Varthalox stepped onto the stage, his black leather boots thudding against the wooden boards. The sun had set over Chateaugay Lake, casting an orange and pink glow over the scene. The crowd of Redneck “Cocaine Boat” enthusiasts cheered and hollered as Varthalox picked up his guitar, the strings glinting in the stage lights.
He began to play, fingers moving deftly across the fretboard, the heavy metal riffs echoing across the lake. The crowd moshed and slammed into each other, their wild movements creating waves in the water.
Varthalox felt a sense of unease wash over him as he played. The Chateaugay Lake Sandbar was an ancestral Abenaki camping ground and village site, and the Redneck “Cocaine Boat” crowd had ruined it with their reckless behavior. Varthalox knew that the ancestral spirits of the land were angry, and he could feel their presence in the air.
As the night wore on, the crowd grew more intoxicated, their behavior becoming more reckless and dangerous. Varthalox watched as they repeatedly rammed their boats onto the sandbar, creating huge channels in the sand and washing away the sand.
“Abenaki’s Revenge”, the heavy metal band of Wendigo, played on, their lyrics telling of what they would do to the foolish rednecks in the woods late at night, when they least expected it. Varthalox felt a sense of disquiet at the violence in the music, knowing that it was not the way of his people.
But then he remembered the Brazen Serpent Wendigo Whisky, the time-traveling elixir that he and his fellow Wendigo had been drinking. He knew that it could take them into the astral plane, where they could talk to the spirits of the land and try to soothe their anger.
Varthalox closed his eyes and played on, his fingers moving faster and faster, until the music became a blur. The crowd roared, but Varthalox was no longer playing for them. He was playing for the spirits of the land, the Abenaki ancestors who had been wronged.
And then he felt it – a sense of calmness and tranquility washing over him, as if the spirits were listening. The heavy metal music faded away, replaced by a soft whispering in the air. Varthalox opened his eyes and looked around, seeing the Redneck “Cocaine Boat” crowd in a new light.
They were still reckless and dangerous, but now he saw their humanity too – their pain and their struggles. He realized that they were not so different from the Wendigo, that they were all just searching for something in this world.
The night wore on, but Varthalox no longer felt the sense of unease that had plagued him earlier. He played on, his music weaving a spell of wonder and beauty over the crowd, who swayed and danced to the rhythm.
As the sun began to rise over Chateaugay Lake, Varthalox knew that he had done something important that night. He had brought a sense of calmness and beauty to a chaotic and dangerous situation, and he had reminded the Redneck “Cocaine Boat” crowd of their humanity.
He stepped off the stage and made his way to the shoreline, where the water lapped gently against the sand. He closed his eyes and breathed in the cool morning air, feeling a sense of peace settle over him.
The Brazen Serpent Wendigo Whisky may have given him the power to travel time and space, but it was his music that had truly transported him that night – into a world of tranquility, zen, wonder, and beauty.
What mysteries of Chateaugay Lake haunt you?