25
Aunt Tillie and the Pow-Wow Doctor
The next morning was warm and sunny. After breakfast, Lily and Joseph ran outside to play with their cousins. There was a swing tied to the limb of a tall oak tree and they took turns pushing each other on the swing. Lily noticed a big sandbox with a blue shingled roof that looked like a wishing well. Dannie loved to play in sandboxes! She ran inside to get him, but he refused to leave Mama’s side.
Aunt Tillie, gaunt and long-necked as a sandhill crane, frowned as she observed Dannie’s reluctance. “There must be something wrong with that boy,” she said. “There is a good Pow-Wow doctor in our church district. I’m sure she would be able to cure him. I’ll ask Ira to fetch her.”
A troubled look crossed Mama’s face. “No. Dannie is just a little shy. Once he gets used to everyone he’ll come out of his shell and chatter away and play with everyone.” She stroked Dannie’s hair off of his forehead. More firmly, she added, “Besides, we don’t want anything to do with a Pow-Wow doctor.”
“Well, why ever not?” Aunt Tillie looked the very picture of astonishment. “It’s one of the best ways to cure folks. It’s cheap, it works, and the Pow-Wow doctor chants Bible verses. It’s the biggest favor you could do for your children.”
Again, Mama said no, as politely as she could. Aunt Tillie didn’t look happy. She could be a little bossy. As Lily went back out to play with her cousins, she wondered about the Pow-Wow doctor. She had never met a Pow-Wow doctor before and, by the way Mama sounded, wasn’t sure she ever wanted to.
A little later that morning, Grandpa had a surprise. He had hired a driver so Lily’s mother could visit some of their friends in the community. Aunt Tillie and Grandma wanted to come too, so they all piled into the van. Lily wished she could have stayed at the farmhouse to play with her cousins. Instead, she was stuck in a hot van, stopping at people’s houses so the women could chat for half an hour. Then it would start all over again as they went to visit someone else.
It was an altogether boring morning until they stopped at an Amish store. Now Lily was glad she had come along. There were so many pretty things to see in the shop. Grandma pressed some money into her hand to go buy something for herself. Lily walked up and down the aisles, looking everything over. Should she buy a new coloring book? Or a toy? So many choices!
As Lily turned the corner, her breath caught. All along the shelves were the most beautiful oil lamps. Never in her life had she seen such beautiful lamps. Big pink ones with frilly-looking shades that covered the glass chimney. Blue and green ones, tall ones, short ones, some with flowers and some were plain. How could she possibly choose one? Then she saw the perfect lamp. It was white with dainty little pink flowers painted on the bowl. The chimney was a milky white and all along the top were little scallops.
Lily found Grandma in the fabric section. She tugged on her sleeve and whispered, “I think I found what I would like to buy.”
Grandma followed her to the aisle with the lamps. Lily pointed to the little white one. Grandma got it down carefully and handed it to her. “This is a fine choice, Lily. It will be something that you can use for many years.” She bent over. “And it’s very pretty too.”
Slowly and carefully, Lily carried the lamp to the counter. She handed money to the cashier, who counted out the money and gave change back to Lily. She tried to give the change to Grandma.
“You keep it, Lily,” Grandma said.
Lily put the change into her pocket. The day had flip-flopped, from boring to happy. She had a new oil lamp, and some change in her pocket too.
After they had finished shopping, Aunt Tillie announced that it was time to head home. She had invited a friend over for lunch.
As the van turned into the driveway to the farmhouse, Lily could see a horse and buggy tied to the hitching rail. Aunt Tillie’s friend was already at the house. As soon as the van came to a stop, Aunt Tillie hurried to the house. Mama and Grandma and Lily carried their purchases into the little house. Then they walked over to the big house to help Aunt Tillie with lunch and meet her friend.
In the living room sat Aunt Tillie’s friend, an older woman, at least forty. Lily thought it was strange that this woman didn’t help prepare lunch in the kitchen with the others. Instead, she sat on a rocking chair and watched the children play. She pulled a bag of candy out of her pocket and offered it to the children. Everyone lined up to get a piece. Lily ran to get Dannie from Mama and take him to get a piece of candy. Candy was a rare treat and she didn’t want him to miss out, but Dannie refused to accept candy from the woman. Lily took two pieces and gave him one. She was helping Dannie open the wrapper when the woman scooped him up in her arms.
Dannie squirmed and wiggled to try to get off the woman’s lap, but she held on to him firmly. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of red cloth. Then she rolled up Dannie’s pant legs and started rubbing the cloth all over his legs. She muttered words that Lily couldn’t understand.
Lily hurried to the kitchen to find Mama. “That woman is doing weird things to Dannie in the living room,” she whispered in her ear.
Mama dropped the lettuce into the bowl, wiped her hands on her apron, and marched into the living room. She didn’t even stop to see what was going on but snatched Dannie off the woman’s lap. The woman didn’t seem at all bothered by Mama’s abruptness. In fact, she seemed pleased with herself.
But Mama was upset. She went straight to Aunt Tillie in the kitchen with Dannie in her arms. “I thought we had made it clear we don’t want anything to do with a Pow-Wow doctor!”
Lily shivered. She had never heard Mama talk to anyone in such a cross voice. Not even Joseph when he was in trouble.
Aunt Tillie stood there still as stone. “Dannie needed help and you weren’t helping him. So I asked Lizzie to come Pow-Wow for him. And I’m not sorry that I did.”
Grandma blew a puff of air out of her mouth. “Oh, Tillie,” she said quietly, but she knew not to say more. Aunt Tillie wasn’t one to confront.
Everything felt odd after that, stiff and uncomfortable. The Pow-Wow doctor decided not to stay to eat with them. After she left, Mama and Tillie and Grandma worked quietly in the kitchen. Lily’s stomach twisted into a knot.
Lunch was finally ready. As everyone gathered at the table and bowed their heads for a silent prayer, a loud “POP!” sound blew out of the stove. Aunt Tillie rose from the table and sailed to the kitchen. She opened the stove’s ash drawer and pulled out the red cloth that the Pow-Wow doctor had rubbed on Dannie’s leg. It was wrapped around an egg. The pop they had heard was the sound of the egg breaking open.
Aunt Tillie looked triumphant. “Dannie is cured!”
Lily was all eyes, shifting around to see until Mama laid a calming hand on her.
Papa was puzzled. “What do you mean, Dannie is cured? There was nothing wrong with him in the first place.”
Aunt Tillie hooked her hands on her hips. “You can’t tell me that there is nothing wrong with a child who wants to hide instead of eating, and doesn’t want to play with other children.” She folded her arms against her chest. “So I asked Lizzie to come Pow-Wow for him.”
Papa jumped up from his chair. “You did what?!” He was livid!
Aunt Tillie lifted her chin. “I asked Lizzie to come Pow-Wow for him.”
“Oh, Tillie,” Uncle Ira said quietly. “You shouldn’t have done that. You knew they don’t like Pow-Wowing.”
“You had no right getting someone to practice Pow-Wowing on our son.” Papa picked Dannie up from his chair. He glanced at Mama. “Rachel, we should go.”
Lily and Joseph bolted from their chairs and followed Mama and Papa over to Grandpa and Grandma’s house. A moment later, Lily’s grandparents came into the house.
Papa sat at the kitchen table and steepled his fingers together, as if in prayer. He was quiet for a long moment. “To ask someone to heal you in ways other than using medicine or prayer is wrong,” he said. “We believe Pow-Wowing is a form of witchcraft. It’s filled with superstitions and mumbo-jumbo. It’s not something any Christian should practice or allow to be practiced.”
Grandma and Grandpa apologized that Aunt Tillie had gone against Mama and Papa’s wishes. Lily was so happy that the upset was over. It felt like a dark thunderstorm had swept through the farm, and now the sun was shining again.