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chilling tone. “It is the deadliest of all things, child. It was what motivated the first crime known to mankind, when brother struck down brother and left him dead for no reason other than the fact that he thought his brother was more favored. On the surface, it’s such a beautiful word. But like all true evil, that beauty is deceptive and it lures the unwary in for capture and ruin. Just like the devil’s whirlpool, before you realize it, you’re drowning in it and can’t escape it no matter how hard you try.”
    Her heart thumped hard in her chest. Those words scared her. She never, ever wanted to feel it. The problem was, she didn’t know what “it” was. “What does ‘envy’ mean?”
    Her grandmother snapped the peas apart, her movements more frenetic than before. “From the Latin invidi, which means to cause resentment or to calculate ill will toward another, envy is that inability to feel happiness at someone else’s good fortune or to wish them well even though they deserve it. It’s when you begrudge someone their moment in the sun or just the fact that they have a life that you think is better or easier than yours. But heed my words, child, we all have more than our share of pains and sorrow. Embarrassments and things that haunt us. From that, no one is ever immune, no matter how good or perfect a life you think they live. Shame and hurt spare no one.”
    “I would never do such a thing, Grammy,” Kateri assured her. “I know better.”
    Her grandmother smiled kindly. “I know, baby. But the warning bears repeating. It’s so easy to fall into envy’s grasp, and to let that hatred and bitterness destroy your own happiness.” She handed Kateri several raw peas to eat while she continued shelling them. “When I was a girl about your age, my grandmother told me a story that her grandfather had told her. Even though I was young when I heard it, it has stayed with me throughout my entire life.”
    Kateri crunched the peas while she listened. She always loved her grandmother’s tales.
    “One day, a young boy went up to his grandfather, who was an old Cherokee chief. ‘Edudi?’ the boy asked. ‘Why are you so sad?’
    “The old chief bit his lip and rubbed his belly as if his stomach pained him unmercifully. ‘There is a terrible fight inside me, Uhgeeleesee,’ the chief said sternly. ‘One that will not let me sleep or give me any peace.’”
    She touched a pea stalk to Kateri’s nose as she mimicked the boy’s wide-eyed wonder. “‘A fight, Grandfather? I don’t understand. What kind of fight is inside you?’”
    Kateri stole another handful of peas from her grandmother’s pan.
    “The old chief knelt in front of the boy to explain. ‘Deep inside my heart, I have two wolves. Each strong enough to devour the other, they are locked in constant war. One is evil through and through. He is revenge, sorrow, regret, rage, greed, arrogance, stupidity, superiority, envy, guilt, lies, ego, false pride, inferiority, self-doubt, suspicion, and resentment. The other wolf is everything kind. He is made of peace, blissful tranquility, wisdom, love and joy, hope and humility, compassion, benevolence, generosity, truth, faith, and empathy. They circle each other inside my heart and they fight one another at all times. Day and night. There is no letup. Not even while I slumber.’
    “The boy’s eyes widened as he sucked his breath in sharply. ‘How horrible for you.’ His grandfather shook his head at those words and tapped the boy’s chest right where his own heart was located. ‘It’s not just horrible for me. This same fight is also going on inside you and every single person who walks this earth with us.’”
    Kateri touched her own heart as she wondered if those wolves were inside her, too.
    “Those words terrified the little boy,” her grandmother continued. “‘So tell me, Grandfather, which of the wolves will win this fight?’ The old chief smiled at his grandson and he cupped