Son of a Trickster

Jared Martin’s maternal grandmother, Anita Moody, has always distrusted and disliked him. She calls him “Wee’git” and “Trickster” and once gifted him “a jar of blood with little animal teeth rolling around the bottom” (1). His parents, Maggie and Phil, insist that her treatment of him has nothing to do with him. Before the Martins move further north to Kitimat, a town in British Columbia, Anita tells Maggie: “You know what he did to me. That isn’t your son. It’s the damn Trickster. He’s wearing a human face, but he’s not human” (2). Maggie defends her toddler and refuses to engage with her mother’s “old-school crap” (3). 

On the way to Kitimat, they stop by Prince Rupert to visit Nana Sophia, Phil’s mother, who dotes on Jared. Alone with Nana Sophia, Jared mentions Wee’git, and Sophia tells him: “That Trickster’s been a huge dink to your mom’s family for generations” (12), but she admits she had a DNA test done to make sure he is Phil’s son. 

Jared writes to Anita, telling her about the DNA test, and insists that he is not a Trickster. Her response explains that Sophia is Halayt, or a shaman, and, “She would know if you were a Trickster without a science test” (14).