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I grabbed a curl from the side of my head and twisted it around a finger, desperate to stick it in my mouth along with the foot already there. But Ila patted me on the back and guided me over to the opposite side of the holos instead.
“Here’s the pottery shards from my ancestors as well as some well-preserved kamik. Those are the—”
“The soft boots. Also called mukluks,” I finished for her.
She narrowed her eyes at me, studying me a bit closer. “So you’ve done your homework.”
It was impossible to tell if she was appreciative or felt like I was a know-it-all who barely scratched the surface and acted like I understood her people. I hoped that wasn’t how I’d come off.
“I…did as much cursory research as I could before the trip, but I’m hoping you can help me learn more of the important details. I know I’ll never understand things the way I would if I’d grown up here myself and experienced things firsthand, but I want to get as far as I can toward remedying that.”
She smiled back at me, hand on her hip. “Honestly? I thought this would be the easiest job ever. Didn’t imagine I’d actually have people coming to my classes to learn things. I figured some kids maybe who’d want to do crafts and make some dolls.”
“Guess it was obvious I was interested in the class, huh?” I asked with a chuckle.
“Hey, I may as well earn my paycheck. Come on by tomorrow morning.” She gestured to a door in the corner of the room that would have been easy to miss. “That’s my office. We can talk in more detail, and you can ask me whatever you want.”
“What about Nanuq?” I asked, glancing around for her actual husband.
“He’s at home. He talked to the angakukk who told him this was cursed ground.” She shrugged despite the shocking statement. “He believes everything the man says. I suspect it’s because he doesn’t trust the Bennets’ money or motives. But I don’t care where it comes from. I won’t say no to a good paycheck.”
So the local shaman warned her off but she still came. Interesting.
“I definitely want to know more about the angakukk,” I said, making a mental note.
“You said you study mythology?” Ila asked, adjusting her brightly-colored sweater.
I wondered briefly if the traditional clothing was her own idea or Nicole’s and frowned before nodding my head.
“I’ve never been much into the myths, but I know them. If Nanuq was here, he’d give you an earful for sure.”
“I appreciate whatever you can give me in the way of information.” Before I could ask about any specific myths or creatures, a young boy ran up to Ila.
“Do you have any toys?” he asked.
His parents rushed over, apologies spilling from their mouths. Ila glanced at me with a wink as she pointed the boy toward the small figurines in the corner. Looked like I’d have to organize my thoughts and ask more the next day when I met privately with her.
As I exited the room, something caught my eye in a small showcase in the corner. It was a tower of stones backlit with a placard that read: Inuksuk. These stone arrangements, often in the shape of figures, are left to mark a specific geographic spot. Before leaving, I looked to the other side of the door and froze. Staring back at me from that display case was a small, mishappen figurine. It seemed to have a dark glow surrounding it.
I inched closer and shivered as its empty eyes bore into me, its oversized head elongated like a ceremonial mask of some sort. It looked like other totems I’d seen, except it somehow felt…wrong, and I couldn’t quite place why. A glance at the description only made things worse. Tupilaq. Made of animal bones or parts, sometimes of deceased children, the tupilaq is created by an angakukk to seek revenge on someone. Now these figures are often made as art or souvenirs for others. This particular one is believed to have been carved in recent years by an angakukk in the hopes of sending the spirit of the tupilaq after an outcast.
No wonder it gave me the heebie-jeebies. It was basically a curse, or worst-case scenario, a golem made for revenge instead of protection.
Not wanting to spend any more time looking at the object, I took a quick picture with my wristcom and headed out of the museum and back up to my room.
With any luck, Cora would be finished with her swim and ready for dinner and a few drinks. It had been a long day, and if I didn’t loosen up and get my mind off things, it would be a tupilaq that visited me in my nightmares.
