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Once long ago, a vast flood covered all the land. The only survivors were ones who could swim the endless waters or fly above them. Those who had walked upon the land were no more.
The flood pleased the creatures of the water, except for the Great Turtle. “I swim day and night. I am tired,” he said. “I wish for a small piece of earth where I could rest if only for a short while.
“When my children come to me and ask, ‘Where can we rest?’ What will I say? The lands are gone and so are the ones who once walked upon them.”
In the ancient times before the flood, the creatures of the world lived in harmony. The Great Turtle missed the oneness that all had shared. “What will happen to my children’s children?” He asked.
A white bird flying high above the water heard the cries. She flew closer to hear the Great Turtle’s words.
“There is no place to rest or lay the eggs of my children’s children,” he shouted.
“Oh, Great Turtle,” the White Bird called down. “I have heard your words, and know them, well. I am also tired, tired from flying all day and night. I wish for a land where plants and trees grow. In all the endless skies above or in the endless waters below, I have found no place to build a nest and raise my young.”
This made the Great Turtle even sadder. “We must do something for the children.” He asked those around him. “Who will help?”
The creatures of the water all swam away saying, “We have no use for any land in our boundless seas.”
Only the White Bird offered to help. “What can I do?”
The Great Turtle thought a moment and then said, “I will swim to where the water is shallow and stand as tall as I can on my four strong legs. I will stretch until my shell reaches above the water. Then upon my back, my children’s children shall come to rest, and upon my back, you may build your nest.”
“Oh, Great Turtle, if you can do that, I will do more than build my nest. I will fly as far as I can in all directions and return with every bit of dry earth I find. Together, we will make an island. On that island, the children of your children can gather to raise their children, and at the top, I will build a nest for my young.”
The Great Turtle did as he said he would. He stood tall and strong so that others might have what he could never have. The White Bird did as she promised. She flew every direction, but the gathering was slow. As soon as she placed her newest find on the turtle’s back, she flew off in search of more, day and night, back and forth. She did not want to disappoint the Great Turtle who was giving so much.
The exhausted bird flew so hard that soon other birds became curious. “Why are you flying so fast and so far?” they asked.
When she explained her mission, each of the winged-ones asked if they could help. White Bird told them she must first seek permission from the Great Turtle.
“Oh, White Bird, friend of my children’s children tell the other winged-ones to bring what they have.” The Great Turtle said without hesitation, “I will give them each a place to rest and raise their young.”
The White Bird had already found most of the bits of earth, so the other birds brought grains of sand, shells and bones of sea creatures. The new land grew quickly. Some of these gifts were used in raising the land, and some in building a grand nest. It was large enough for the eggs of all the winged-ones. The land under the nest became a place for the children of the Great Turtle to deposit the eggs of their children.
Many winged-ones were hatched and raised in the grand nest. When the young could fly, they would search for more gifts to place on the Great Turtle’s back. They brought seeds, twigs and bark found floating in the endless waters. These were scattered about the island, each becoming a new plant or tree. The island and everything on it grew.
The nest grew so large that some bird’s eggs slipped down through it. So many of the Great Turtle’s children came to lay their eggs on the land under the nest that some turtle eggs were pushed up into the nest. In this way, the eggs became mixed.
The bird eggs hatched under the nest became not turtles that could swim under the water nor birds that could fly above it. Instead, they hatched out as four-legged creatures who could walk only on the land that the White Bird, and the Great Turtle had created.
The turtle eggs hatched by the birds became neither birds nor turtles. They hatched as two-legged creatures who could not fly above nor live under the water. These were the ancient people of the Great Turtle Island. They were pleased to live on such a beautiful land.
The people honored and respected their scared gift from the Great Turtle. And as it should be, the two-legged and the four-legged creatures of the Great Turtle Island walked in harmony once again.
This short tale is a companion story to Daniel A. Smith’s historical-literary novel Storykeeper available in paperback and e-book . Website - https://www.danielasmith.org