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Chipmunk's Favour |
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 Grandmother sat on the beach listening to
Grandson and Granddaughter. The two children were arguing
about who would go up to the house to get some water to
drink.Grandson said, "I went up to get the blanket to sit on, so you have to go this time." Granddaughter replied, "But, last time I went to get the water. It is your turn." Grandmother called them over and said, "Sit with me for a while. I have a story to tell you. "For many years, Chipmunk scrambled up Tree’s trunk and out along his branches to where his ripe cones grow. Chipmunk nibbled the stems, and one by one the cones would fall to the ground below. "Chipmunk would always remember to stop and say, ‘Thank you, Tree.’ "Tree would reply, ‘You are welcome. I have plenty to share with you.’ "Chipmunk would run down to the ground, pick up each cone, take the seeds out, and then run off into the forest to hide them in his underground burrows." Grandson said to Grandmother, "That’s not fair. Chipmunk got all Tree’s seeds every year and never gave anything back." Grandmother replied, "For many years that was true. Tree continued to give his seeds to Chipmunk and never received anything in return. "One hot, dry summer, a storm crossed over the forest and a bolt of lightning hit the ground, starting a terrible wildfire. The fire burned for many days, and afterwards all of the small trees in the forest were gone. "Tree survived, but he was very sad that the forest no longer had any young trees. "Chipmunk came to the rescue. He went to all his burrows and took out the seeds he had stored. He ran about the forest and planted them in the warm ashes. For days he continued to plant the seeds he had been given over the years by Tree. "When the rains finally came, the seeds sprouted, and by the next spring there were thousands of new trees growing in the forest. Tree was very happy. "He said to Chipmunk, ‘I am glad that I shared all my seeds with you. Thank you for starting a new forest for all of us to enjoy.’" Grandmother turned to the children, "You see, you cannot count how many favours one person does against how many the other has done. Chipmunk paid Tree back with one big favour that repaid the many small ones Tree had given him. "Perhaps you two need to think the same way. Instead of competing against each other you could both look for ways to try to help each other. Trust that in the long run you will be repaid for your kindness." Sample story from: Raven's Call and More Northwest Coast Stories Copyright 1999 Robert James Challenger ISBN 1-895811-91-0 |
