Stories

 

HOW NATURE BEGAN

by Mark R.

"Come on slow-poke, I can't wait to try out this new bow," called Mushu back to Rangi.

"I'm coming as fast as I can. What was this thing you wanted to show me anyway?," bellowed Rangi, trotting along the trail.
There was an eclipse. That is how things were back then, at least. There was nothing except darkness, deep, black darkness. There was no such thing as light of nature, at least until then.

"I hope it is still there!!," said Mushu with a hopeful look on his face.

"It better still be there or I'll....," Rangi's sentence was cut off by his own amazement. Up ahead of them was a bright light.

"What is that 'thing'," they both said simultaneously. They both stared at the object in amazement. On the ground ahead of them, a long, slim, pointed arrow stood, erect. Surrounding the arrow was a large block of light. Now, understanding that the boys had never seen light before, they were quite astonished.

"Well just don't stand there, go get the arrow!!," cried Rangi.

Mushu slowly tip-toed towards the arrow, and with a quick swoop, grabbed it. The ground and area around the arrow quickly became black and dark.

"Oh well, I guess it was just a normal arrow," announced Mushu, and flung it into the back of his arrow case.

The arrow was so sharp that it ripped a hole in the case and was dragged across the dirt road as Mushu and Rangi walked back to the village.

As the arrow dragged, a white dust spread all over the road. Suddenly, small, green sprouts started to pop up from the ground. These weren't ordinary sprouts. The sprouts in this story grew very fast!! Where ever the sprouts spread, new sprouts arose from the ground.

Meanwhile, when Mushu and Rangi had returned home, they were met by the chief of their village who was not too happy about what they were doing.

"I thought I told you to only go hunting when I tell you. There is plenty of work around here even without you playing your childish games. And you Rangi, with your mother six months pregnant, I am sure you will be able to find some sort of work to do around the hut," cried the chief.

"But we were only...," murmured Rangi.

"You were only playing around!!" yelled the chief. "Now go back to your hut!!"

Rangi ran out of the chief's hut, tears streaming down his face. After Rangi had left, Mushu came up to the chief and said,

"Chief, it was my idea, if you are going to punish anyone, I should be the one."

"Mushu, I am really surprised by you. Now that your father is gone, the village is depending on you to take care of your mother. You know how much she means to you and the tribe," said the chief.

"I know," Mushu murmured.

Mushu had always hated to talk about his father. Ever since his death, Mushu and his mother had never really talked about it. Whenever someone brought up the topic, Mushu always tried to change to subject.

"Now, go home and help your mother with the chores," ordered the chief.

 

Meanwhile, a little boy had strayed away from his mother and went exploring in the woods. By that time, the Great Beginning had already spread all the way to the end of the forest and was still spreading. As the young boy was walking up a hill, he saw the growth and almost rolled back down the hill. He screamed and ran back to his mother as fast as he could.

"MOMMY, MOMMY, I saw a big monster and its getting bigger, and bigger, and bigger....!!!" the boy screamed.

"Slow down sweety. Now, tell me nice and slowly what you saw," the mother said soothingly.

"I saw a huge, green monster with tons of little arms and legs. It looked like it was trying to grab me in, so I ripped of one of its arms. See?!!"

The little boy held out a small, green vine that was beginning to shrivel up and die. The mother held the vine up and said, "We must go see the chief right away. I have a feeling he will know how to explain this."

"Yes, I see," explained the chief. "I think I should go and take a look at this 'monster' and see if it isn't quite what your son thinks it is."

 

By the time the chief had reached the edge of the forest, the Great Beginning had already extended out past the horse pasture and was creating a frenzy in the chicken coop.

"I must find the people who started this!!" cried the chief and began running back to the village to call a town meeting.

After all the people had gathered in the village square, the chief began to explain.

"Things around here have begun to change. Someone in this village has started the Great Beginning and I need to find out who!!"

All of the townspeople gasped.

 

Rangi whispered to Mushu, "We are in deep apple sauce!!"

"Don't worry. I got us into this mess, and I'm going to get us out of it!!" answered Mushu.

He took a deep breath and yelled into the crowd, "It was me!!! I started 'the great beginning'!!!"

All of the people turned around, but when they saw who had called out, they all began to laugh. Everyone knew that such a small child could not have actually started the Great Beginning.

"Please listen to me, it's true. I'M NOT LYING!!!!," cried Mushu.

"Wait a minute," said the chief. "Maybe the boy isn't joking. Mushu, do you happen to have any proof?"

"No.....," said Mushu disappointingly. "Wait one second". Mushu pulled the arrow out of his pouch and realized that the arrow had ripped a hole in the bag. Now he understood how the growth had been unleashed.

"That's nothing special, it's just a normal arrow," cried a voice from the crowd.

"I think I have a way to prove to you that I really did do it. Quick, everyone follow me!," yelled Mushu as he began to run into the forest.

Once Mushu had found a spot that had not yet been affected by the growth, he took out the arrow and stuck it into the ground. Nothing happened.

"Told you he was a fake," yelled a voice from the crowd.

Suddenly, a small sprout popped out of the ground. Just like before, the sprout began to grow and grow and grow. After the vine had covered a certain area, another vine began to sprout from the spot.

"It is true", cried the crowd. "He has started the great beginning. Three cheers for Mushu!!!"

"It was all Rangi's idea!!" shouted Mushu over the crowd of cheering people. Mushu grinned at Rangi.

From then on, the job of Mushu and Rangi was to go around and spread the Great Beginning all over the earth. Not only did the growth sprout plants, but it also sprouted other life. Birds and beasts roamed the earth at their desire. Humans led a much easier and happier life thanks to the work of Mushu and Rangi, and everyone lived a more happy and full life.

Home