Brothers Campfire A Heron Story -An Ongoing Tale Chapter 26

Good morning.

Enjoy a cup of coffee! Today, a Heron man has come to tell us a story.  

Brother, I am Ahusaka.

Our ways are many. Your way is one.

There are many peoples of the forest with many ways.  

You have wisdom and strength.  I will follow the rules of your village when I visit. I feel there is strength in your way.

I have a story, Brother of Northwich. 

There was a boy who held a stick in his hand. He was curious and put the stick in the fire. 

As he poked the fire, sparks came from the stick. He took the stick from the fire and waved it around. It became many colors of fire. It made noise and the boy was elated. The fire went out on the stick and the boy sought for more firesticks. He never found a stick that made sparks with colored fire.

The boy became a young man and forgot about the firestick he had found. He took on the responsibilities and obligations of his tribe.

The young man walked through the forest one evening and saw a star brightly flying through the sky. He remembered the firestick. He envisioned men traveling to the stars on a stick of fire.

The young man went on a journey to find another firestick. He spoke to the animals of the forest. 

He met an otter, and asked, “do you know where to find a firestick?”

“No” said the otter, “I play in the water and roll in the sand. Take the dark sand with you, I do not want it. It is not pretty like the shiny sand” 

As he walked, the young man met a large tree and asked in rather 

whimsical way, “do you know where to find a firestick?”

The tree was not happy and said, “You would ask me for a fire stick? I do not like fire. Look at my once beautiful branch, struck by lightning. Please take the darkness and char off. I cannot bear to leave it on my branch. It bothers me so.” 

The young man took the char off the branch and wiped tears of sap from the tree. “Thank you!” Said the tree.

The young man grew weary and lay down in a cave entrance to protect himself from the elements. He had just fallen asleep when he was awakened by bats. They shrieked, “Young man, we have visitors coming. Will you help us clean the walls and floors? The young man begrudgingly helped the bats and returned to his slumber.

When he awoke in the morning, he built a fire. Frustrated at the futility of his search he said,  “ I will never find the firesticks. All I have gathered to me is the problems of the forest. The dark sand from the otter, the char and sap from the tree, the excrement from a bat.  He sat for a long while and said, “ I will go back to the village to my obligations. I am a man with responsibility. With that, he took the problems of the forest and put them in the fire.  The young man sat, reflecting on his journey. What a fool I have been talking to an otter, a tree and bats. 

As the man rose, the fire suddenly gave bright flame and orange sparks leapt from the fire.

Brother, you have the trouble of the forest, your village, and the Yenaldooshi you adopted.

It is up to you to hold these things together .

Toksa