Healer of the Water Monster

Nali’s sadness and anger toward Uncle Jet dull into resignation. Her empty eyes look like the “eyes of a toy doll” (217), a blank expression that reminds Nathan of his father after Nathan’s grandfather passed away. Nathan convinces his grandmother not to give up on his uncle by saying that he still believes they can help Jet and by asking her to try for Nathan’s sake. As they drive into Gallup, Nathan worries about Uncle Jet’s safety and about how he will recover his communication stone. Messages from his friends and family inform him that his mother and friends will be returning to Phoenix soon, and he texts his father to let him know that he misses him. Nali inquires at several different bars in Gallup, but no one has information on Uncle Jet’s whereabouts.

Wind carries Nathan to meet Darkness and Pond in the desert that night. Without his communication stone, Nathan cannot understand Wind or Pond, so Darkness translates for them. Nathan proposes a solution to their dilemma: He can learn the songs in Navajo. With repeated practice, Nathan feels more confident forming “the hard, short consonants and the long,

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