The Only Way Down

On the sixth day, Polly heard horses again. This time they were slow. A rider came down the path on a grey horse. Three visitors rode behind him.

He is Diné, said the young horse. His family has a field in the canyon. You need a permit and a guide to walk here. There is only one path you can take alone.

Polly went anywhere she wanted for five days. Now she felt a little bad. It is a rule about homes, said the horse. People live and farm here.

The horses went around the bend. Polly sat on a warm rock above a small field. She thought about it for a long time.