[The brothers are too afraid to touch it but LITTLE LISTENER uses two sticks to pick up the ice heart and throws it into the fire. From offstage the scream of the Chenoo is heard—but at a much lower volume than before.]
CHENOO (NOW GRANDFATHER). Thank you, granddaughter. Now I can go with you and truly be your grandfather.
LITTLE LISTENER AND BROTHERS. Grandfather!
[LITTLE LISTENER and her three brothers all join together in a big hug with their grandfather who had been a Chenoo.]
CURTAIN
Joseph Bruchac
Joseph Bruchac (1942– ) grew up listening to customers’ stories in his grandparents’ general store. Bruchac’s grandparents raised him, and they were important influences in his life. His grandfather was an Abenaki Indian. His grandmother was an avid reader. Most of Bruchac’s writing is about his childhood and his Abenaki ancestry. “I wanted to share those stories with my sons,” he says, “so I started to write them down.” Bruchac became the storyteller instead of the listener. He has written more than seventy books, hundreds of poems and articles, and several plays. He has been honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers Circle of the Americas.