Julia was snuggled next to her husband on a wooden swing as they watched the sunset together. The rich coral mountains seemed to glow in the distance and the mood was serene and pleasant. The only sound that could be heard was the clinking sound of the chain as they swung gently back and forth.
John leaned toward his wife and kissed her tenderly and asked, “Julia, sweetheart? Aren’t you worried about leaving April alone with all the wedding plans?”
“Not really. Everything’s been ordered. All she has to do is wait until it arrives. We should be back soon, don’t you think? Besides, we have a Thanksgiving feast to prepare.”
“Have you talked to Kelly?”
“Yes, and he doesn’t know what to think. He can’t live like this much longer…without any income. Right now he’s living off his savings.”
“What did he say?”
“That his place is cursed and the word is spreading like wild fire.”
“What?” John said with disbelief. “Does he really believe that?”
“No. That’s just the gossip going around town. Someone has even put it on the Internet. How can people believe this crap?”
John slapped his knee with disgust. “This is crazy. It’s ludicrous!”
Julia sighed. “I know. Anyway, Kelly said that he believes it all stems from that tour he gave a few months ago.”
“You mean the ‘one week tour’ to the lost Dutchman’s mine?”
“Yes. That one.”
John groaned. “I wish he wouldn’t hike those mountains. Do you know how dangerous Superstition Mountain is? The deaths that have been reported are numerous because it’s such rugged country.”
“But Kelly never takes chances,” she countered. “He’s always careful.”
“I know, but when he took us up there, I got dizzy looking over the edge. And the cliffs? They were so jagged. It’s just not safe. I worry about him. One of these days he just might be a little too over-confident. All it takes is just one wrong step. People have disappeared in those mountains, never to be seen again. Just look at its history! Superstition Mountain seems to tug at people, simply because of all the mysterious things that happen up there. People are curious about the gold mine and the Thunder God, and it goes on and on…”
When they heard the back door close, they turned around and found April standing beside Matthew with a concerned look in her eyes. She looked as if she were in shock as she stared at her parents.
“Are you talking about Uncle Kelly?” asked April. “What about Superstition Mountain? What’s going on, Dad?”
John looked at his daughter, knowing she needed an explanation. “Sit down, sweetheart. We need to talk.”
“Shall I go home?” asked Matthew.
“No. You’re part of the family now. You need to know what’s going on, too.”
He took April by the hand and led her toward the wicker chairs and sat down. Matthew had learned all about Superstition Mountain and he knew it was full of mystery and danger.
“Well,” said John. “Do you know much about Superstition Mountain, April?”
She shook her head. “Not really. I remember hearing about some sort of gold mine and that no one knows where it is. That’s about it. But I figured it was just a legend and not really true.”
John looked at Julia and asked, “Do you want to tell her or should I, since I’m the one who blurted out everything?”
Superstition Mountain and the lost gold mine was a story that intrigued Julia since the first day she had heard about it. She gave a nod for him to begin.
“Well,” John leaned forward, resting his hands on his knees. “Superstition Mountain is difficult to explore because of its dangerous cliffs and plateaus. It’s believed to have great treasure hidden within. Many people have tried to find it but have never succeeded. It’s a treacherous mountain and many adventurers never come back.”
“But it’s not just the dangerous terrain that stop people from seeking the treasure,” said Matthew. “The Apache Indians say the Thunder God protects the treasure from intruders. And anyone who tries to take the gold will be destroyed. Each summer the great Thunder God roars his loudest, creating thunderstorms like no other, announcing his control over the mountain. Those who have discovered its whereabouts usually met with an accident.”
“Accident?” said April in astonishment.
Matthew nodded. “That’s right.”
She was shocked at what she had just heard. It could not be true. A Thunder God defending gold? No way!
“So…” said Matthew. “If your uncle took some men to Superstition Mountain and they found some gold, many believe that he’ll be cursed with bad luck.”
“Cursed, my foot!” exclaimed John as he straightened up. “That’s nonsense!”
April held back a grin and asked, “Why is it called Superstition Mountain?”
Julia answered, “Because anyone who discovers any amount of gold meets with a terrible accident.”
“But that’s just a coincidence,” emphasized John.
April pursed her lips in thought and then asked, “Is there really a gold mine or is it just a legend?”
“Well, according to Arizona history there’s a great deal of gold in that mountain,” said John. “Your mother’s been doing quite a bit of research lately and can tell you more than I can.”
Julia nodded. “It all started in 1540 when a conquistador by the name of Francisco Vasquez de Coronado went to southern Arizona, searching for the Seven Golden Cities of Cibola. When he asked the Apaches for help, they admitted that the mountain held an abundance of gold but they refused to help because they feared the great Thunder God. The land was sacred ground and he protected it.”
“Sacred ground?” April asked. “That’s not good, is it?”
Matthew had learned about the mysteries of Superstition Mountain, so he shook his head and said in a mysterious voice, “Not good at all, April. They should have listened but they didn’t.” He looked at Julia and gave a nod. “Sorry. Go on.”
Julia smiled and continued, “As the Spaniards explored the mountain, men began to vanish. No one knew where they had gone, but the Apaches told them the great Thunder God had destroyed them. At first they didn’t believe it until they found the bodies of a few men. They had mysteriously died.”
“Mysteriously? How mysteriously?” asked April.
“Actually,” said Matthew. “They had been mutilated.”
“Mutilated?” gasped April.
“Yup. With their heads chopped off.” Matthew demonstrated by pulling his finger across his neck and making a slicing noise.
April cringed and Julia winced.
“Oooooo!” groaned April. “How gross!”
Matthew nervously cleared his throat. “Sorry. Too much detail?”
Julia nodded.
“I guess I shouldn’t have been so graphic, huh.”
John chuckled. “Yes, that was a little graphic, Matt. Especially when you added the demonstration and sound.”
Julia held back her laughter and continued the story. “Anyway, this frightened the living daylights out of Coronado’s men and they refused to continue searching. When Coronado realized his men were right, he finally gave in and named it Superstition Mountain. It didn’t take long before word was passed from one generation to the next that it was an evil place. And the name stuck.”
Matthew nodded. “Since then, many hikers have lost their lives in those mountains. Most of them are unexplained deaths.”
“Unexplained?” asked April. “What do you mean?”
“I’m not sure you want to know, sweetie,” said Matthew.
“Why not? It couldn’t be worse than the last information you gave. Just leave out the demonstration. Okay?”
Matthew grinned. “Okay. I read about it in this magazine, so I’m not making it up.” He held up his right hand and added, “Honest! Scouts honor!”
April laughed. “Okay.”
“In other words, the bodies were not found in one piece.”
“Yuck! That’s spooky,” said April.
“You bet,” confirmed Matthew. “And everyone seems to think the great Thunder God did it.”
“I don’t believe it,” John interrupted. “That area is so rugged that it takes an expert climber to hike those mountains. I think they met with accidents because of carelessness and the rough terrain. Too many inexperienced people think they can hike that mountain without a guide.”
“How about the gold?” asked April. “Was it ever found?”
“Yes,” said Julia. “In 1845, Don Miguel Peralta discovered a large amount of pure gold in the mountain. He couldn’t believe his luck and named it Sombrero Mine.”
“Doesn’t sombrero mean hat?”
“Yup,” said Matthew as he took over the story. “The area looked just like a sombrero. It had a point like a hat with a wide brim. But others thought the peak of the mountain looked more like an index finger pointing toward the sky, so they named it the Finger of God. But that’s not the name it goes by today. When an explorer named Paul Weaver scratched his name in the rock below the tall spire, its new name became Weaver’s Needle.”
“Weaver’s Needle?” asked April with uplifted brows. “Hmmm. Why does that sound so familiar?” She snapped her fingers and smiled. “I’ve got it.”
“Wow! I’m impressed,” said Matthew. “You’ve heard of Weaver’s Needle?”
“Of course not. I know an author by that name. She writes historical sweet romances and mystery novels. Her name’s… uh… Let’s see. It’s on the edge of my tongue. Oh yes! It’s Linda Weaver… uh… something or other.”
Matthew stared at his sweetheart with humor lacing his eyes. It took all his control to not laugh out loud. She seemed to get distracted so easily and had a way of getting off the subject.
He cleared his throat and said patiently, “Now are you more interested in this ditzy author or this fabulous story?”
April smiled sheepishly. “Sorry.”
“Now where were we?” asked Julia.
“We were at Weaver’s Needle,” April said with a snicker. “Don Miguel Peralta discovered a rich vein of gold in Superstition Mountain at a place called Weaver’s Needle.”
“Thanks,” Julia said with a nod. “So Don Miguel found the richest gold mine in all Western history and began shipping it home to Mexico. When the Apache noticed what was happening, they became angry. They had had enough of these white men trespassing onto sacred ground and stealing what was theirs. In 1848, they decided to drive the foreigners off their land. When Don Miguel found out they were preparing for a battle, he quickly concealed the mine and headed home with his mules and wagons packed to the brim with gold. But it was too late. The Apache warriors were ready for them. They massacred all the Spaniards.”
April gasped as she put her hand to her mouth and said, “That’s awful.”
“You see what gold does to people?” said John. “It makes them crazy.”
“What happened to all the gold they were carrying in the wagons?”
“It spilled all over the mountain,” said Julia. “As time passed, different prospectors have found the remains of broken wheels and the bones of burros. In fact, in 1914 a man named Silverlocke discovered $18,000 worth of gold that was found in a rotted leather pack that had been on one of the burros.”
“Wow!” exclaimed April. “Now that’s a real find. I wonder if there’s any more laying around?”
John shrugged. “Don’t know, but I wouldn’t go searching.”
A smile played at the corner of Matthew’s lips as he said teasingly, “Besides, the great Thunder God is protecting it. You don’t have a chance.”
April laughed and playfully slugged his arm.
John chuckled. “Why would a Thunder God even care about gold in the first place? Why would people believe in such a legend anyway?”
Matthew shrugged.
“Do you believe it, Matt?” asked April.
He laughed. “Well, I haven’t made up my mind, yet. The idea of a Thunder God protecting the mountain is so fascinating.”
April bit her lip in thought and said, “Let me get this straight. Because Uncle Kelly went to Weaver’s Needle with some men, everyone is saying the Thunder God is displeased, and that’s why he’s having problems. Is that right?”
“Exactly!” Matthew nodded. “That’s what I think.”
“That’s a bunch of baloney,” said John in frustration. When he felt his wife nudge him in the ribs, he settled down. “Like I said, it doesn’t make sense.”
Matthew suppressed his laughter. He knew his future father-in-law quite well and he had definite ideas about everything and wasn’t afraid to let it be known.
Julia pushed the ground with her feet and the swing began to sway back and forth. The gorgeous pink sunset was now gone. It was dusk and the atmosphere was peaceful and serene.
She smiled and commented, “Isn’t it a beautiful evening?”
John pulled her into his arms and looked at Matthew and April. It was time to think of happier thoughts. “So how are the wedding plans coming along? Have you found an apartment, yet? Are you being wise with your time?” Before Matthew had a chance to answer, John continued his thoughts, “While we’re gone, make sure you obey all the house rules. Don’t stay out too late with our daughter. Make sure she’s home at a decent hour, no later than midnight. Remember the rules, no boyfriends…or fiancés, for that matter…after midnight. Any questions?”
Matthew shook his head as he tried to control his laughter. John was so predictable. They had raised their children with Christian values and he respected that. No fooling around! April was a strong Christian with definite opinions and high moral standards. When he saw the sober look on John’s face, Matthew pursed his lips together so he wouldn’t burst out laughing.
“Well?” asked John. “Any questions?”
“No, sir. No questions.” Matthew took a deep breath, trying to keep his composure. “You can count on me. I’ll have her home by midnight.”
John gave a curt nod. “Good!”
Julia had been watching Matthew’s expression and she wanted to burst into laughter, as well. April had just turned twenty-one and was a responsible daughter but John still had the need to say something. He was a protective parent and he was doing his job. But she couldn’t help herself any longer as a giggle snuck out between her tight lips.
“What?” asked John with a confused look. “What’s so funny?”
That was it. Julia burst into laughter, April was next, and Matthew followed suit.
John furrowed his brow as he watched the bunch of clowns laughing hysterically.
After the laughter finally died down, he mumbled, “I don’t see what’s so funny. I’m just looking out for my daughter. It’s my duty as a father…”
April jumped up and hugged him. “Thanks, Dad. Your concern lets me know how much you love me.”