The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse

In 1996, Father Damien Modeste sits in his retirement house near the graveyard in the Ojibwe reservation of Little No Horse, feeling a surge of wine-fueled energy. Feeling that he is nearing the end of his life, the elderly priest begins writing a final report to the Pope, declaring his decision to reveal information about the life and actions of Sister Leopolda—events that he learned under the seal of confession. However, he states that he is still keeping the identity of one murderer a secret. Father Damien also confesses that he is an impostor. Frustrated by decades of the Vatican’s silence to his previous letters, he pauses in his writing. As he considers the events of his life, he reflects on his pride at being adopted into the family of Nanapush, his first friend among the Ojibwe people. He also thinks about Lulu Nanapush, Nanapush’s daughter with Fleur Pillager, whom Damien now thinks of as akin to his own daughter.

Energized by a second wind, Father Damien grabs a notepad and writes for hours, describing his true identity and experiences. Exhausted from these efforts, he then prepares for bed, removing a tightly wrapped bandage from his chest, revealing that he was assigned female at birth.