A Short Story: The Legend of Sky Island Lodge.

Sky Island Lodge
Words and photo by F LoBuono

It was a miserable day, really. Raw and cold. Too damned cold for this late in April. The wind was blowing at a good clip out of the East and off the Hudson making it feel more like early March rather than late April. But I was so damned restless. I had enough of the crap they call television and needed to get the hell up, get the hell out, and walk. I eschewed my usual loop through the village and decided to challenge myself with a trek up the steep hills of the Palisades.

Serpentine, I wound up streets appropriately named Mountain, Terrace, and Highland. It's a pretty steep climb and my thighs were screaming from the exertion. My lungs filled with the cool air. The sound of the roaring Thruway traffic was gradually being replaced by the sweet music of the Spring birds. I was entering a different world. It was if the change in altitude was directly affecting my change in attitude. The higher I climbed, the more euphoric I became.

Higher and higher I climbed, eventually passing through the campus of Nyack College, a local Christian institution whose buildings dot the hillside. I was traveling on South Highland Ave., heading for the trail head at the end of the street and virtually at the top of the cliffs. Near the summit, I noticed an old, stone building standing sentinel on a plot of land with commanding views of the Village of Nyack and the Hudson River far below. The structure was abandoned, evidenced by the plywood covering the lower windows. However, it was reasonably well maintained and was not derelict. The property around the building was landscaped. The leaded glass windows on the second floor were not covered and most were swung wide open.  There was a hand-carved, wooden sign on the exterior that identified the structure as Sky Island Lodge.

I thought to myself, I love that name. Sky Island Lodge. Considering its location I couldn't think of any name that might be more appropriate. The building seemed to float on its property, truly like an island in the sky. I had also heard a local legend about the place. A wizard had once lived there. A shaman. A guru. A man of great power and influence. He was called Oom. Oom the Great. Oom the Omnipotent. It was a label hung on him in an effort to dismiss his accomplishments. But, once, his exploits dominated the news, not only locally but nationally, as well. His real name (at least what he called himself) was Dr. Pierre Bernard. He had studied the mysterious ways of the Far East and had mastered the techniques of Yoga.. His real origins and ultimate intentions were as mysterious as the spiritual ways he preached and practiced. But, in his day, his exploits were as well documented as the most famous people in America.

On this blustery, chilly, Spring day, I stood outside Sky Island Lodge and daydreamed at what strange magic might have once been conjured there. What obscure rituals were practiced by Oom's initiates? In my minds eye, I witnessed men and women, dressed in flowing robes, being led in exercise by the mysterious Oom. At one time, the Country's elite sought out the enigmatic Dr. Bernard for his unique approach to physical and spiritual well being. He saw them as inexorably linked. In this approach, he was well ahead of his time. Perhaps, the rest of the world was not ready to hear him.

As the Omnipotent Oom aged and faded, so did his fame and fortune. Eventually, his name and his legacy were largely lost to time. However, Sky Island Lodge remains for those who will tarry a moment and commune with the ghosts who's spirits can still be felt there. After a few moments, prompted by the chill wind biting my cheeks, I emerged from my trance, turned around and continued my journey back down the hill.


Authors note: Sky Island Lodge is a real place and is located on the campus of Nyack College. However, despite local legend, it was never part of Dr. Bernard's operation.