DRAGON LONGZE STRANDED PRO TEM AT THE KINGDOM OF AVARKAN (BY BOST, 2026) PART 1

 

The Princess Juyin and the (grounds’ keeper’s) gardener's boy Stevor had always gotten  along famously and since very little, were very good friends; having rich imaginations, they often played in the backyard garden, creating adventurous scenarios where the princess was always saved by a dashing, heroic warrior, after Stevor  slayed the bad monster with his wooden sword. At noon, they would take brief respite under the huge elm tree, sipping pretend tea, eating tiny cucumber sandwiches and conversing.

 

01- TEA PARTY BETW FRIENDS JP

"What will you do when you grow up, Princess?" One day asked Stevor, the gardener’s only son.

"I should like to marry you, Stevor," said the Princess. "Would you mind?"

"No," said the Stevor smiling. "I shouldn't mind it at all. I'll marry you if you like—that is, if I have time." For Stevor meant, as soon as he was a grown up and became a general, a mighty warrior, a scholar, or perhaps a high official like the Prime Minister. Meanwhile, he was brilliant in mind and was brave and good at fighting and on top, excelled in all his lessons, getting top marks in the school. Naturally, a great future lay ahead for him.

As for the Princess Juyin, she was a very good little girl, and everyone loved her. She was always kind and polite, even to her Uncle Davos and to other people whom she did not like very much; and though she was not very clever, for a Princess, she always tried to do her best in school. Even if you know perfectly well that you can't do your lessons, you may as well try, and sometimes you find that by some fortunate accident they really are done.

Besides being very pretty, Princess Juyin had a truly good heart; most of all, she loved and deeply cared for all types of animals. Suffice it to say, she had many pets; she was always, without fail, very considerate of all her pets and they were always well cared for, spoiled even. She never was cross at her playful puppy Fido, when it broke her delicate glass figurines in its playful gambols, and she never forgot to feed her bunnies in their little hutch in the backyard. She often rode her white pony right up to the edge of the forest; the dense forest with ancient trees and supposedly inhabited by the fairies, therefore, she was cautioned never to trespass. Being a good girl, she never did. But she wasn’t always good, sometimes Juyin made her nurse quite cross by smuggling to her bedroom little abandoned or forsaken wayward (unruly, willful) animals, like the dear little red fox, which afterwards, she would even let him sleep all curled up under the covers and at the foot of her bed.

02- PRINCESS AND LITTLE RED FOXJP

Thursday mornings were reserved for lovely tea parties with her little aristocratic friends, when the little dukes and duchesses and marquises and countesses all dressed up in their fineries, pretending to be mature adults like their parents. Seated at tiny tables, with soft music wafting through the air, they would have polite conversations, as they partook of the tiny cucumber sandwiches, delectable morsels (tidbits) of pastries, cupcakes and of course tea. Kingdom was well run so life was good for everyone and all the days passed without much variance (dissent).

Avarkan was a beautiful peaceful kingdom indeed, for everybody was kind—except one.

Now that you have read as far as this you know, of course, that the Kingdom of Avarkan was a very remarkable place; and if you are a thoughtful child—as of course you are—you will not need me to tell you what the most remarkable thing about it was. But in case you are not a thoughtful child—and it is just possible of course that you are not—I will tell you at once what that most remarkable thing was. There were some abnormalities, more specifically, animals on this island kingdom that were the wrong sizes! And this was how it had happened.

In most ancient times, when all the  world was just loose earth and air and fire and water mixed up anyhow like a pudding, and spinning around like mad trying to get the different things to settle into their proper places, a round piece of earth got loose and went spinning away by itself across the water, which was just beginning to try to get spread out smooth into a real sea. And as the great round piece of earth flew away, going around and around as hard as it could, it met a long piece of hard rock (which resembled a pole) that had got loose from another part of the pudding mixture, and the rock was so hard, and was going so fast, that it ran its point through the round piece of earth and stuck out on the other side of it, so that the two together were like a very-very-much-too-big spinning top.

Well, when the pointed rock smashed into the round bit of earth the shock was so great that it set them spinning together through the air—which was just getting into its proper place, like all the rest of the things—only, as luck would have it, they forgot which way around they had been going, and began to spin around the wrong way. In other words, instead of clockwise, it spun counterclockwise. Presently Center of Gravity—a great giant who was managing the whole business—woke up in the middle of the earth and began to grumble.

"Hurry up," he said. "Settle down and lie still, can't you?"

03- THE GIANT - JP

So, the rock with the round piece of earth fell into the sea, and the point of the rock went into a hole that just fitted it in the stony sea bottom, and there it spun around the wrong way (counterclockwise) seven times and then lay still. And that round piece of land became, after millions of years, a mysterious island in the middle of the vast ocean, which later became the Kingdom of Avarkan.

Of course, the consequence of the island having spun around the wrong way was that when the animals began to grow on the island, some grew to be the wrong sizes. The guinea pig, for instance, became as big as an elephant, and the elephant—was the size of the silly, tiny mouse. Well, you get the gist of it. But luckily, few of the animals, such as rabbits, dogs, sheep, oxen, horses and foxes, fortunately had remained the normal sizes.

Oh, but because of the reverse polarity, some unusual animals and entities, particularly supernatural ones, also came to be existent, such as dragons, pixies (fairies, elves, sprites) and goblins (trolls) that were typically absent in the usual mortal world. Most of these, nevertheless, were believed to be persisting (living) in high peaks of the snow-capped mountains or in that forbidden dense forest where ancient trees reached up to the sky, though no one had ever seen them.  But we are getting bit ahead of ourselves.

The men and women and children which at present inhabits (populates, dwells in) this magic island, meanwhile, are all quite the right size, why? Because their ancestors had come over in huge ships, with the Conqueror Tonzaq, who was the little princes Juyin’s great, great grandfather, long after the island had formed (rocks and soil settled down) and the woods and fauna (wildlife, animals, creatures and beasts) thrived on it.

04- CONQUEROR TONZAQ - JUYIN'S GREAT GRANDFATHER

Now the natural history lesson is over, and if you have been attending, you know more about Avarkan than anyone there did, except three people: the Lord Chief Schoolmaster, the Princess's uncle Davos—who was a magician, and knew everything without learning it—and of course, diligent Stevor, the gardener's son.

Stevor had a natural inclination to books, and he had read all kinds, pouring over them in the library, till there were no books left unread. His knowledge was far superior to anyone else’s in his classroom.  At the upcoming annual autumn festival, there would be a contest, wherefore a prize was offered to the most learned pupil (student). He was preparing for this event. Wanting to win the coveted prize, which this year happened to be, a beautifully bound book with the Royal arms on the back, titled: The History of Avarkan. After that day, however, when the Princess had said she meant to marry Stevor, the gardener's boy thought it over, and he decided that the best prize in the world would be the Princess’s hand, and this was the prize Stevor meant to take when he grew up; and when you are a gardener's son and have decided to marry a Princess, you will find that the more you learn at school the better.

The Princess always played with Stevor on the days when the little dukes and marquises did not come for tea—and when he told her he was almost sure of the first prize, she clapped her hands and said: "Dear Stevor, dear good, clever Stevor, you deserve all the prizes. And I will give you my pet puppy Fido—and you can keep him till we're married."

The pet puppy Fido had existed on the island way before the settlement of humans, and way before princess found and adapted him; therefore, Fido was a miniature canine about three inches in scale, compared to other normal size dogs that were owned by citizens and aristocrats living on this very island. Anyway, he was quite adorable, and immediately taking to Stevor, he’d reached up and licked his hand. This tickled Stevor, so he giggled and then affectionately, using his pinkie (little finger), gently stroked the puppy’s head. From that moment on they became good friends.

05- FIDO

Stevor took Fido away in his coat pocket. He was the dearest little puppy you ever saw and he was very, very wise. He lay down comfortably in Stevor's pocket, and when Stevor put in his hand, Fido always licked or sucked Stevor's forefinger, with an affectionate confidence, making the boy's heart always soothed or elated with glee. What with the puppy, and the Princess's affection, and the knowledge that the very next day he would receive the History of Avarkan, beautifully bound, with the Royal arms on the cover, Stevor that night could hardly sleep a wink. And, besides, the wolf howled all night, perhaps the wolf cub was jealous, so terribly.

There was only one wolf unfortunately in Avarkan and wolves are pack animals, so he was lonely; unfortunately, for some mysterious reason, there was no other. The wolf as pup, had taken a ride in one of the early settler human’s luggage, and that’s how he came to be on the island.  His independent nature would not let him be domesticated and so he lived and run free at the edge of the woods; in time however, gradually, he came to trust Stevor, as Stevor from time to time, fed him and talked to the lonely wolf cub.  Only one problem; when the wolf cub was lonely, especially during full moon, he would howl with yearning, and the sound revibrated in the air all night long, allowing no one any respite, let alone dreams.  Though annoyed, the people put up with this for they never harmed the animals; moreover, some even pitied the wolf cub, knowing he was all alone, had no pack, no siblings, no mate nothing but humans, and only one solitary friend Stevor.  He was good most of the time though, so no one complained of this rare disturbance during the period of the full moon.

But on this night, he howled long and with excited zeal—and the Princess said, "Oh dear, oh dear, I wish he wouldn't do this all night long, I am so sleepy."

Some ways distance, Stevor reclined in his own warm bed said to himself, "I wonder whatever is the matter with Tansan; as soon as it's light I'll go and see him."  Yes, he’d named the wolf cup that, when first time he’d befriended him, and the wolf had accepted that name.  

06- WOLF-CUB TANSAN

At first daylight, when the sky was painted in pink-and-yellow hue, Stevor got up, quickly washed and breakfasted, then hastened outside, to visit his lonesome friend.

"I'll go to the pillar," thought Stevor, as he went through the town. The pillar, of course, was the top of the piece of rock that had stuck itself through Avarkan millions of years before, and made it spin around the wrong way. It was quite in the middle of the island, and stuck up ever so far, and when you were at the top you could see a great deal farther than when you were not.

As Stevor went out from the town and across the fields, he thought what a pretty sight it was to see the rabbits in the bright, dewy morning, frisking with their young ones by the mouths of their burrows. So Stevor lingered on the spot for a while, watching the family of rabbits, till the morning light grow increasingly red and golden. All this while the wolf Tansan, howled, and howled, till the church bells tinkled, and the chimney of the apple factory rocked again.

But when Stevor got to the pillar, he saw that he would not need to climb to the top to find out what the wolf ‘s howl was about. For there, by the pillar, lay a white dragon. And it was a child dragon, a toddler, no more than three dragon years. Though he was not a full-grown dragon, comparatively, he was still immense in size. His wings were like big umbrellas, with some crumpling, as though soggy, and much rained on, and his eyes were brilliant blue which was unusual for a dragon, and his tail was very, very, very long and thin and tight, like the lash of a carriage whip.

It was licking one of its seemingly injured umbrella-y wings, and every now and then it moaned and leaned its head back against the rocky pillar as though it felt faint. Stevor saw at once what had happened. A flight of dragons must have crossed over the island during the night, and this poor one, flying lower than the rest, must have knocked its wing and tore or broken it against the pillar. And so, injured, unable to fly, he was stranded now on the island.

Stevor had guessed it right.  Previous night, a group of dragons were in flight, going over the island, anxious to reach their destination in the northern hemisphere. The top of the world, peaks reaching up to the Heaven, were permanently shrouded in fog; a most desolate land of immortals, the icy peaks where dragons sometimes visited. This time however, among the adult dragons was the tiny, little, orphaned dragon Longze.  His custodian Torek had reluctantly taken him along, as he was assigned this charge by the Heavenly God, to keep an eye on him. Longze had always been a handful to manage, and this time being no different, he had flown closer to the pole, to satisfy his curious nature; unfortunately, in that storm, destructed by the lightening, his wing had struck the pole, (part of it being impaled,) got injured and so he’d plummeted to the ground.  His absence was at once noted, however, Torek allowed it to be, as a lesson to the wayward (unruly) Longze, knowing Longze would eventually catch up to them at the North pole; once he recovered from his ordeal, and in the meantime, gained some new experience (or understanding).

07- INJURED YOUNG DRAGONLONGZE 2

 Tansun had come across the injured dragon and was doing his best to comfort him; wanting to help, but not wishing to leave his site yet, in case he would fare worse, from his injury. His inability to help, was the cause for his night’s disturbance, hoping someone would respond, and come to offer assistance (help).  But weary humans needed their respite, and no one had shown up, till now that is.

Tansun was overjoyed to see Stevor there and ran up to him, to lick his hand, first time ever. For he was not domesticated.

Everyone is kind to everyone in Avarkan, and so, Stevor was not afraid of the dragon; he had often watched them flying across the sea, but he had never expected to get to know one personally.  Furthermore, he was concerned about the dragon’s apparent condition.  

He tentatively drew near and spoke to him gently:  "I can see that you have suffered an injury; is there anything I can do to help?"

The dragon shook his head. He could not speak human dialect (language), but like all mystical animals, he could understand well enough what was being said.

"Can I get you anything?" Stevor ejected insistently, with deep concern registering in his eyes.

The dragon Longze opened his eyelid and gazed questioningly for a long time at this kind boy. He’d always been warned not to trust humans and to stay clear of them. But this boy seemed genuinely concerned. He had the kindest eyes.

"I bet you are hungry; a bun or two, now," said Stevor, coaxingly. "There's a beautiful bun tree quite close by."

The dragon looked at the direction the boy had indicated, then opened wide his mouth and licked his lips.  Stevor smiled with understanding and nodded his head, then ran up to the bun tree and shook the laden branches.  He returned shortly after with an armful of fresh currant buns, and as he approached, noting something else, he veered his steps to a spot where he picked a few additional strawberry kind pastries, tarts, that had grown on the low bushes someways- off to the pillar. Because, of course, another consequence of the island's having spun the wrong way is that all the things we have to make—buns and cakes and shortbread—grow on trees and bushes, but in Avarkan they must make their cauliflowers and cabbages and carrots and apples and onions, just as our cooks make puddings and turnovers.

Stevor gave all the buns and the strawberry tarts (pastries) to the dragon Longze, saying: "Here, try to eat a little; these buns and tarts area highly nutritious, they will give you the strength you’ll need to perhaps, speedily rejuvenate (fix) that injury.” He was only guessing of course, for what did he know about dragon’s physiology, or tending to Dragons.

08- LONGZE EATS BUNS

The dragon Longze was famished and so, he promptly ate up all the buns, while keeping a (vigilant, alert) watchful eye on this unusual human being; when he had his fill, he nodded rather appreciatively and then began to lick his wing again. Stevor left him and went back to the town with the news, and everyone was so excited at a real live dragon's being on the island—a thing that had never happened before—that they all went out in droves to look at it.

Lord Chief Schoolmaster, instead of going to the prize-giving soiree (event), he, too, went with the rest; moreover, he had Stevor’s prize, the History of Avarkan, in his wide pocket—the one bound in calf, with the Royal arms on the cover—and when he leaned forward to take a closer look,  it happened to drop out, and the dragon ate it, so Stevor never got the prize after all. But the dragon, when he had wolfed (gobbled) it, did not like it.

"Perhaps it's all for the best," said Stevor. "I might not have liked that prize either, if I had gotten it."

It happened to be a Thursday, so when the Princess's friends were asked what they would like to do, all the little dukes and marquises and earls said, "Let's go and see the dragon." But the little duchesses and marchionesses and countesses said they were afraid. Then Princess Juyin spoke up royally, and said, "Don't be silly, because it's only in fairy tales that dragons are depicted as evil and mean.  Dragon’s been here for a while, and I haven’t heard of him hurting anyone. Stevor, each time got quite close in proximity to the dragon, and he wasn’t harmed in the least. We may never get such a chance, aren’t you all curious?  Let's all go and see the dragon. We might take him some acid drops." So, they went. And all the titled children took it in turns to feed the dragon with acid drops, and he seemed pleased and flattered, and wagged as much of his big tail as he could get at conveniently; for it was a very, very long tail indeed. But when it came to the Princess's turn to give an acid drop to the dragon, he smiled a very wide smile and wagged his tail to the very last long inch of it, as much as to say, "Oh, you are so very interesting and pretty!"

09- LONGZE LIKES THE PRINCESS

Longze could not rightly explain it, for he had never had this sort of strange fluttering in his chest before; moreover, he was drawn to her intriguing and unique features, like her porcelain white skin, big wide almond eyes and long locks of hair, she was quite beautiful for a human that is. In his later years, Longze would learn to shapeshift and even assume human form, but at this young age of three those abilities had not yet manifested. He ejected some sounds, but of course, nobody understood his vernacular, except the Princess's uncle Davos, and he, being a magician, was able to decipher this strange lingo (speech, argot, dialect, jargon) of the dragon.  He did not know of Longze’s age, of his innocence, his virtuous (noble and decent) and purely platonic fascination with the princess. Supposing quite the opposite, he suddenly struck on an idea.

Now, you will remember that I told you there was one wicked person in Avarkan, and I cannot conceal from you any longer that this nasty, evil person was non other than the Princess's Uncle Davos. Magicians could sometimes be bad, and some uncles are nasty, as they are at times depicted in some fairy tales.

Princess Juyin’s uncle Davos, the present regent ruler (sovereign) of Avarkan, furthermore was obsessed with his current immense power and privilege that would all end, when Juyin reached the age of consent, for she was the rightful successor (heir), and the throne had always passed down from Sovereign to his offspring, one with direct royal bloodline. Davos, despite his pseudo nice demeanor, secretly hated his niece for this and so, when he smiled at Juyin, his smile never reached his eyes; furthermore, he had no intention of ever surrendering the throne to Juyin. I say this, because she prior had two elder brothers, whom both were now deceased; one had expired due to some mysterious ailment and the other because of some freak accident shortly thereafter. 

Aside from the rule of law, she was too well liked and astutely cared for, so Davos could not as easily dispose of her. He did not like many things—but securing the throne was his top priority.  Now, however, Uncle Davos thought there might be a chance for him to effectively navigate his evil intent—because he knew that he could utilize the old, prejudiced beliefs about dragons, for his own benefit.  He’d noted the dragon’s instant infatuation with the princess; furthermore, he also knew that dragons were pure and gullible, if one knew how to deceive them, and that he did.  For the time being, he had said nothing, but he exchanged a meaningful glance with the dragon, before everyone went home for tea. Now, no one had seen the meaningful glance, except Stevor.

10- DAVOS

Stevor went home and told Fido all about it. The intelligent little creature listened carefully, and then climbed from Stevor's knee to the table, on which stood an ornamental calendar that the Princess had given Stevor for a Christmas present. With its tiny paw, he pointed out a date—the fifteenth of August, the Princess's birthday, and looked anxiously at its master.

"What is it, Fido—good little puppy—then?" said Stevor, and the sagacious animal repeated its former gesture. Then Stevor understood.

11- FIDO  WARNS

"Oh, something is going to happen on her birthday; all right. I'll be on the lookout for it." And he was.

Meanwhile, at first the citizens of Avarkan were quite pleased with the dragon, who’d stayed by the pillar and fed himself from the bun trees, but by-and-by he began to wander. He would creep into the burrows made by the excursionists, sporting on the downs, would see his long, tight, whiplike tail wriggling down a burrow and out of sight, and before they had time to say, "There he goes," his head would come poking out from another tunnel,-hole—perhaps just behind them—or laugh softly to itself just in their ears. And the dragon's laugh was a strange one. This sort of hide-and-seek amused people at first, but by-and-by it began to get on their nerves: and if you don't know what that means, ask Mother to tell you next time you are playing blind man's buff when she has a headache. Then the dragon got into the habit of cracking his tail, as people crack whips, and this also got on people's nerves. Then, too, some of the livestock such as sheep, pigs, or poultry, a chicken here, rooster there (including other sorts of fowl) began to be missed. For he needed real sustenance which the buns lacked.  The nourishment was a necessity for his recovery and for building his strength so he could take flight and return home. The things that went missing were nothing much at first—but it still made people feel uncomfortable. Then one day a favorite rabbit of the Princess's, called Sedrick, mysteriously disappeared, and subsequently her pony was nowhere to be seen. Then came a terrible morning when Fido had gone missing.

Fido was allowed to freely roam, moreover, he had frequently barked ever since the dragon came to the island, and for such a little puppy, he had a real loud bark. People had grown quite accustomed to the noise emanating from here (near) and yonder (far); so, when his barking suddenly ceased and was absent for a long duration, it gave cause for worry to many people, especially Stevor. Unfortunately, after an intensive search, Fido was deemed permanently gone; but I’ll let you in on a secret, the culprit was other than what you might expect.  

Now, would Longze the dragon be that heartless to eat such a small thing? If they thought long and hard, they would have arrived at a different conclusion. As it were, many of the mysterious disappearances could be attributed to one other probable person... But for now, to prolong the suspense, we won’t reveal precisely who that could be.

A boy was sent to wake the army, so that they could affect a more detailed, wide birth search for the latest missing bunch. But the army was gone too! And now the people became more terrified.

12 MONARCH DAVOS GIVES A SPEACH

Monarch Davos, seizing this chance, came out onto the terrace of the palace, and he made the people a speech. He said: "Friends—fellow citizens—I cannot disguise from myself or from you that this dragon we’ve welcomed into our midst, is a terrible menace, a voracious (insatiable, ravenous) beast, as it was foretold by the ancients. This, I’ve read it in the stars…he would be portended (presaged, foretold) ruin of Avarkan, if not appeased and then rid off."

If you haven’t guessed it already, Davos was the real culprit behind these mass disappearances; the dragon Longze had been very good and only took bare minimum sustenance; however, he still got the full blame.

The people thought of the dragon's tail and said, "Hear, hear."

Davos went on: "Something has happened to a gentle and defenseless member of our community. We don't know what has happened."

Everyone thought of the rabbit named Sedrick and groaned.

"The defenses of our country have been swallowed up," said Davos. For literally, it had happened. Devos had ceased this opportunity to rid himself of the opposing generals and portion of the army that had staunch (unwavering) loyalty to the old regime and therefore, posed certain future difficulties.  Two days prior, he had issued orders, launching a secret campaign, supposedly against an offending Dragon, to defend the perimeter of the northern sector, whereas in fact, with his magic, he’d set up traps, quicksand, that had swallowed, the entire dispatched force.

Oblivious crowd, meanwhile, shook their heads, some pointing the finger of blame on the dragon, while (grieving) many mourned the loss of the army.

"There is only one single solution to all this, only one thing to be done!" Davos’s voice swelling (in crescendo, building up), ejected next. "Could we ever forgive ourselves if by neglecting a simple precaution we lost more rabbits, more men—or even, perhaps, our navy, our constables, and our fire brigade? For I warn you that the dragon will respect nothing, especially when he’s fully grown."

 

 

(END OF PART 1)

(STAY TUNED FOR PART 2 - THE CONCLUSION)  

 

 

WHY THE CHIPMUNK'S BACK IS STRIPED

WHY THE CHIPMUNK'S BACK IS STRIPED

Title: Indian Why Stories

Author: Frank Bird Linderman (1869-1938)

What a splendid lodge it was, and how grand War Eagle looked leaning against his back-rest in the firelight! From the tripod that supported the back-rest were suspended his weapons and his medicine-bundle, each showing the wonderful skill of the maker. The quiver that held the arrows was combined with a case for the bow, and colored quills of the porcupine had been deftly used to make it a thing of beauty. All about the lodge hung the strangely painted linings, and the firelight added richness to both color and design. War Eagle's hair was white, for he had known many snows; but his eyes were keen and bright as a boy's, as he gazed in pride at his grandchildren across the lodge-fire. 

He was wise, and had been in many battles, for his was a warlike tribe. He knew all about the world and the people in it. He was deeply religious, and every Indian child loved him for his goodness and brave deeds.

About the fire were Little Buffalo Calf, a boy of eleven years; Eyes-in-the-Water, his sister, a girl of nine; Fine Bow, a cousin of these, aged ten, and Bluebird, his sister, who was but eight years old.

Not a sound did the children make while the old warrior filled his great pipe, and only the snapping of the lodge-fire broke the stillness. Solemnly War Eagle lit the tobacco that had been mixed with the dried inner bark of the red willow, and for several minutes smoked in silence, while the children's eyes grew large with expectancy.

Finally he spoke: "Napa, Oldman, is very old indeed. He made this world, and all that is on it. He came out of the south, and travelled toward the north, making the birds and animals as he passed. He made the perfumes for the winds to carry about, and he even made the war-paint for the people to use. He was a busy worker, but a great liar and thief, as I shall show you after I have told you more about him. It was Oldman who taught the beaver all his cunning. It was Oldman who told the bear to go to sleep when the snow grew deep in winter, and it was he who made the curlew's bill so long and crooked, although it was not that way at first.

Oldman used to live on this world with the animals and birds. 

There was no other man or woman then, and he was chief over all the animal-people and the bird-people. He could speak the language of the robin, knew the words of the bear, and understood the sign-talk of the beaver, too. 

Arthur Heming (1870-1940)

He lived with the wolves, for they are the great hunters. Even to-day we make the same sign for a smart man as we make for the wolf; so you see he taught them much while he lived with them. Oldman made a great many mistakes in making things, as I shall show you after a while; yet he worked until he had everything good. 

But he often made great mischief and taught many wicked things. These I shall tell you about some day. Everybody was afraid of Oldman and his tricks and lies. Yes, even the animal-people, before he made men and women. He used to visit the lodges of our people and make trouble long ago, but he got so wicked that Manitou grew angry with him, and one day in the month of roses, he built a lodge for Oldman and told him that he must stay in it forever. Of course he had to do that, and nobody knows where the lodge was built, nor in what country, but that is why we never see him as our grandfathers did, long, long ago.

"What I shall tell you now happened when the world was young. It was a fine summer day, and Oldman was travelling in the forest. 

He was going north and straight as an arrow--looking at nothing, hearing nothing. No one knows what he was after, to this day. The birds and forest-people spoke politely to him as he passed but he answered none of them. The Pine-squirrel, who is always trying to find out other people's business, asked him where he was going, but Oldman wouldn't tell him. 

The woodpecker hammered on a dead tree to make him look that way, but he wouldn't. The Elk-people and the Deer-people saw him pass, and all said that he must be up to some mischief or he would stop and talk a while. The pine-trees murmured, and the bushes whispered their greeting, but he kept his eyes straight ahead and went on travelling.

"The sun was low when Oldman heard a groan" (here War Eagle groaned to show the children how it sounded), "and turning about he saw a warrior lying bruised and bleeding near a spring of cold water.

Oldman knelt beside the man and asked: “Is there war in this country?”

"'Yes,” answered the man. “This whole day long we have fought to kill a Person, but we have all been killed, I am afraid.”

"'That is strange,” said Oldman; “how can one Person kill so many men? Who is this Person, tell me his name!” but the man didn't answer—he was dead. When Oldman saw that life had left the wounded man, he drank from the spring, and went on toward the north, but before long he heard a noise as of men fighting, and he stopped to look and listen.

Finally he saw the bushes bend and sway near a creek that flowed through the forest. 

He crawled toward the spot, and peering through the brush saw a great Person near a pile of dead men, with his back against a pine-tree. The Person was full of arrows, and he was pulling them from his ugly body. Calmly the Person broke the shafts of the arrows, tossed them aside, and stopped the blood flow with a brush of his hairy hand. His head was large and fierce-looking, and his eyes were small and wicked. His great body was larger than that of a buffalo-bull and covered with scars of many battles.

"Oldman went to the creek, and with his buffalo-horn cup brought some water to the Person, asking as he approached: "'Who are you, Person? Tell me, so I can make you a fine present, for you are great in war.”

"'I am Bad Sickness,” replied the Person. 'Tribes I have met remember me and always will, for their bravest warriors are afraid when I make war upon them. I come in the night or I visit their camps in daylight. It is always the same; they are frightened and I kill them easily.”

"'Ho!' said Oldman, “tell me how to make Bad Sickness, for I often go to war myself.”He lied; for he was never in a battle in his life. The Person shook his ugly head and then Oldman said:

"'If you will tell me how to make Bad Sickness I will make you small and handsome. When you are big, as you now are, it is very hard to make a living; but when you are small, little food will make you fat. Your living will be easy because I will make your food grow everywhere.”

"'Good,” said the Person, “I will do it; you must kill the fawns of the deer and the calves of the elk when they first begin to live. When you have killed enough of them you must make a robe of their skins. Whenever you wear that robe and sing--"now you sicken, now you sicken," the sickness will come--that is all there is to it.”

"'Good,' said Oldman, 'now lie down to sleep and I will do as I promised.”

The Person went to sleep and Oldman breathed upon him until he grew so tiny that he laughed to see how small he had made him. Then he took out his paint sack and striped the Person's back with black and yellow. It looked bright and handsome and he walked the Person, who was now a tiny animal with a bushy tail to make him pretty.

"'Now,' said Oldman, “you are the Chipmunk, and must always wear those striped clothes. All of your children and their children must wear them, too.”

"After the Chipmunk had looked at himself, and thanked Oldman for his new clothes, he wanted to know how he could make his living, and Oldman told him what to eat, and said he must cache the pine-nuts when the leaves turned yellow, so he would not have to work in the winter time.

"'You are a cousin to the Pine-squirrel,” said Oldman. “And you will hunt and hide as he does. You will be spry and your living will be easy to make if you do as I have told you.”

"He taught the Chipmunk his language and his signs, showed him where to live, and then left him, going on toward the north again. He kept looking for the cow-elk and doe-deer, and it was not long before he had killed enough of their young to make the robe as the Person told him, for they were plentiful before the white man came to live on the world. He found a shady place near a creek, and there made the robe that would make Bad Sickness whenever he sang the queer song, but the robe was plain, and brown in color. He didn't like the looks of it. Suddenly he thought how nice the back of the Chipmunk looked after he had striped it with his paints.

He got out his old paint sack and with the same colors made the robe look very much like the clothes of the Chipmunk. 

He was proud of the work, and liked the new robe better; but being lazy, he wanted to save himself work, so he sent the South-wind to tell all the doe-deer and the cow-elk to come to him. They came as soon as they received the message, for they were afraid of Oldman and always tried to please him. When they had all reached the place where Oldman was he said to them: "'Do you see this robe?”

"'Yes, we see it,” they replied.

"'Well, I have made it from the skins of your children, and then painted it to look like the Chipmunk's back, for I like the looks of that Person's clothes. I shall need many more of these robes during my life; and every time I make one, I don't want to have to spend my time painting it; so from now on and forever your children shall be born in spotted clothes. I want it to be that way to save me work. On all the fawns there must be spots of white like this (here he pointed to the spots on Bad Sickness's robe) and on all of the elk-calves the spots shall not be so white and shall be in rows and look rather yellow.”

Again he showed them his robe that they might see just what he wanted.

"'Remember,” he said, “after this I don't want to see any of your children running about wearing plain clothing, because that would mean more painting for me. Now go away, and remember what I have said, lest I make you sick.”

"The cow-elk and the doe-deer were glad to know that their children's clothes would be beautiful. And they went away to their little ones who were hidden in the tall grass, where the wolves and mountain-lions would have a hard time finding them; for you know that in the tracks of the fawn there is no scent, and the wolf cannot trail him when he is alone. That is the way Manitou takes care of the weak, and all of the forest-people know about it, too.

"Now you know why the Chipmunk's back is striped, and why the fawn and elk-calf wear their pretty clothes.

"I hear the owls, and it is time for all young men who will someday be great warriors to go to bed, and for all young women to seek rest, lest beauty go away forever. Ho!"

The End.

Wyandot (Huron) Legend- Why the Leaves Have Many Colors in Autumn

Wyandot (Huron) Legend- Why the Leaves Have Many Colors in Autumn

(North American Folktale) 

Long time ago in North America (well before the human settlements) in the animal kingdom they talked and worked much like men. Every year after midsummer they held a great council at which all the species were obligatorily present. It so happened that the summer before the council met, in the casual gathering of the animals many had shared their deep curiosity about the vast sky overhead and the subsequent secret desire to go to the land of the sky and see what the country up there was like. None however could find a way to get there. The oldest and the wisest creature on earth back then was the Turtle. He too shared their desire and so he prayed long and hard to the Thunder God to show him the way. The Thunder God was appeased by his due diligence and so granted the Turtle his wish.

There was great clamor as though the earth had been split asunder, and when the other animals next looked for the Turtle, he was nowhere to be found. They searched everywhere without success. However that evening when they looked upwards, they saw him in the sky, moving about like a big black cloud. 

The turtle liked the sky so well that he decided to live there permanently and later send his descendants, to the earth. He approached the sky people with this request and his wish was once more granted.

“But where do you wish to dwell?” They asked him and his answer was, “I should like to dwell in the Black Cloud, wherein are the ponds and streams and lakes and springs of water, for I always loved being near these places when I was young.” He was permitted to have this wish also and so he resided there happily.

Then came the time of harvest-moon where all the animals met on earth at the Great Council meeting. He’d always been present at the Council meeting, and so would not dream of missing it. He did arrive in the Black Cloud but went back to the sky after the Council meeting concluded. His good fortune gave rise to certain resentment and envy from the rest who all wished that they could go with him. In time it fostered certain anger and animosity, particularly in the wake of the rumor that a new race of creatures was coming from far over the ocean to inhabit their earthly domain. They discussed their options and expressed view that it would be fortunate indeed if they too could all go and reside in the sky with the old Turtle, live like him, free from fear and care and this impending trouble. The Turtle however had never divulged the secret and they were at a loss as to how to get there.

It so happened that one day the inquisitive Deer, wandering about alone in the forest, as was his custom, came across Rainbow, who typically built a path of many colors to the sky. 

Addressing the Rainbow the Dear asked, "Carry me up to the sky, for I want to see Turtle."

However the Rainbow appeared reticent and put Deer off, wishing first to ask the Thunder God for his permission. "Come to me in winter, when I stay for a time on the mountain near the lake.” He nevertheless responded amicably, in effort to buy time. “Then I will gladly carry you to the place where Turtle dwells."

Throughout the long winter months Deer looked up to the sky, his eyes longingly searching for any sign of the Rainbow, but Rainbow did not manifest. 

Meanwhile life was becoming increasingly difficult on the earth, and all the animals existed in anticipated terror of the new race that was soon to invade their land. The Deer kept mostly to himself, timid and impatient. Then finally, one day in the early summer, Rainbow manifested and the elated Deer hastened to greet him. "Why were you false to me?" he irately asked; "I waited and waited for you all winter long on the mountain by the lake, but you failed to keep your promise. I want to go to the sky now and without delay, for I must see Turtle."

"To my dismay, I cannot take you now. But soon, when there is a Fog over the lake, I shall come back to drive it away. Come to me then, and I shall take you to the sky and to the place where Turtle dwells. This time, I promise, I shall keep my word." Rainbow apologetically answered.

Shortly after the Rainbow consulted the Thunder God, and received permission to do as Deer wished.

Seeing that the Fog one day rolled in a thick bank across the lake, the anxious Deer hastened to the spot to wait for the Rainbow. 

Sure enough, Rainbow manifested as promised this time and begun driving the Fog away. Rainbow threw his arch of many colors from the lake to the blue hills far away, and the Fog at once disappeared from the place. Then he said to Deer, who stood patiently watching him, "Now I will keep my promise. Follow my many-colored path over the hills and the forests and the streams, and be not afraid, and you will soon reach Turtle's home in the sky." Deer joyfully did as he was told, and soon he reached the sky. 

 

Turtle was pleased to see him, and Deer liked the sky country so well that he too decided to stay there ever more. Subsequently the Dear roamed over the sky, going here, there and everywhere, all the while moving like the wind from place to place. 

Seasons on Earth do change and when the midsummer had passed and the harvest-moon had come and the Great Council again met together, Deer’s first time ever absence came to light. The animals in disbelief at first had waited long for him to appear, for his advice was invaluable and well sought after. After a time when he still failed to show up, they sent the Birds out to find him. Black Hawk and Woodpecker and Blue jay all sought him in the forest, but they could not find any trace of him. 

 

Then Wolf and Fox scoured the woods far and near, but they too came back empty handed.

At last Turtle arrived at the meeting of the Great Council, as was his custom, coming in his Black Cloud, in which were the ponds and lakes and streams and springs of water. He was at once accosted by the indignant Bear who said, "Deer is absent from the Council meeting. Where is Deer? We cannot meet without him, for we need his advice."

“Oh that!” The Turtle replied, "Deer has been residing in the sky. Have you not heard? Rainbow made a wonderful pathway for him of many varied colors, and by that he came to the sky. He’s late but there he is now," and he pointed to a golden cloud scurrying across the sky overhead.

There was a disgruntled murmur among the gathered crowd. Understanding their displeasure, the Turtle advised that all the animals should all go to the sky to live until they could be sure that the new race of creatures would bring them no harm. Having previously obtained Thunder God’s permission, for he anticipated this requisite, he then showed the animals the secret pathway that Rainbow had made, stretching from the earth in wonderful colors. The animals all agreed at the Great Council to take Turtle's advice. But they harbored a deep seated anger at the Deer’s selfishness and for leaving them without warning. For it was, a given concept that all the animals should either stay together faithfully, whether it be on the earth or more recently, go all together to reside in the sky.

Bear showed the greatest antagonism and annoyance. Because of his great strength, he had no fear of the new race that was said soon to be coming, and he had always been inclined to look down with scorn on Deer and his annoyingly timid and impatient, faulty traits that were now further crowned with selfishness and disloyalty.

"Deer has forsaken us," he said irately; "he deserted us in the hour of our grave danger, and that is contrary to our code of honor and forest laws that ensure everyone a stable and peaceful coexistence." The Bear then turning away grumbled under his breath, “Oh but I will not let him get away with it. I shall punish him and punish him good, for this outrage when the time comes." 

All the animals had agreed upon a suitable time, at late autumn, for their departure of earth. When the time for departure came, the Rainbow once more made his bright path to provide for the transport to the sky. Bear was the first to go up, one because he was the leader and two, because he needed to test the durability of the bridge of burning colors to ensure the safety of the rest of the animals. When he had almost reached the sky, he met Deer on the other end of the path waiting to welcome the animals to their new home.

His smug, seemingly sincere welcome infuriated the Bear and old wounds rehashed, he growled at the Deer in unrestrained fury: "Stand aside and let me pass….You have the gall to be so smug…welcoming visitors as though to your own home. You have forfeited that right when you left us behind, without warning for the land of the Turtle and when you deserted the Great Council! Why did you not wait until all could come together? Your selfishness bespeaks falsity to our faith and for that you will always be viewed as the traitor that you are! " 

Deer had grown very proud since he had gone to live in the sky, and he was no longer timid as he had once been on earth. The Bear’s haughty manner of address infuriated him to the boiling point. "Who are you to doubt me or my faith?” He barked at the Bear. “None but the Wolf may ask me why I came or question my fidelity. I will kill you for your insolence." In his fury the Deer’s eyes flashed as if a fire burned in them. He tossed his head to show his long sharp horns. The hair along his back stood up. Next instant he’d arched his neck and lowered his antlered head as he rushed madly at the Bear to slay him by pushing him from the path.

But Bear was not afraid, for he had often tested his strength with Deer upon the earth. He only glanced momentarily at his claws that were deadly, before he let out an impressive growl that shook the sky like rolling thunder. After which he’d charged in deadly retaliation. They came together with a shock. The long battle was fierce, all the while the bridge of burning colours trembled and the heavens shook from the force of the conflict. The animals waiting by the lake at the end of the path looked up and saw the battle above them. They feared for the result, for they wanted neither Bear nor Deer to perish. So they sent Wolf up to the sky to intercede and to put an end to this deadly contest. 

When Wolf reached the combatants, Bear was bleeding profusely, for Deer with his antlers had pierced his neck and side. Deer, too, was bleeding copiously where Bear's lethal claws had torn a great big gash in his head.

Back then all the animals had to obey the Wolf and Wolf soon put a stop to this horrific battle. 

The gravely injured pair begrudgingly withdrew from the combat zone and ran away, presumably to dress their wounds.

Now as the Bear and the Deer had ran away, the Blood cascaded from them and fell on earth. It fell freely upon the leaves of the trees beneath them, and changed them into varied colors: some became Red, some Yellow; some were Brown, some Scarlet, and some Crimson. 

And from that time on every year when autumn comes in the North Country the forests transform with splendor of soft and glowing beauty for the leaves take on these multitudes of bright and wondrous colors given to them by the blood of Bear and Deer when they fought on the Rainbow path eons ago. 

In case you are wondering, the other animals did also go up to the sky over Rainbow's flaming path. Seeing how wonderful it was, they all decided to live in the sky and to send their descendants back to earth when the new race of creatures came. To date, they can still at times be seen, like clouds scurrying across the sky, in the shape they had on earth.

Unfortunately the Bear and Deer never resolved their differences. Their animosity, passed onto their decedents, persisted to date, forcing them to dwell apart. 

What’s more the changing of the colors are attributed by the Wyandots, to the continued hostility between ardent foes, deeming it to be the fresh blood from the incurred injuries of the Bear and the Deer cascading down from the sky upon the trees on Earth.

The End.