Healer of the Water Monster

Nathan’s parents are divorced, and he usually lives with his mother in Phoenix. However, his mother needs to document a protest against a company that is putting pipelines on tribal lands, and the protest could last for months. Nathan sees this as an opportunity to spend some quality time with his father, so he feels upset and undervalued when his father invites his girlfriend, Leandra, along on their father-son trip to Las Vegas. Rather than endure the sight of his father and Leandra “kissing, holding hands, and doing other annoying couple things” (8), Nathan tricks his parents into letting him stay with his paternal grandmother by claiming that he wants to use her cornfield for a science project. His alibi is believable since Nathan earns straight As and won a blue ribbon at last year’s Arizona Science and Engineering Fair for a project on background radiation. Although the project is a spur-of-the-moment idea, he drafts an experiment that would take store-bought corn kernels and compare their water consumption to kernels from his grandmother’s heirloom corn, which has been passed down through generations.

Nathan’s father drives him to the mobile home where Nathan’s grandmother, Nali, lives in the Diné Homelands of New Mexico. Nali’s home does not have running water, so Nathan goes to use the outhouse. As he leaves the outhouse, he trips and sees “a five-fingered footprint that was as large as a pizza box” in the sandy soil (12). Before Nathan can investigate further, his father calls for him to carry his things inside. Nali teaches the Navajo language to high school students, and her home is filled with books, traditional yé’ii figures carved from cottonwood branches, and family photos. Some of the photographs show Nathan’s uncle Jet, who served in the Marines and received an honorable discharge seven years ago. Nathan angrily tells his father goodbye and forces himself not to cry as his father drives away. Nali cheers him up by inviting him to make frybread with her.

Nathan is accustomed to the bustle of Phoenix, so he is disoriented by the gentle sounds of crickets and breezes when he awakens in the middle of the night. He misses his parents but feels “childish” for wanting to return to his home and “the time when loud arguments hadn’t fractured their family” (18). Nali hears him crying and calling for his mother. She says that physical activity eases loneliness and asks him to build a fire so they can brew tea. Nali rarely raises her voice, but she scolds Nathan when he throws away a bottle that has a little water in it.

As Nathan gathers firewood, he keeps an eye out for the creature that left the footprint he saw near the outhouse. When he goes to gather water from one of Nali’s tanks, he spots a large horned toad wearing a turquoise necklace and standing on its hind legs. The remarkable reptile disappears before Nathan can get a closer look.

Nali asks Nathan about his friends. He responds with little enthusiasm because his two friends, Steven and Weslee, are both going away for the summer, and the rest of his class bullies him about his weight. Nali comforts him by saying that every star has a story and that she believes his story will be “as big as the sun” (25). She also tells him that the Holy Beings can reach people out in the desert more easily than in the city, suggesting that the creature who left the footprint and the horned toad are Holy Beings. Nali asks Nathan to recount a traditional Navajo story about the Hero Twins and then shepherds him back inside her home, where he falls into a peaceful slumber.

Nathan and Nali rise early the next morning to plant the store-bought kernels and the “red, blue, and purple kernels” of heirloom corn (27). As they plant the heirloom kernels, Nali sings to bless the seeds and ask for rain. They plant the yellow store-bought kernels in straight rows without songs. Nathan is dissatisfied with the inexpensive options Nali offers him for lunch, and he asks his grandmother why she chooses to spend her summers out in the desert when she has a home with air-conditioning, running water, cell-phone reception, and other amenities in Farmington, where she teaches. Nali explains that her great-grandmother survived the forced relocation of the Navajo to Hwééldi by holding onto the hope that her descendants would be able to live on their ancestral lands. Embarrassed, Nathan eats his meal because he knows that his discomfort is miniscule compared to what his ancestor endured.

After lunch, they drive into the mountains to fill up the water tanks. They pass Church Rock Mine, which is fenced off due to its radioactivity. Nathan tries to text his friends, but he is frustrated by the lack of reception. By the time they fill the tanks and return to Nali’s home, the sun is beginning to set. While Nali cooks dinner, Nathan waters the newly planted corn and then chops firewood. A spider “as large as a strawberry” emerges from the woodpile and frightens Nathan (35). Nali prevents her grandson from killing the spider and explains that it eats mosquitoes and other harmful insects.

She tells Nathan to call the spider Cheii Chizh, which means Grandpa Firewood, so that the spider will treat him with the kindness that a grandparent treats a grandson. During dinner, Nathan feels like he should apologize for his behavior that day but finds it difficult and asks about Uncle Jet instead. Nali says that he is in Albuquerque and hopes that he will be able to keep his job. She thanks Nathan for spending the summer with her even though living there is not easy. The next morning, Nathan spots little footprints among the corn and discovers that all the heirloom kernels he planted are gone.

Not wanting to go through the lengthy process of replanting the heirloom seeds the traditional way, Nathan quickly shoves new kernels into the empty holes he dug the previous day and says a brief prayer. Then he accompanies Nali to the town of Gallup, where they stock up on library books and some of Nathan’s favorite foods. At Nali’s prompting, Nathan texts his father, but the boy grows irritated when she encourages him to talk about his feelings. He insists that he isn’t angry at his father and blames Leandra for keeping his parents apart. When they arrive back at the mobile home, Uncle Jet is sitting on the steps.

Nathan runs to greet Uncle Jet, but Nali sternly orders her grandson to go inside the mobile home. Her “narrow and angry” eyes meet Uncle Jet’s “wide and ashamed” gaze (47). Uncle Jet and Nali’s argument stirs up Nathan’s memories of his parents’ fights and his feelings of guilt even though he knows he is not responsible for the dispute currently rattling through the home. Uncle Jet and Nali argue over dinner as well. She tells Jet to clean up the traditional dwelling known as a hogan, repair the broken truck in her yard, and rebuild the fence for the cornfield. Jet objects to this last assignment because the area has been in a drought for years, and he doesn’t believe the rains will ever return.

After Uncle Jet storms off, Nali snaps at Nathan, showing that the boy is not “as invisible as he had hoped” (49). She apologizes to Nathan and explains that Jet has not been the same since his father, James, died three years ago. When Nathan asks if he can help, she tells Nathan to bring a plate of food to Jet but not let him know that she sent it. Nathan finds his uncle and tries to follow Nali’s instructions. Uncle Jet easily detects the lie but accepts the food anyway. Nathan asks his uncle why Nali is mad at him and whether he is angry at her as well, but Uncle Jet changes the subject. Jet gives his nephew some advice about his crush on a girl at school, agrees to fix the fence for the sake of the science project, and suggests setting a trap for the creature that ate the kernels. Thanks to his uncle, Nathan starts to feel excited about the project that started out as an alibi to avoid Leandra.

Nathan wakes up in the middle of the night and braves the stench and flies of the outhouse. In the cornfield, he sees the horned toad standing on its hind legs. This time, the reptile carries a glowing quartz crystal and speaks in English to someone Nathan cannot see. Nathan follows the horned toad and grabs the curious creature. The lizard escapes by calling on the wind, which strikes Nathan with grains of sand that “sting like bites of mosquitoes and then like splinters” (55). The horned toad leaves behind its turquoise necklace, which Nathan keeps.

Alone, Nathan realizes that he has no idea how to get back to Nali’s home. He grows more lost and frightened as he wanders around in the dark. Among some dunes, Nathan hears whimpering and follows the sounds to an enormous lizard. The turquoise necklace contains a communication stone created by the Holy Being called Darkness, and it allows the lizard and Nathan to speak to one another. Nathan realizes that the lizard is a water monster. The creature has been ill and unable to bring rain for 30 years, which is how long the drought has afflicted the area.

Nathan promises to heal the water monster if the Holy Being will guide Nathan back to his grandmother’s home. The young water monster agrees and knows how to find Nali because he hears “her prayers and the troubles she endures with her son” (65). The water monster explains that Nathan can see him because the boy hasn’t gone through puberty yet, tells him to deliver the message “Enemy Way” to Nali, and leaves him outside the mobile home. Nathan delivers the message and then rushes to his grandmother’s prayer spot, overflowing with gratitude for his safe return.