Pickaweekee

Pickaweekee. A Myth of Discovery. , Author's Note: , It is wise to remember the ancient people before us who greeted new things to this continent. How did they teach children to prepare for real change holding to virtue as they discovered the voyagers? The hero of this fantasy, Pickaweekee, is named for a village of "The People Who Arose From Ashes” whose ancestors vanished from the Scioto Valley centuries past., Centuries ago, an Indian child named Pickaweekee came to this pool with his HOUND to spear fish for his supper. His HOUND drank from the pool and instantly he turned into hard metal of bronze. The child was frightened, but two friends from the forest appeared, BROTHER OWL and SISTER EAGLE., Now OWL was wise and told of new people in the land. OWL said these people had strange tools that could be used for good or evil., Pickaweekee asked OWL, "How can my HOUND come out of bronze?", OWL said, "See the stalk the strangers left it is a pump. Pull its handle and ancient water will come from deep below the pool. Where this water flows as a creek there are answers.", Pickaweekee walked to the pump and pulled its handle., Now EAGLE, who was listening, had great sight; she could see far beyond and said, "The creek flows past two creatures; see their tracks by the pool? Go find them and learn their secrets.", Then OWL spoke again saying, "The secret of the LION is Courage. The secret of the UNICORN is Power. Learn their weaknesses and you will learn their secrete. But return when you have visited the sacred TREE which stands alone.", Now Pickaweekee was a careful child, he was now sure that he understood; so SISTER EAGLE added, "You have all that you need. Do not be like the GRIFFIN with two wings and four feet. Such a creature is afraid to be wrong.", So Pickaweekee followed the creek to the LION. Now the LION was afraid of nothing that it could see or hear, or smell, so the child slipped behind a waterfall where the LION could not see, or hear or smell him. Then Pickaweekee reached through the falling water and pulled the LION'S tail. The LION became afraid and the clever child took the LION'S courage., Leaving the waterfall and crossing the creek Pickaweekee came to the UNICORN who was pretty and pleased with himself (because he though that he knew everything). The child was surprised to see a large horn in the creature's forehead. It locked powerful. Pickaweekee took something from his pouch to eat and the UNICORN'S eyes opened wide. Tests was the UNICORN'S weakness. The child held out the gum made from milkweed that grew in his mother's garden., Pickaweekee said, "UNICORN, chew this gum if you like!", Now the UNICORN could not ask a question (because he knew everything), so he took the gum and chewed and chewed. Then he drank some water and chewed again and then… his mouth stuck shut!, The clever child whispered, "Let me help you, I can pull open your mouth.", Pickaweekee grabbed the large horn and he pulled and pulled and all of the Unicorn's power was out of his horn., The child again followed the stream until he came to a wonderful TREE, standing all alone. He understood that he had to act. So brave Pickaweekee hugged the TREE and ran three times around it (because three is a good number). Then he turned and three more times he circled the TREE the other way., At that moment the power of the UNICORN returned to the UNICORN and the courage of the LION returned to the LION. But the child was not afraid because he had learned their secrets., Suddenly, Pickaweekee heard his HOUND barking! The LION roared, the UNICORN snorted and they charged, but the two creatures stepped in the creek and were turned to bronze., Again, Pickaweekee jumped the creek with his HOUND as BROTHER OWL and SISTER EAGLE swooped down from on high. Together they fled to their people in the forest, where their spirits guard the secrets of the LION and UNICORN to this day. , by S.J. Seaburn