My last forty days

the long version

The ghostly heroine narrates her quest for a spiritual home in the alternate reality of Pueblo Indian mythology. She is accompanied by myriad guides and animal spirits who help her attain self-knowledge. They are Old Man Coyote, Grandfather Bear, Sister Snake, and Spider Woman. Cricket and Rattle Sister, companions from her past, lend support during the forty-day journey into an unfamiliar and enchanting place. Finally there is Buffalo, the mighty spirit guide, who patiently instructs her in the ways of this alien world. In a magically transposed landscape of the American Southwest, they all play a pivotal role in bringing the story to its surprising and joyful conclusion.