked. The feminine timber to his voice was always a wonder to Oscar. “Sure,” Oscar answered not wanting to rise from his position. His clothes were gone and his cock painfully erect. “How about a duck? Maybe a chicken? I know, how about a rabbit?” the Two-Sided One asked. Oscar sat up and gazed upon the Two-Sided One. Once again he wondered how it was that he had been chosen to serve a power of such mystery. The idea that he could be so blessed took his breath away. One could claim that by human standards that the figure before him was grotesque. That would be true for a person who saw only through human eyes. The Two-Sided One was the embodiment of all mysteries. The body was constantly shifting from male to female. The Two-Sided One understood both the male and female spirit. The Two-Sided One embodied all of the secrets of the human mind. Not knowing where the words came from, Oscar said, “At least you didn’t offer a horse.” The Two-Sided One chuckled and said, “That’s what I like about you. You have a wonderful sense of humor.” The transformation from male to female completed. The Two- Sided One was rubbing herself between the legs, a finger dipping into the slit that hid under rolls of fat. Oscar’s erection became painful. He glanced over to the side and saw a pair of copulating rabbits. Looking back at the Two-Sided One, Oscar asked, “Am I to begin my service now?” The Two-Sided One lifted a monstrous breast and toyed with her nipple. After a long minute, she said, “When you started, I sent you to the Druid College without telling you of the service that I was requesting.” “And I accepted it without knowing what you asked of me,” Oscar said nodding his head. “Over time it became clear to you that you were to bring peace to the Middle East,” the Two-Sided One said. “Yes,” Oscar said thinking about how his service had been presented to him; unfolding over time with hints of it here and there. The Two Sided One studied Oscar and then said, “You do not have to accept this service.” “I have accepted it,” Oscar said confident that he was accepting his death by his answer. “You must understand the full consequences of your decision to accept this service before I will accept you,” the Two-Sided One said. The feminine figure was changing to the masculine. The breasts were shrinking with the belly growing. Her clitoris was elongating into a penis. Oscar looked at the Two-Sided One and said, “I will die because of this service. I know that.” “You fully accept that as a consequence of your service?” the Two-Sided One asked. His hand snaked down to his cock and started playing with it. “Yes, I do,” Oscar said. “So you accept this service fully aware that it will lead to your death?” the Two-Sided One asked. “Yes,” Oscar answered knowing that by his answer, he was accepting his death. “Why?” Oscar was silent while trying to formulate an answer. After five minutes, he looked up at the Two-Sided One with tears in his eyes. He answered, “When I began my service to the God, I was about to be killed. The years since then have been the happiest of my life. They were years that I would not have had without the intervention of the Gods and Goddesses. How can I refuse your request?” “By saying, I won’t do it,” the Two-Sided One answered. “I can’t,” Oscar replied. His erection throbbed as the figure started to blur in front of him. The Two-Sided One appeared to become two people, a man and a woman joined by holding hands. Both were amazingly beautiful. The woman leaned over and kissed Oscar on the forehead. In a soft voice, she said, “You can, but you won’t.” “I won’t,” Oscar said feeling that he had stepped across a very important line. His cock was so hard that it had become painful. He believed that his service would begin at that moment. The male reached out and touched Oscar’s shoulder. In a deep, very masculine voice, he said, “We will ask you again when you are to begin your service.” “It is not to begin now?” Oscar asked feeling tears welling up in his eyes. “Not yet,” the woman said. “What have I failed to do?” Oscar asked wanting nothing more than to begin his service. The male half of the Two-Sided One said, “Things must develop according to their own time. The ways of men are slow and attitudes take time to develop. The conditions must be right or all is lost.” “Do I have the wrong attitude?” Oscar asked looking from man to woman and back again. “The fault is not within you, but in others,” the female half added in a voice that was so sexy that hearing it was almost sufficient to trigger an orgasm. “Enjoy the time between now and when I call you to service, Oscar Meyers,” said the male half. A shudder went through Oscar’s body as he ejaculated all over himself and the Two-Sided One disappeared. Oscar woke lying on his back. He stared up and found that his view of the sky was blocked by leaves. He wondered what he was supposed to do. He looked at the path that he had walked down to reach this place and decided it was time to return to the sweat lodge. If a visit with the Two-Sided One didn’t count as a vision, then nothing did. Standing, he looked around and realized that he was not in a meadow. He had been on the path in a spot between two trees. He walked down the path towards the sweat lodge realizing that he had no idea how far he had traveled. The elderly men, shaking their heads, looked from one to another. Oscar had finished telling them what had happened after going on his vision question. Finally, Kotyit said, “Your vision troubles us.” “Why?” Oscar asked surprised by the negative reaction to his story. “The Great Spirit did not come,” another of the men answered. “I serve the Gods and Goddesses,” Oscar said in explanation. “It is wrong that our ways be mocked like this by you and your Gods and Goddesses,” said one of the younger men there. His comment was acknowledged by several of the men. Oscar said, “I am not a member of any of the tribes. I serve the Gods and Goddesses. I think it would have been wrong for there to be any other result of my vision quest. My quest is not to become one with the Great Spirit, but to further my service to the Gods and Goddesses. My time here has allowed me to understand your ways better. It was never intended that I would adopt them.” After listening to the two sides argue, Kotyit knew it was time to end the argument. He was the only one there who knew anything about Oscar’s future service to the Gods and Goddesses. The Middle East was a long way from South Dakota, but the turmoil there affected lives everywhere. He said, “Oscar is right. He is not a member of any of the tribes. His journey through the world takes him on a different path than ours.” “He’s one of those conmen trying to steal our ways,” the younger of the men answered. “If that was true, then I would be claiming success,” Oscar said. Several of the men nodded at his logic. The youngest man there asked, “How would you like it if I went to your sacred glade and stomped through it?” He turned to look at the man and said, “You could enter the Glad that has been consecrated to the Gods and Goddesses. I imagine that you would leave it either a servant to one of them or unchanged.” “You would allow me to do that?” “All are free to enter the glade. It is up to the Gods and Goddesses to accept them in or to reject them,” Oscar answered. The elderly men looked from one to another communicating with their eyes rather than their mouths. After thirty seconds, the youngest of them said, “I will go there and meet these Gods and Goddesses.” Nodding his head, Kotyit said, “Ohola U Tiwahe shall go to the Carter Glade.” Oscar stepped out of the sweat lodge. David Bear Claw was waiting for him with a bottle of Gatoraide. He had served as Dog Soldier and finished his duties by handing him the bottle. He said, “Drink this. It will replenish the salts and minerals you have lost.” Taking a small sip of it, Oscar said, “Thank you.” “So what animal came to you?” “None,” Oscar answered. Looking at Oscar in surprise, David Bear Claw asked, “What do you mean, no animal came to you?” “I met with the Two-Sided One,” Oscar answered. He wasn’t going to mention the two rabbits he had seen in the meadow. David Bear Claw stared at Oscar trying to decide what he thought of the matter. For a long time he had been convinced that Oscar was one of those new age conmen who wanted to claim that he had been taught the secrets of the Great Spirit. With time, he had decided that wasn’t the case. Hearing Oscar say that he had not seen an animal spirit on his vision quest brought his doubts back in force. Gruff, he said, “You should go wash in the stream.” David Bear Claw watched Oscar go. When Kotyit came out of the sweat lodge, he turned to the older man and asked, “What do you think?” Kotyit examined the young man for a moment and then answered, “Talks with Animals said that Oscar would respect our traditions. I have great trust in what Talks with Animals tells me.” “Yes, sir,” David Bear Claw replied. He hoped that Talks with Animals was right this time. He watched Oscar rinse the sweat from his body in the stream. He asked, “What now?” “Ohola U Tiwahe will go to the Druid Glade when Oscar returns to the Druid College,” Kotyit answered. “I would like to go with him,” David Bear Claw answered. He had to know the truth about the Druids. Kotyit knew that David Bear Claw, like many of the younger true people, did not trust the Druids. Taking a deep breath, he said, “It was the Grand Druid who made it possible for our college to exist.” “I don’t trust them.” “Never forget that it was a Druid who discovered the curse upon our people. They protected that secret from others until Talks with Animals was of age to remove it. They kept the government from interfering,” Kotyit said. “What price do they ask for their help?” David Bear Claw. “They have asked no price.” “What about asking us to allow Oscar to study our traditions?” David Bear Claw asked. It was the belief of many that Oscar was here to steal their heritage. “He is here for a purpose that is far greater than what you can possibly imagine,” Kotyit said. “How do you know that?” Kotyit answered, “He has not only studied our ways. He has studied Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism. There is a reason for that and it doesn’t have anything to do with our beliefs alone.” “Do you think it is the beginning of their war against all other beliefs?” David Bear Claw asked. “I think your question shows that despite the time you’ve spent with Oscar that you don’t know much about Druids,” Kotyit said. He watched Oscar get dressed by the stream. Turning back to the young man, he said, “It is a good idea if you go with Ohola U Tiwahe. I think that you will have much to learn there.” “Thank you, Kotyit.” David Bear Claw was just beginning his second year. Oscar had come to take a portion of the first year curriculum. It might be wise to allow David Bear Claw an opportunity to experience a little of the Druid College. Nodding his head at the rightness of the idea, Kotyit said, “Yes. The Druid College is our sister school. We have not yet sent any of our students there to learn about what goes on within that school. I will call the Grand Druid and ask him to accept you there for a year.” Staring at the head of the College, David Bear Claw asked, “What will I study there?” “You wish to be a veterinarian, correct?” “Yes.” “They have a biology program there,” Kotyit said. Debbie and Georgia were happy to see Oscar. Three days of separation were almost too much. Debbie had caught up on her lab work and Georgia had played war games with the seniors. When Oscar walked into the cafeteria they gave him a warm welcome. It was a much more intimate display than the Native Americans students were comfortable with observing. David Bear Claw stood behind the trio wanting to enter the cafeteria. The problem was that the threesome was blocking the entrance. After a minute, he cleared his throat and said, “Excuse me. Would you mind taking that to your room?” Realizing that they were attracting too much attention, Debbie stepped back and said, “Sorry.” “I’m very hungry,” Oscar said. “Sorry about that. It’s just that we missed you so much,” Georgia said. The pair of men went through the cafeteria picking out their meals while the women returned to their table. Oscar had to fight the urge to load his plate with more food than would be good for him to eat after a fast. He made his way to the table where Georgia and Debbie were seated with empty plates. He sat down across the table from them. Much to Oscar’s surprise, David Bear Claw joined them. The young man had been very quiet since Oscar had come out of the sweat lodge. Looking over his meal, David said, “I’ll be going back to the Druid College with you.” Shocked, Debbie asked, “Why?” “Kotyit says that I’m to spend a year there as a student and get to know more about the Druids,” David Bear Claw answered. Oscar moaned and cradled his head in his hands. Worried, Debbie asked, “What’s the matter, Oscar?” “Everyone there is going to start calling me Broken Horse,” Oscar said shaking his head.