River
and Rock
A
Yahgahn Fable
Long ago, before there were Trelli or Duenicallo or Vungtrafs in the world, there was a rock living in the jungle. The rock was a very patient person, always just sitting.
But one day, a nearby tree spoke to Rock.
Tree spoke to Rock for quite a while, but Rock did not speak back, except to
say, “Okay” every now and then.
“Rock, why don’t you speak much?”
“Me?”
“Yes, you.”
“Because.”
“Because why?”
“Because I am the most patient person in
All Creation. I just sit here and don’t speak much because my patience is so
great that I listen when someone speaks.”
“Oh.”
The wind laughed upon hearing Rock’s words.
“You think you are the most patient, eh? HA! I will show you!”
And Wind blew and blew, trying to wear down
rock’s patience, but though Wind blew for years upon years, Rock was too hard
to be worn down so easily. And the plants and animals complained loudly that
Wind was blowing so much and so hard that he was blowing away the water and the
soil that they needed so badly. So eventually, Wind gave up, and Ohniahnis
(Goddess of Plants and Flowers) placed her hand on this spot to make it well
again.
But soon Sun heard about this, and said to
Rock, “My hot rays will wear you down!”
And the Sun stopped itself in its course,
and beat down on Rock for a long time, but Rock just soaked up the heat and did
not get hurt by Sun. Yet the plants and animals complained loudly to Sun that
without night, it became so hot that many were dying. But Sun persisted to try
to wear down Rock. It was not until a huge fire broke out that Sun decided
finally to give up. As soon as Sun disappeared to make night again, Ohniahnis
scooped up the fire in her hands and made it into a billion seeds. When she
scattered the seeds, they became Fire Flowers.
Now Wind and Sun were furious at being
shown that Rock was more patient than them, but they were determined to wear
him down somehow. Finally, they spoke to River. They asked River to try to wear
down Rock. River just sat there, flowing as always. He was not about to get
interested in petty squabbling. They begged, they pleaded, but he refused. Sun
and Wind then tried to wear down River, but they could not without causing
another disaster. So finally they gave up.
But Tree was curious to see if River was
stronger than Rock. So he reached and reached and wished until he grew vines
that could move, thus becoming the ancestor of all kinds of moving plants that
exist on Traipah. Tree used his new, moveable limbs to grab rock and throw him
into River.
Though Rock was surprised by this new
change of things, he soon grew indifferent again. He knew he was the most
patient person in All Creation.
But he was proven wrong. After many, many
centuries, Rock noticed that he was half of his original size. River was
stronger than Rock. Rock thought that was kind of strange, and felt shamed that
he had thought himself the most patient of all people, since it had caused Wind
to blow away the soil that Tree had depended on, nearly killing him, and
because it had caused Sun to hurt the plants and animals of the world with its
burning fire. But River wore him down without even trying. River could wear
down Rock by just being the same way he had been forever. So Rock sighed, and
patiently awaited his fate.