“ My sister would kill me if she saw you up there! Please be careful Emily! “
Emily could hear the worry in Aunt Yellowcloud’s voice. But, she was a great climber and in no real danger. The rocky outcrop had plenty of finger and toe holds for her eleven year old hands to grip. She didn’t even spare her fretting Aunt a glance. Her attention completely on the ochre and orange vista rolling out before her.
“ It’s so pretty Mary! I think I can see where we parked from up here! OH, there are little climbers on the cliffs!! “
“ Come on down Little Bird. The tour bus could be leaving at any moment. We are holding up the group. “
She winced at the nickname. It was Aunt Yellowcloud’s idea to give Emily her Great Grandmother’s name as her middle name. A tribute to and reminder of her Native American heritage. Some of her classmates made fun of it. So, when asked what the “B” stood for in her name she’d lie. She would say it stood for “Bernice,” “Bernadette” or just “Bob.”