The Art of Patience

The two brothers decided the lesson their children needed to learn most was waiting.

When you travel, you must never burden yourself so as to be free to react to any situation in the most economic and safest way. Children are rarely given important tasks so that they are free to run when danger arises.

However, if a child runs and runs and runs, his family may never find them again.

The first brother said “I will scare your child and force him to move.”

The second brother said “I will wait for them to come to me or find them.”

Both brothers were unsure how to communicate this to the children without alerting them to the trial they prepared for them.

The second brother said, “I will tell your child to come find me if there is danger and you are not around.”

The first brother agreed that it was a good plan and would do the same with the same his brother’s child.

The next morning, all of them went hunting in the woods. The children were told to keep a look out for deer or rabbit and to pick any berries they were certain were not poisonous.

Both children agreed it would be a fun adventure and promised to listen closely to their fathers’ words and heed their commands without question.

“Uncle,” the first child said, “Where will we find the deer and rabbits?”

The Uncle muttered something about paying attention to the surroundings and not to fret over deer or rabbit yet to reveal themselves.

“We will find them where they are,” The Father said.

As they wandered the woods, it was decided to cover more ground they would split up. Each child would go with their Uncle and both parties walked parallel to each other, but out of sight.

“If we are separated, you must return to the spot where we parted company and wait. Under no exception except a threat to your life should you leave this spot.”

After a time, both Uncles told the children to wait here “While I look for deer tracks.”

Hours passed as the children waited. Alone, scared and starting to get cold, they were forced to decide whether to remain waiting for their Uncle or look for their Father at the meeting place.

The first child was too scared to move.

The second child ran as fast as he could to the spot they had chosen.

The second child found his father waiting for him.

“It is good you waited just long enough and then came to me. Where is your cousin?”

The second child said he did not look for his cousin and did not know where he was.

“You left your cousin in the forest? You should have looked for him first as he is the one in our party who needs the most guidance. Return to where you were and find him. I will wait here and send your 

Uncle after you when he returns here.”

The child was afraid to go back in the woods alone, but he understood if both he and his father left the clearing, no one would remain to tell his Uncle that his child was lost.

The small one puffed up his chest and headed back into the woods.

He wasn’t looking long before he found his Uncle. He found his Uncle was very angry.

“You left my son in the woods to save your own skin? That is a great shame upon you and I will not travel with a child who would leave mine to die. Find my son or return to your father, I go my own way now.”

The child was confused and scared. He wanted to look for his cousin with his Uncle and he did not want to return to his Father to report such a horrible failure. He puffed his chest out again and returned to the last spot he was set to wait at. Then he began to make bird calls as he walked in slow, concentric circles.

The second child heard a bird getting closer and closer. He wasn’t afraid of birds so he decided to walk towards the sound and ask the bird where his family was.

The two children met in no time by calling out and answering with a bird call they each knew. Even their Uncle and Father couldn’t tell where they were. They began to get worried and also decided to ask the bird if he’d seen their children.

All were pleased to meet each other in an empty clearing and the Brothers concluded they had done a good thing, whether they meant to or not, because everyone had learned the value of patience and coordination.

They resolved to teach this lesson to each successive generation.

Brothers

The Father and The Uncle

Two Brothers walked through the woods.
They talked about their children and their responsibility to them.
The first brother said: I have a hard time denying my son anything even when its for the best.
The second brother said: Me too.
Both wondered how they would teach their son to be a man without cruelty.

The first brother said: It's not possible.
The second brother said: I agree.

So a pact was made. Each would regard the other's son as their own but not let him know it. So he would learn to be wary of his Uncle's mercurial nature.

However both swore never to harm their sons intentionally and would be certain to act with care and love, even when the hard lessons must be taught.

Most of all, they swore that'd they would give the same service to each other so there would be no guilt or shame over the lessons taught.

Whe it rained
When the first water fell from the sky, all the children danced and leapt about splashing and smiling.

Then the village got sick.

The first shaman said we should have been more careful.
The second shaman said it was the water that made us sick
The first shaman agreed and they decided it would be best to keep the water off our skins when using it.

What neither Shaman knew was the rain was a gift from the sky, without any requirements on the part of the receivers.

If they had stopped and just thought for a moment, they would realized it was being wet that made them sick, not the gift of the sky.

Short Stories

Old Indian Tales Reimagined by A Young Man With Indian Ancestors

Smoking

Smoking was invented by the brave men on watch. The ones who went against their natural instinct to hide and cower and rest when its dark. The ones who stood guard all night long so their loved ones could sleep and dream without fear. A totem against the darkness.

It’s long, its cold, but its not really that bad. Its what lurks within and corrupts the night that we fear. The monsters who use the shadows to get closer to the weak and innocent. But the shadows are a tool. The watch used it themselves. Often dressing in dark colors, or hiding in the branches of a helpful tree, using the shadows to let them see the monsters before the monsters see them.

But they needed a way to stay in contact in the dark. One man must always be able to see two other men or the watch is useless. So they rolled up dry leaves and would signal each other at regular intervals by puffing on the slow burning torch. One particular brave soul decided he would find out if inhaling made a better signal than puffing, which had its benefits and its downsides.

He discovered it a pleasant diversion and kept him awake and alert, more ready to leap to the defense of their families. The habit spread and soon the guardsman would be signaling each other at home, out hunting or even just around the house.

One Shaman thought the idea so clever they decided a ceremony should be held to commemorate the discovery and christened Tobacco a sacred tool that helps keep our village safe. To be respected, but not perverted. Cherished but not idolized.

The other Shaman believed the idea was too clever for a guard and wished he had thought of it himself. He believed someone showed the guard how to inhale and the guard was lying when he took credit.

To be fair to all, he declared the spirits had delivered the tobacco as a gift because of their beautiful ceremonies. As a result, it was restricted by the faithful people to be used ONLY by the watch and the shaman. Those who had already partaken felt shame at abusing the gift of the spirits.

And that shame still haunts the plains, mountains, waters and sky.

The Snake

Lying and dying is hard. Those are two truths than many people believe and many people do not. The snake believed them both.

He found out about the first on accident. Another snake was about to make a tasty meal of a mouse. The snake looked at the other snake and he knew the other snake would likely hurt him very badly if he tried to get the mouse from him. Possibly even kill him. The snake was hungry but he was also scared. So he wished real hard that he was bigger and stronger than the other snake so he could have the mouse.

And the wish came true. As long as the snake believed it and puffed himself up big enough and hissed loud enough, other snakes would be scared and were afraid the snake would almost certainly kill them if they fought.

If he wasn’t good at fighting, then why would he draw so much attention to himself? It didn’t make sense. Unless the snake knew something the other snake didn’t. All snakes know secrets are powerful. It’s old knowledge passed from one snake to little snakes in secret. So the second snake believed the snake knew something he didn’t and to save his skin, he slithered away as fast as possible.

The snake tried very hard to remember the neat trick he had learned. He called it lying so it would be easy to remember because he lied all day long. And it rhymed with dying, which would remind the snake why he lied. Because he didn’t want to die alone and he spent most days trying to avoid it, because he knew it was always close behind him. Snakes live dangerous lives.

Sometimes the snake forgot his trick and he would get hurt. But when he did it just right, it worked every time. Like magic. So he practiced and he practiced and he practiced until he thought know one would know his secret.

But one day, he met a Hawk that would have none of this bluster and bullshit. He saw right through the snake into his very soul and said. I know what you are. You are food. Any argument to the contrary will be shorted out sortly.

And what do you think happened when the snake lyed to the hawk? Maybe he got away with a couple times, because even A hawk desont want to die. And on a good day, that snake lyed better than any other creature that learned the trick.

But the hawk always knew in his heart that if he were really hungry he’d eat that fucking snake or die trying. Who do you think would win that fight?