Interview with a Skinwalker!

Encounter in the Desert

Rick describes an astral-plane encounter with a man he identifies as a Navajo skinwalker, seated beside an unnatural blue fire in the desert. The man says “Skinwalker” is an outsider’s name and describes his practice as power rather than occultism. Rick opens with a dry joke—traveling without walking “saves gas”—but soon realizes the man isn’t amused.

The interview turns darker when the man admits that fear and suffering feed his power and that he has harmed people, sometimes sacrificing animals. He reveals that he was once a doctor who prayed and cared for patients. After his son died and he felt the spirits had failed to answer, he turned to forbidden rituals. He has since used his power to punish people who angered or mocked him, though he admits it cannot bring his son back.

In the most striking moment, the man transforms into a muscular coyote. Rick says he has experienced other strange transformations, but this one seemed physically painful and different. The coyote speaks to him telepathically before the man returns to human form.

Rick asks what awaits those who use power selfishly. The man mentions watchers who measure “balance,” and his uncertainty suggests there may be a cost after death. When Rick says he chose not to destroy the world when he suffered, the remark seems to affect him. Rick leaves without trying to save or condemn the man, concluding that grief can become a dangerous path when people turn to power instead of prayer.

Personalities

• Rick: The narrator and interviewer, who recounts the encounter as an astral experience and uses occasional dry humor.
• The skinwalker: A grieving former doctor who says he turned to forbidden power after his son died; he also appears in coyote form.