That was three days ago. Since then, he'd awakened deep in the Black Hills with no food, no water, and no protection from the harsh summer heat. Since then he'd wandered, searching in vain for any signs of civilization or aid. He knew his strength would fail him sooner or later—probably sooner. He pressed on, hungry, thirsty, and delirious.
"You don't look so good, friend."
He looked up and saw a man—tall, dark, and serene. He could hardly speak. "Wh...what?"
"I said you don't look so good."
He couldn't believe it. After three days, finally he had a glimmer of hope. Or maybe it was just a mirage. But the stranger looked real. "Water? Do you have water?"
The other pointed. "There's a stream about 20 yards away, behind those rocks."
He stumbled, in a daze, to the brook. He first wet his parched lips, then sipped, then drank deeply of the cold, clear water. He could feel his strength starting to return.
"Where am I?"
"On the back side of the big mountain. The one with the faces."
Almost 200 miles away, he realized. There wasn't much time.
"I need to get back to Pierre," he told his benefactor.
"Why?"
"Because somebody's going to do something bad, something that's going to hurt a lot of people. I have to stop him."
"Ah, the land bill. I see."
He couldn't help but stare. "How....?"
"I am the land," he said simply.
He didn't know what to think of the strange man's words, but he had no one else to turn to. "Can you help me?"
"You revere this place," his new friend said. "Tell me why. Tell me about the men on the mountain."
He looked up to see the familiar faces of Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln looking down on him. He couldn't understand it. Hadn't his friend just said they were behind the mountain?
"They...they were great men. Men who cared about people. About freedom."
"Men like you."
He was amazed. "I...I don't think of myself that way. They were heroes. I'm just an ordinary man. I'm not like them."
"But you try to be."
"Well, yes, I do. I look up to them. I try to learn from their examples. I want to be the kind of man they were."
"Then you will be. You will have the strength of will of George Washington, the wisdom of Thomas Jefferson, the vigor of Theodore Roosevelt, and the courage of Abraham Lincoln. You will be as strong and swift as four men. You will stand as a defender of this land and its people. For as long as you desire for this land and its people to be free, you will have these gifts. Now, go, with my blessing." And the dark stranger faded from his view.
Two hours later, he stood upon the steps of the State Capital. He had a land bill to defeat.
Story and image by Michael. Image created with Fábrica de Heróis.
