U'tlun'ta, the Spear-Finger

A person could step out of a house, and a few minutes later U'tlun'ta could come back wearing the same face.

That was one of the dangers in the Cherokee story recorded by James Mooney.

In her own form, U'tlun'ta looked like an old woman. Her skin was hard as stone. On her right hand was a finger that did not look like a finger at all. It was long, sharp and shaped like an awl.

She ate human liver.

She approached children when they were away from adults and called them her grandchildren. She spoke gently to them. She stroked their hair. If a child trusted her enough to fall asleep against her, she used the stone finger.

The wound might not look like the injury people expected.

The child could still walk home.

Only later would the sickness begin.

U'tlun'ta could also imitate someone a family already knew. Someone might leave the house for a short time, and before that person returned, U'tlun'ta could come back in their appearance.

People learned to notice who had gone out, how long they had been away, and who came back through the door.

Eventually several communities decided to kill her.

They dug a deep pit across a trail, covered the opening and lit a fire nearby because smoke was expected to draw her towards them.

An old woman came down the path.

Some of the hunters nearly let her pass. They thought they recognised her.

She stepped onto the covering.

The ground gave way.

When U'tlun'ta fell into the pit, the disguise was gone. The hunters fired down at her, but their arrows struck her stone skin and broke.

A small bird appeared and seemed to direct them towards her heart.

They tried.

The arrows failed again.

Then a chickadee flew down and landed on U'tlun'ta's right hand.

The hunters understood.

Her heart was hidden inside the same hand that carried the long stone finger.

They aimed where the finger joined her wrist.

This time the arrow went in.