The Only Way Down

On the sixth morning, Polly heard horses again. But this time they were slow, and they walked in a line. A rider came down the sandy path on a grey horse. Three quiet visitors rode behind him. He wore a big hat because of the sun.

The young mare explained. He is Diné, she said. His family has a field further up the canyon. Almost nobody comes down here without a guide like him. You need a permit and an official guide to walk on this floor. There is only one path that a visitor can take alone.

Polly had flown anywhere she wanted for five days. Now she felt a little embarrassed. That is not a rule about visitors, said the mare. It is a rule about homes. There are farms and houses down here between the walls. You do not walk through someone's kitchen.

The horses walked on up the canyon and went around the bend. Their sound disappeared into the rock. Polly sat on a warm ledge above a small green field for a long time. She thought about empty places and quiet places.