"Ahem," Nimikii cleared his throat. "This song that I'm about to sing is special. Like my buddy Nelson over there." He gave a nod to the smiling boy. "This song came to my grandfather in a dream, so here goes." Nimikii started to wail the old song and the drumming rose up and grabbed hold of Misko's heart and it wouldn't let go. It held her in its firm grip. She tried to escape the sound by adjusting herself, moving her body, but it just wouldn't shake loose. It rattled around and then broke up something inside, and, surprisingly, tears streamed down her cheeks. She just couldn't stop crying. She closed her eyes so that others wouldn't notice her tears. She could hear Nimikii's voice and drumbeats thumping inside her chest and everything around her became one snapshot in time where the past, present and future met as one. It was like sacred geometry. She could see energy patterns and invisible lines made of love and how everything was connected and in perpetual motion. She felt it all--the streams that washed against rocks, the loons that called, the fish that splashed, and a red squirrel that scolded her kits in the drey. She had no words to describe this moment, but she had a deeply-felt sense that all things were perpetually unfolding, whether human or non-human, animate or inanimate, the here and forever. Excerpted from Misko by Sandra Laronde All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.