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Creth started her second
story, "This is the story of the foolish rabbit who captured the sun."
Long ago, there was a
rabbit who lived in a lodge with his grandmother. As was his habit, he
would arise early in order to go hunting. Still, there was something
disturbing him. No matter how early in the morning he would go, someone
would have been there first. It was a person with very long feet and he
would leave a trail of his tracks. The rabbit was very puzzled by this and
decided he was going to find out who this person was who was beating him
to the best hunting places every day. He thought to himself, “Well, I'll
just get up earlier tomorrow, I'll get there first.” The next morning,
the same thing. The person with the long feet had been there before him.
He had been there and he had left a trail.
The rabbit spoke to his
grandmother, "Grandmother, even though I have tried morning after morning
to get out first, someone has been there before me. It is the same person
with long feet. Now, I have decided what I am going to do. I have had all
this I intend to put up with and I have a plan. I am going to make a snare
and I am going to catch this person." With that he began to make a
snare, forming a noose out of bow string. He put it in the place where the
footprints always were. The next morning, very early, he came to look to
see if he had caught anything in his snare and look! He shook with
fright, there in his snare was the mighty sun. "I have caught the sun" He
cried out with great fear. The rabbit turned and ran very fast away from
it. When he got home he told his grandmother, "Grandmother, grandmother, I
am frightened, I have caught the sun!"
The grandmother didn't say
anything. She just looked at the foolish rabbit.
Still shaking with fear,
the rabbit announced, "I want my bow-string back and I am taking my knife
to cut the sun loose from it." With that he returned to the place where
he held the sun captive. He walked closer and closer to the sun.
All at once, the sun roared
at him, "You foolish rabbit, you have done wrong. Why have you done this
to me? Come immediately and untie me, or you will suffer grave
consequences."
The rabbit was very afraid
and he would pass only part of the way up to the sun. Finally, he drew on
all of his courage and he put his head down, made a rush toward the sun
and cut the bow string with his knife. The sun, upon his release, flew
high into the sky. Because the sun had been so hot on the rabbit, the hair
on the middle of his shoulders was scorched yellow. To this day, the
yellow scorch of the rabbits back between his shoulders testifies to his
foolishness." Creth ended the second story.
"What does it mean?" Lizzie
questioned her sisters.
"I don't know. I guess it
means, you had better pick on someone your own size." The sisters all
laughed together with Creth and her explanation of the story.
"That is all," Esther spoke
to the girls. Your father is firm in his decision as to how many of these
stories Lizzie is to hear. Let's have breakfast now." She diverted Lizzie
by saying to her, "go call your father for breakfast." |
