collins
02-28-2002, 02:56 PM
THE BOY IN THE WATER
There was once a boy who was born under a tide. As the boy grew his
relations would tell him stories of how they came to live under this tide,
but he couldn't seem to get the whole story of who they were. One of the men
in the tribe was very hard on the boy and mocked after him turning some of
the others against his enquiries. Many in the tribe were turned bitter by
the tide and refused to speak streight words about their people. So the
boy's questions were not all answered. This bothered the boy so that he
tried to ask Ekuni how he could find the answers he was seeking, and who he
was. The tide was so deep and the sounds of the rushing waters so strong
that Ekuni could not hear his prayers. There was a water spirit, that the
boy's mother had told him of, and this spirit heard the boy's cries. The
water spirit was angry for it was the water spirit that had put the people
under the water and set the tide against them to destroy the people for not
honoring the old ways. The spirit thought it had destroyed these people, for
surely they could not have lived under the waters. In hearing the boy's
cries the water spirit went to investigate. Sure enough the people were
alive and living under the tide and here was this boy praying. The water
spirit grew so angry that these people dared to not die under it's power
that the tide grew even harsher. The boy's prayers continued and so the
water spirit went down to the boy. As the water spirit reached the boy it
saw a rope attached from the boy to his relatives and all the people. In the
tide the boy stood strong against the raging current seemingly with no aid
in his support. But still the boy was there praying. The water spirit came
down from the tide and appeared before the boy. When the boy opened his eyes
he saw the spirit. At first he thought Ekuni had heard his prayers, but then
he realized that the water spirit had it's marks from the eyes and mouth. He
saw the tide in the spirit's eyes and knew this being was not Ekuni, but was
the water spirit his mother had told him about. The boy was not moved. He
began to pray louder and louder until the water spirit reached out in it's
boiling anger and smashed the boy into the sand. The boy lay there bleeding
and knew his death was near. The boy began to sing his ancestor song. Rivers
of blood ran from the boy's broken body. As the blood ran a pebble appeared
in the sands next to him. The pebble grew with each river of blood and each
word of the sacred song. It grew until it lifted the boy from the sands. It
grew even more until it threw the water spirit backward against the tide.
When the water spirit hit the tide the tide rose up into the air like a huge
fountain. The waters raised off the people. They then could see the boy on
the pebble that had become a rock and the struggling water spirit above in
the tide fountain. One by one the people reached the boy that was laying
there on the rock dieing. They began to weep. They were amazed at the
courage of the boy and how he still continued to sing even as his death
approached. With each tear that fell upon the boy, the boy began to glow
like the full moon of blue. Now the boy was still singing and the people
joined the song and prayer to Ekuni. The song was so loud now that all the
ancestors heard it well and clear for the tide was raised into the sky.
Ekuni heard this offering and sweet thankfulness and peaked down upon the
happenings. Ekuni lowered his rattle down and at the top was a hawk so large
it covered the sky above. The hawk swooped down, seeing the rope attached to
the boy on the rock, and grabbed it with her giant talon. The boy flew up
off the rock and just at that moment the water spirit with fierce rage
grabbed the tide and threw it at the people to kill them once and for all.
The boy seemed to be healed as the hawk went higher for life was coming back
into him. The boy saw the others being drawn upwards with him in the hawks
talon on the rope that connected them all. The boy then prayed once more to
ask Ekuni who they were. Being that the tide was lifted Ekuni again heard
the prayer and instantly the boy knew the power of his people. When Ekuni
had finished this revelation he dropped an arrow to the boy. The boy caught
the arrow and it became many. The boy threw an arrow at the tide and the
tide flew backwards and hit the water spirit again. By this time all the
people were lifted out accept one. This one was the man that had been so
cruel to the boy, but the boy knew that no one should be left behind. The
tide came rolling back down and hit the man and the water spirit was heading
upstream for it could not stand against the power of the people. The boy,
seeing that the tide had hit the man, cut his rope and tied it to the hawk.
He jumped down into the tide and struggled fiercely against it to find the
man. The boy took out another arrow and pushed the tide enough to see the
man and grasp the man's hand. the boy raised the arrow upward and they were
lifted to the edge of the river. When the river fell back the tide was gone.
The waters ran slow and steady never to harm the people again. The people
remembered their story and never forgot the power in it for they are the
people of the gentle flowing waters. SPC
There was once a boy who was born under a tide. As the boy grew his
relations would tell him stories of how they came to live under this tide,
but he couldn't seem to get the whole story of who they were. One of the men
in the tribe was very hard on the boy and mocked after him turning some of
the others against his enquiries. Many in the tribe were turned bitter by
the tide and refused to speak streight words about their people. So the
boy's questions were not all answered. This bothered the boy so that he
tried to ask Ekuni how he could find the answers he was seeking, and who he
was. The tide was so deep and the sounds of the rushing waters so strong
that Ekuni could not hear his prayers. There was a water spirit, that the
boy's mother had told him of, and this spirit heard the boy's cries. The
water spirit was angry for it was the water spirit that had put the people
under the water and set the tide against them to destroy the people for not
honoring the old ways. The spirit thought it had destroyed these people, for
surely they could not have lived under the waters. In hearing the boy's
cries the water spirit went to investigate. Sure enough the people were
alive and living under the tide and here was this boy praying. The water
spirit grew so angry that these people dared to not die under it's power
that the tide grew even harsher. The boy's prayers continued and so the
water spirit went down to the boy. As the water spirit reached the boy it
saw a rope attached from the boy to his relatives and all the people. In the
tide the boy stood strong against the raging current seemingly with no aid
in his support. But still the boy was there praying. The water spirit came
down from the tide and appeared before the boy. When the boy opened his eyes
he saw the spirit. At first he thought Ekuni had heard his prayers, but then
he realized that the water spirit had it's marks from the eyes and mouth. He
saw the tide in the spirit's eyes and knew this being was not Ekuni, but was
the water spirit his mother had told him about. The boy was not moved. He
began to pray louder and louder until the water spirit reached out in it's
boiling anger and smashed the boy into the sand. The boy lay there bleeding
and knew his death was near. The boy began to sing his ancestor song. Rivers
of blood ran from the boy's broken body. As the blood ran a pebble appeared
in the sands next to him. The pebble grew with each river of blood and each
word of the sacred song. It grew until it lifted the boy from the sands. It
grew even more until it threw the water spirit backward against the tide.
When the water spirit hit the tide the tide rose up into the air like a huge
fountain. The waters raised off the people. They then could see the boy on
the pebble that had become a rock and the struggling water spirit above in
the tide fountain. One by one the people reached the boy that was laying
there on the rock dieing. They began to weep. They were amazed at the
courage of the boy and how he still continued to sing even as his death
approached. With each tear that fell upon the boy, the boy began to glow
like the full moon of blue. Now the boy was still singing and the people
joined the song and prayer to Ekuni. The song was so loud now that all the
ancestors heard it well and clear for the tide was raised into the sky.
Ekuni heard this offering and sweet thankfulness and peaked down upon the
happenings. Ekuni lowered his rattle down and at the top was a hawk so large
it covered the sky above. The hawk swooped down, seeing the rope attached to
the boy on the rock, and grabbed it with her giant talon. The boy flew up
off the rock and just at that moment the water spirit with fierce rage
grabbed the tide and threw it at the people to kill them once and for all.
The boy seemed to be healed as the hawk went higher for life was coming back
into him. The boy saw the others being drawn upwards with him in the hawks
talon on the rope that connected them all. The boy then prayed once more to
ask Ekuni who they were. Being that the tide was lifted Ekuni again heard
the prayer and instantly the boy knew the power of his people. When Ekuni
had finished this revelation he dropped an arrow to the boy. The boy caught
the arrow and it became many. The boy threw an arrow at the tide and the
tide flew backwards and hit the water spirit again. By this time all the
people were lifted out accept one. This one was the man that had been so
cruel to the boy, but the boy knew that no one should be left behind. The
tide came rolling back down and hit the man and the water spirit was heading
upstream for it could not stand against the power of the people. The boy,
seeing that the tide had hit the man, cut his rope and tied it to the hawk.
He jumped down into the tide and struggled fiercely against it to find the
man. The boy took out another arrow and pushed the tide enough to see the
man and grasp the man's hand. the boy raised the arrow upward and they were
lifted to the edge of the river. When the river fell back the tide was gone.
The waters ran slow and steady never to harm the people again. The people
remembered their story and never forgot the power in it for they are the
people of the gentle flowing waters. SPC