A Journal of Thank You. 2020. We See Clearly Now.

RASIKA: The food in the city is a bit different from what you're used to in the country.

AMUKTA: No. I like trying new foods.

RASIKA: Would you like some more water.

AMUKTA: No thank you.

RASIKA: Maybe some rice. would you like some of my rice?

AMUKTA: I think it's my stomach.

RASIKA: Try this. close your eyes...go on.... Now try to remember your happiest memory....do you have one?

AMUKTA: Yes.

RASIKA: What is it?

AMUKTA: My sisters and I are by the river. We splash our feet to see who can make the biggest splash. Then we run through the sugar cane field and suck on the sugar cane that we've stolen.

A loud thumping sound.

What was that?

RASIKA: Don't worry. It's probably nothing. What else?

AMUKTA: What?

RASIKA: Your happy memory. Is that it?

AMUKTA: As the sun goes down we sit still.....

RASIKA: And?

AMUKTA: And....and....when do we start work here?

RASIKA: We're open all day.

AMUKTA: You work all day?

RASIKA: Every day since I was fifteen. Are you sure you don't want some of my water?

AMUKTA: No I don't think I could stomach that.

RASIKA: You should really hurry and eat. They won't feed us again until tomorrow morning.

AMUKTA: Yes.

RASIKA: The first day is the worst.

AMUKTA: I understand.

RASIKA: After that...I can't say it gets better but the stomach aches will be tolerable.

AMUKTA: I never imagined that my husband would sell me...... When mother told me she had found someone to marry me without a dowry I thought, I'm saved even if he is old and ugly. I'm saved. I'll never have to work the line. Then one day he said we were going to visit mother. And I said, I don't recognize these roads. I think we are going the wrong way............ I wonder if mother knows he sold me?

Silence.

RASIKA: How is your mother? I haven't seen her since...well since I was sold.

AMUKTA: She's pregnant. Again. It's going to be another girl. But grandmother told her to abort it.

RASIKA: Did she abort it?

AMUKTA: I don't know. I haven't seen her since I got married and left the village.

RASIKA: Do you miss your family?

AMUKTA: I miss my baby brother.

RASIKA: Did you help take care of him?

AMUKTA: Yes.

RASIKA: Come here. (holding her) wipe away those tears. you have to be strong now. For you and your baby. How many months are you?

AMUKTA: Six months.

RASIKA: Is that how long you were married?

AMUKTA: Yes.

Another loud noise.

Another one. What is that?

RASIKA: There's no point in worrying about it. Just be happy it's not you. It's been a long day. try and go to sleep.

AMUKTA: I saw a woman get hurt today.

RASIKA: When?

AMUKTA: When they sent us to the washroom.

RASIKA: No wonder you can't eat. Seeing the sort of thing can really shake one's nerves.

AMUKTA: Yes. I never saw anyone get hurt back home. at least not like that.

RASIKA: That's because no one knows each other here. People feel they can do whatever they want when they don't know you.

AMUKTA: I couldn't watch for too long.

RASIKA: No. I always turn away. But how did you get away from the group?

AMUKTA: I snuck away and found a staircase at the end of the hall.

RASIKA: You shouldn't do that. They wouldn't like it very much.

AMUKTA: It went up to the roof. I could see everything from up there.

RASIKA: When they tell to go to the washroom you should go to the washroom. Do you know what they could do to you?

AMUKTA: I thought about running away but then I thought of my sisters and brother and I got scared that they might hurt them.

RASIKA: They will hurt them. Don't think for a second that they won't. Or even worse they could take your sisters.

AMUKTA: I heard mother talk about finding them husbands. I wonder if their husbands will sell them too. I really hope they don't bring them here because if anyone hurts them I'll kill them.

RASIKA: Don't talk like that. You could get us in trouble.

AMUKTA: I'm sorry.

RASIKA: Finish your food before they come and pick up the plates.

AMUKTA: There was a reason wasn't there.

RASIKA: For what.

AMUKTA: For beating that woman.

RASIKA: Where exactly did you see this.

AMUKTA: The building across from ours.

RASIKA: Ah yes. They always hurt people in that building.

Silence. Amukta tries to eat.

AMUKTA: Will they ever let us out of here?

RASIKA: They will but only for short periods of time.

AMUKTA: No I mean you've been here for years. Don't you get tired.

RASIKA: I haven't been locked up the whole time. They only lock us up when they know there will be a raid. after that they let you out but they always keep a close eye on you. Which is lucky for you that no one saw you sneak up to the roof.

AMUKTA: Where do you go after they let you out.

RASIKA: You go to the building across the street.

AMUKTA: .....................

RASIKA: .....................

AMUKTA: Did they ever hurt you like the woman I saw today?

RASIKA: Many times.

AMUKTA: ........................

RASIKA: Just do everything they say and it won't happen to you as much. If they say be happy be happy. If they say a customer wants to piss all over you and fuck you up the ass then just do it. Close your eyes. Think of splashing your feet with your sisters by the river and pretend you're happy.

AMUKTA: Is that why they killed her too? Because she wouldn't do what she was told?

RASIKA: Don't worry. They won't kill you. You're young. You're worth more.

AMUKTA: She looked young.

Rasika takes out a tarnished hand mirror out of her pocket.

RASIKA: You're beautiful. See? And after you give birth you'll be worth even more. How old are you sixteen? Fifteen?

AMUKTA: Sixteen.

RASIKA: Sixteen...How could you tell they killed her? it was nighttime.

AMUKTA: They had a light on in the room.

RASIKA: This is why you shouldn't sneak away.

AMUKTA: Do they kill lots of women here?

RASIKA: Many die. Yes.

AMUKTA: Why aren't you dead?

RASIKA: I've learned to live in my happy memory.

AMUKTA: What's your happy memory?

RASIKA: I was nine years old. A British aid worker had come to the village. We called her auntie. You were too young to remember. Or maybe you weren't born yet. I can't remember. Auntie brought us Art supplies and gave us art lessons. We learned how to paint the trees and the clouds and even the people. She searched for schools that would take kids of sex workers. There weren't many but she found two. She got us tested for HIV. It was negative. And she got me in one. She took Mother to see the school. Mother wasn't sure but after a lot of convincing from Auntie and the Headmistress they finally convinced her to let me attend the school. I was going to go to University and be an artist. I posted my paintings on the trees all over the village so everyone could see what I see.

AMUKTA: What did you see?

RASIKA: I saw miracles. I saw the ridges on a flower petal. the grains of earth. droplets of water. I could look up at the sky and feel the Gods looking back at me. That's what I painted.

AMUKTA: You could've been a famous artist if you had gone to school.

RASIKA: I did go to school.

AMUKTA: Then what happened?

RASIKA: Mother took me out of school after a couple years. She said I was selfish to go off to school when my brothers and sisters were hungry.

AMUKTA: Did you ever paint again?

RASIKA: She sold me for fifty dollars.

AMUKTA: .........................

RASIKA: .........................

AMUKTA: I was going to be a doctor. But not the kind of doctor that heals wounds. No. I was going to be the kind of doctor that heals those who hurt other people.

RASIKA: You mean criminals?

AMUKTA: Yes.

RASIKA: Why do you want to heal criminals?

AMUKTA: Because criminals have a lot of wounds in their souls.

RASIKA: Maybe you'll get to do it in your next lifetime.

AMUKTA: Oh no. When I come back I'm coming back as the sky. I think the sky suffers the least on this earth.

RASIKA: How is that?

AMUKTA: When the evil dark clouds take over, the sky always manages to make them go away by making them rain and what comes out is life. Our crops grow. our animals drink. We quench our thirst. The sky always knows how to turn evil into good.

RASIKA: When I come back I'm definitely coming back as an artist. I'll look up at the sky and feel peaceful. I won't remember you but I'll feel a strong connection and I'll paint you.

AMUKTA: You will?

RASIKA: I will. and I'll find the most beautiful miracles in you like the time I saw a rainbow with ten shades of orange and I'll paint them. And I'll be the most famous painter who ever lived.

AMUKTA: When I see you looking up at me I will remember you because the sky knows everything and I'll make sure to manifest another orange rainbow just for you.

RASIKA: Promise?

AMUKTA: Yeah. I'll be good friends with the sun. We'll make it happen.

RASIKA: I can't wait.

Silence.

AMUKTA: What's going to happen now.

RASIKA: We'll go to sleep. We'll wake up. We'll work. We'll breathe in and out. You'll dream about your river and your sky and I'll dream about my miracles. the sun will come up and go down and we'll be here until the end of our days.

AMUKTA: Why don't you escape?

RASIKA: Escape? where to? My family will never take me back and no one else will ever give someone like me a job. Once you come in you don't get out unless you die. We're stuck here.

AMUKTA: Like the woman I saw.

RASIKA: Like the woman you saw.

AMUKTA: You didn't finish your rice.

RASIKA: Sometimes the stomach aches come back every now and then. And now let's get some sleep. After all, from now on dreaming is the only place where our lives belong to us.

AMUKTA: Goodnight Rasika.

RASIKA: Goodnight Amukta.

End of play.

The Son of the Earth gathered to the forest all the gifts he had to offer…rich soil that ran deep so her children would have food, and so they could reach down and hold their mighty frames high. He made the ground sink and stretch to deliver to her children the water brought down from the Son of the Sky. The Son of the Sky gathered her children’s breath and made rivers of it in the sky, bringing her the four seasons that cooled her children when they were too hot, warmed them when they were too cold, gave them time to rest their leaves when they were tired, and grow new blossoms when they were awake.

The Father looked down on this creation and knew that it was good, and his joy radiated down onto our world and all felt his warmth. The Father was temperamental and wild and could be cruel, though, and just as his warmth could create it could destroy without warning. He would sometimes look on his creations and become restless with their imperfections, his fire turning angry at what he once saw as innocent ignorance transform to in his mind to willful rebellion. It was in times like these that his anger traveled throughout the universe, his voice making the very earth tremble and shake, his sweeping hand creating raging storms of the wind, and, from his furious heart, fire bursting from the sky and falling on the forest. Fire, he had commanded, was to be his tool alone, and his creations feared it.

When the Father was angry, the Daughter of the Forest gathered her children to her breast to protect them, and she made their skin thick to resist the Father’s anger. In spite of their fear of the Father’s retribution, the Son of the Sky showered rain upon the forest to quench the angry flames, and cooled the wind down so the fire would not travel far. So too, the Son of the Earth swallowed the leaves and needles from the Daughter’s children so the fire would have no fuel to grow, and he held the mountains at bay so they wouldn’t fall on to the Daughter’s children when the world trembled. They all learned to fear their Father’s fiery wrath, and learned to love each other as they huddled in its wake.

Mostly, though, the Daughter of the Forest spent her days happily wandering among her children, marveling at how tall and strong they had grown. She tended all with great care, and from her care her children gave their bounty to all the creatures in the world. Her mighty trees swayed in the wind that was their breath, gave shelter to all creatures, and bore fruit for all. She looked up and watch their languid branches slowly sway, dig her hands into the loamy earth and feel their roots, and her heart was filled with joy.

One day, the Daughter was walking in her forest, and the Father of Fire came down to Earth in a burst of light and called her name. He commanded that she help the land that suffered far to the east, beyond her forest. It was barren land, soil fallow and lonely, waiting for her touch of life. The Daughter had known of this sad land, and lamented its fate, but feared leaving her children behind.

“But what of my children, Father? Who will tend to them while I am away?”

The Father’s voice was soft and kind. “Who are the first of your children, my child?”

“There were two, Father, and they stand tallest among all my children in the center of the forest.”

The Father looked upon the two trees, and as the Daughter had said, they were the tallest and strongest of all. With his hand, he gently embraced the two brothers and suddenly they became men. They stretched and took in their first breaths, marveled at their arms and their legs, their hair and their eyes, their lungs and their heart, and they danced around in a circle with each other, embracing each other at their new found freedom. The Daughter, overjoyed at the transformation of her sons, ran to embrace them as well.

The Father cradled one brother with his hand and spoke. “You, will be Brother Leaf,” he said. Then he cradled the other and said, “And you, will be Brother Stem. You must now both tend to this forest, for it is sacred. Daughter, you must teach your sons to care for it, nurture it. You must love them, and teach them to love each other. Then you must go forth and bring new trees to the barren land.”

So the Daughter of the Forest taught her sons to tend to their brothers and sisters, taught them to love the bounties from the Sons of the Earth and Sky. They all spent their days wandering the forest, and as she raised her hand to brush the bark of a tree, so too did they. As she knelt down to soothe the damp moss, their knees touched the cool ground to do the same. As she bent into the fragrant blossoms of the blooming flowers, they too inhaled the sweet scent. Her fingers gingerly plucked the berries from their leaves, and so did theirs.

She watched them imitate her, matching her move for move, and they began to dance in the forest together, arms outstretched and legs bent and toes digging into the soft earth. As she danced, her fear lifted, and they all flew through the forest and she called out to the other children she passed and introduced them to their new caretakers. The Daughter and her sons danced through the forest from end to end, and as the brothers greeted their siblings they sang of their love and promise to care for them all. The Daughter stood back and watched her sons dance, and soon she saw them at play with each other, each rushing to talk to another brother or sister, each trying to sing to more trees than the other. She watched their play turn into a game, and then their game into a competition. Soon both were intent on rushing faster than the other. She delighted in their fun, but her heart worried as their bodies tensed and their smiles faded, as their eyes fixed on the next tree, and then the next.

At the end of the day, when they huddled together in the dark, blanketed in leaves, the brothers compared with each other the number of their siblings they had sung to. The Daughter shook her head and placed her arms around her sons.

“Remember, my sons, what the Father has commanded. This sacred task is not to be a game. We are to love each other, and love and tend to your brothers and sisters in the forest. To do that, you must sing together, take time to care for each plant and shrub, to tend to every tree and bud. You must protect us all from the Father’s fire, for it is his terrible anger and wrath. You must work together, and when your brother is slower you must meet him and carry him further. When he calls for aid you must go to him, and when he loses sight of the tending of the forest, you must remind him of his sacred duty. Together you must keep focus on our family.”

The brothers cast their eyes downward and promised to do as the Daughter asked. She gathered them to her breast and kissed their heads. They would be as good caretakers of the forest as she, she told them, and the Father would look down and smile at their work. The next day the brothers continued in their singing, following the Daughter’s example, and while they continued to play, they also were kind to each other. The Daughter knew the Brothers were ready to take her place, and asked the Father for guidance.

The next day, the Father of Fire spoke again. “Now you have enjoyed my gifts, and you must go forth and tend to my barren land. For this, though, you must choose only one Son with which to create the new forest…the Son of the Sky or the Son of the Earth.”

The Daughter of the Forest could not understand the Father. “But my Father! All my children need both Sons. They could not grow tall and strong without gifts from both.”

The Father grew angry and the sky turned to fire and the earth began to tremble. “You forget, daughter, that ALL the gifts you enjoy flow from ME. They are MINE to bestow just as they are MINE to take away. When the universe was cold and without form, it was I who understood how to give it shape, it was my fire that gave it warmth. Was it not my vision that brought forth this world and all that you care and love? I have had another vision of the barren land to the east, and that vision was of one daughter and one son.”

“Which one will I choose then, Father? What did the vision show?”

Fire poured from the sky and the Father’s voice boomed. “You presume to question the vision? You must choose, daughter, and if you are true and faithful to your creator, your path will unfold as the vision shows. If you are unfaithful and have not given yourself completely to me, you will choose the wrong path and face my wrath.”

The Daughter trembled and promised to do the Father’s bidding. When the skies had quieted, and the earth had become still, she fell to the ground in despair. She knew the Father meant to test her, but she could not understand what she had done to deserve such a test, or how she was to choose between the gifts of two shepherds she needed equally. As she wept, Brother Leaf and Brother Stem came to her and each tried to assuage her grief.

The Brothers wrapped their arms around the Daughter, and as she wept, they wept. She sent the Brothers away to care for their siblings so she could ponder her dilemma.

The Daughter of the Forest sat on a cool bed of moss near a peaceful pool of water in the center of the forest and was lost in thought when the Son of the Earth came upon her. He had taken the form of a bear as he wandered his land, tending to the creatures bound to his dirt. She had begun to sing to her children, but her song was sad, and the Son of the Earth looked at her troubled eyes and approached when she ended her song.

“Daughter of the Forest, you sing such a beautiful song, but it is filled with such sadness. What troubles you today?” he asked.

The Daughter of the Forest recounted to the Son what their Father had commanded, and the Son sat next to her to hear her worries.

“How can I choose you to help bring new children into this world? They will not thrive without the rain, and I will not hear the news of my children while we are away without the wind,” she said.

The Son of the Earth thought on these words, and he nodded. “Rain and Wind…these truly are things your children cannot do without. Let me ask you this…would the wind exist without the breath your children provide? And does the sun not come from the Father himself? You must choose what is best for your children, but I can promise that their roots will always have a home in my earth, and if they need water, I will bring it from my lakes and rivers when you call. Please rest your worries. I will care for all your children, old and new, regardless of the choice you make.”

The Son of the Earth continued his wander, but now his heart was troubled. He had always loved the Daughter of the Forest with all his heart, and the thought of her leaving the forest behind, and leaving her children alone to continue without her song brought him great sadness. He wanted to go with her, but he worried and wondered about this terrible test the Father had placed upon her.

The next morning, the Daughter of the Earth returned to the pool, and began her sad song once more. This morning, the Son of the Sky took the form of a Raven, and was soaring above the forest, keeping a watchful eye on her children. His wings gave them the wind, soft and strong when they minded him, harsh and wild when they didn’t. He looked down and saw the Daughter of the Earth at the pond and heard her sad song. He landed on a branch above the pool and cawed to her in the middle of her song.

“Why do you sing such a sad song, Daughter?”

The Daughter of the Forest recounted the commandment the Father had given her, and lamented the choice she had to make.

The Son of the Sky pondered her dilemma. “Is that not the coolest, clearest water in which you bathe? These are my gifts. I can bring you the wind which will carry word of your Sons to tell you of all your children. I can bring you rain, which will feed your new children, and help them to grow tall and strong. And through me, the Father brings his light which gives all children life. Surely you see that Father meant for you to choose me? No other will do.”

The Daughter of the Forest could not deny that the water was cool and clear, and that the Son of the Sky had brought that to her. So, too, was it true that he brought the sun and the wind, both of which she needed.

“Do my children not need the gifts of the Earth as well? Their roots will not grow deep without the soil, and can your wings hold back the mountains when the earth trembles?”

“You were meant to choose me, Daughter, and if we do not depart this land together to bring new children into this world, you will be forsaking the Father’s word. The Son of the Earth would never abandon his children, nor will he stand in the way of the Father’s work.”

The Daughter felt anger rise in her chest at the vanity and hubris of the Son of the Sky. “Do you presume to understand our Father’s vision? Why would he give me a choice if there was none other than you?”

“The Father tests us, Daughter, and we are not meant to understand or question his will, only to follow the path he lays out for us. But take heart! His word is meant to be followed with joy in your heart Daughter, not burden. Are you not filled with joy at his command? Lighten yourself of these worries and let me help you bring children into this world.”

The anger in the Daughter’s chest grew. “These are not your gifts to bestow or deny as they are our Father’s. The Father has commanded and in his commands he tests, this is true. With all his gifts, though, did he not give us our hearts? In your words, my heart urges caution. I must think about this test, and I will have my choice by the next dawn.”

The Son of the Sky took flight at this, and as he circled, the Daughter could hear his voice in the wind, “You would do well to heed my advice, Daughter. We all know the power of our Father’s cruel wrath, and I would hate to hear your suffering if he were to turn it on you.”

The Daughter of the Forest wandered among her children for the rest of that day, troubled with the test she now faced. The world had been in balance since it began, and she, the Son of the Earth and the Son of the Sky had cultivated the Father’s gifts with joy and bounty. She could not understand what was gained in this test and she found so much to be lost. Her heart told her, without reservation, that the Son of the Earth’s kindness was what should lead her choice, but she could not help the sense some truth in the Son of the Sky’s words. Surely the Father would not give her such a strong heart if she were not meant to follow it, though?

The sun rose in the East the next morning, and the Daughter of the Forest, the Son of the Sky, and the Son of the Earth gathered at the center of the forest.

“Son of the Earth,” the Daughter said as the sun burst over the trees, “I choose you to join me as we bring new children into this world.” She turned to Son of the Sky. “Son of the Sky, I have heard your words, and your cautions, but the Father gave me my heart, and it tells me that your vanity is cruel, and if I were to bring children into this world with you , that cruelty would be born with them.”

At these words, the Son of the Sky took flight from his perch and swooped down angrily from the sky, threatening the Daughter of the Forest and Son of the Earth. “You have made your choice, Daughter, and all that follows will flow from that choice.”

The Raven swooped down, but the Son of the Earth in the form of a Bear stood on his hind legs and roared at the Raven, but the bird continued to talk. “The Father has commanded and you have chosen to disobey his word, and for that you will feel his wrath. I will shed no tears while you suffer, and if the Father commands, gladly be the instrument of that wrath.”

The Son of the Sky flew to the west, his caw fading in the distance. The Daughter of the Forest, and the Son of the Earth walked together and found Brother Leaf and Brother Stem sitting by a stream watching the water flow by.

“My sons, I leave you now to travel East where your new brothers and sisters will be born. Keep close all that I have taught you, and more importantly, keep each other close. You must tend to your siblings here in the forest, and make sure they have all they need to thrive. Be wary of the Son of the Sky, as his anger is great, and pay close attention to what the Father commands. If you feel the Father’s wrath, call to me through the creatures of the Earth and the Son of the Earth will send aid.”

So it was that the Daughter of the Forest and the Son of the Earth set out together to the East to find new land to sow the seeds of new children. Brother Leaf and Brother Stem were reminded of their mother’s missive...nurture the trees, love all the creatures in the forest, and above all, love each other. They swore to keep the forest safe and bid the Daughter happiness and success.

In time, the Brothers worked together to keep the forest healthy and strong and all of the Daughter’s children thrived under their care. One day, the two Brothers were visited by a great Owl who rested on a branch above the forest floor.

“Good morning Brother Owl. What do you see in your travels in the forest?”

The Owl bid them greetings and spun his head around. “It is true that you have cared well for the forest, but it’s such a large expanse, and I have found some of your brothers and sisters who are suffering. I have just this morning come upon these sad trees, and urge you to come to their aid.”

Brother Leaf spoke first. “Tell us, Brother Owl, are you of the Earth or of the Sky?”

The owl pondered this and spoke again. “I am a child of both, Brother Leaf. I burrow into the earth at night to sleep and I find my food there as well. But I travel in the sky, and my wings need the wind to lift my body up.”

Brother Stem spoke next. “Take us, Brother Owl, to our brothers and sisters who suffer so that we may care for them.”

As they walked, the Brothers spoke of their wariness at their new found guide. They felt caution in their hearts at the Daughter’s warning about the Son of the Sky, but at the same time, they wanted to believe that their Brother was telling the truth. They had spent all their days walking the forest, caring for their brothers and sisters, but with so much land to cover, they worried that they might miss some part.

When they arrived at the far edge of the Western forest, they saw that, as Brother Owl had warned, a small grove of trees were leafless and bare. Their bark was dropping to the ground, and their roots were exposed in the ground. They were beyond the Brothers’ help, and Brother Leaf and Brother Stem fell to the ground weeping as they felt the life force fade from their siblings’ roots.

Brother Owl perched on a branch above the brothers and watched them weep. “I am so sorry to bring you such sad news, my Brothers. I wish I had found the suffering brothers and sisters sooner, but the Daughter of the Forest was so sure you had this sacred duty well in hand that I never doubted you. I have a thought, though, that may help this from ever happening again.”

The Brothers, so consumed by guilt and grief, spoke with one voice. “Please, Brother Owl, tell us how we can prevent such sorrow!”

Brother Owl dropped to the ground and wrapped his wings around Brother Leaf and Brother Stem. “You have labored tirelessly to help your siblings, but the work is just too great. Why do you not each take one half of the forest...one in the East, and one in the West...so that you can cover twice the distance each day? That way, you will easily be able to give greater care to more of your siblings.”

The Brothers thought about this idea, but both were worried. “We have never been apart, Brother Owl, and we would not know how to live without each other,” they said.

Brother Owl’s wings pulled them close. “There is no reason you cannot meet each night and camp together at the center of the forest. That way, you can each spend your days with your siblings, and then return to embrace each other at night. I will accompany each of you for parts of your journey and can bring messages back and forth so that you may know what the other is doing during the times when you are apart.”

Brother Leaf and Brother Stem looked at the small grove of their brothers and sisters who were now dead, and agreed that this was what they must do. They returned to the center of the forest and covered themselves in their blankets of leaves and moss and slept fitfully until the next morning. What the brothers did not know, was that Brother Owl was, indeed, the Son of the Sky. He had starved the small grove of trees of all water for so long that they had dried up, and had made sure to blanket their suffering with fog each time the brothers got close so that they missed their sibling’s plight. He now watched from above as the brothers slept and knew his plan for revenge against the Daughter of the Forest was working.

Far in the east, the Daughter of the Forest and the Son of the Earth stood in the center of a barren plain, each concerned at what they saw. They had worked tirelessly to bring forth new children from the earth, but all of their attempts had met with no success. They moved across the land, over mountains and into valleys, trying to find the richest soil where they could plant their children. Each time they found a river or a lake and tried to bring forth new life their work looked promising, but as they moved on to plant the next seeds, they found the soil drying up and the water around them disappearing.

“Son, why does your earth not keep water safe? Each land we visit is dryer than the next, and we have brought an ocean of water to give our children life,” said the Daughter of the Forest.

“I do not know, Daughter, but your children must grow roots deeper, where the Son of the Sky’s reach cannot extend,” said the Son of the Earth.

The weather turned cold and dry, and then hot and dry, and then back to cold. Try as they might, the children broke through the surface but the harsh climate drove them back into the ground. The Daughter and Son prayed to the Father to help them, but the Father was silent.

In the meantime, Brother Leaf in the East and Brother Stem in the West continued to care for their siblings. The forest began to thrive as it had never thrived before. The redwoods soared above the ground, proud, and the ferns and brush underneath the canopy became lush. The Owl visited each brother every day, and they all marveled at how much the trees were growing. The brothers dreamt of the day when the Daughter of the Forest returned so that she could see how successful they had been. The trees were doing so well that the floor of the forest was covered with bark that had shed from the trees as they grew, leaves that had fallen from the branches, and needles from the happy pines that swayed in the wind.

At first, the brothers met each night to make a camp together and tell each other of their days. They began by celebrating each others’ success, but soon their old ways started to creep back in. It was Brother Leaf who started to boast about how much of the Eastern forest he had visited.

“Today, I touched each tree as I wandered amongst my brothers and sisters, and they all are happy and full,” he said. “How did you do today, Brother?”

Earlier Brother Owl had told Brother Leaf of Brother Stem’s progress. He only reached half of the Western forest.

“I, too, have touched each of my brothers and sisters not once, but twice!” said Brother Stem. “They thrive and grow taller and stronger than ever before.” Brother Stem lifted his head high, but worried that his brother could see through his deception.

Brother Leaf laughed and slapped his brother on the back, and the two spent the evening comparing stories of their days and slept under the starry sky in peace.

As time went by, Brother Stem worked harder, and soon was consumed with caring for his brothers and sisters and worked far into the night to visit his love on them. The forest began to thrive more, and the Son of the Sky made sure that the weather was warm and the sky rained plenty down on the trees as they needed. At the same time, the Son began to turn the weather sour for the trees in the East, and they saw no water for days. Brother Leaf began to worry that his efforts were not working, and spent all day, and all night tending to his siblings, but nothing seemed to give them the life they needed. Each Brother was so consumed with their work that their meetings in the center of the forest grew less frequent, and soon they went weeks without word from the other.

The Owl visited Brother Leaf one morning, and asked how his brothers and sisters were faring.

“Brother Owl, I do not understand! I work without rest and yet my brothers and sisters are beginning to fade. Their leaves have begun to fall, and their branches are brittle and filled with suffering. What have I not done?”

The Owl turned his head around. “I cannot deny that your brothers and sisters suffer, nor that you have done all that you can to ensure they thrive.” He looked to the West. “Your brother in the West is working the same, and yet the trees there are full and happy. Perhaps you can ask for his help?”

Brother Leaf’s pride was stung, but he saw the wisdom in the Owl’s words.

Then the Owl said, “Perhaps your trees fail due to some trickery by the Son of the Sky?”

Brother Leaf looked at the Owl, confused. He said, “Even if that were so, would not the Father of Fire stop him from causing suffering? Why would he only hurt the East, and not the West?”

Owl hooted. “These are wise questions, Brother Leaf. Perhaps you should meet with your Brother and you can see if he can answer them. I will carry word that you wish to meet, and we can ask together”

Owl flew to the West and greeted Brother Stem as he walked through the dense and thriving forest. “Brother Stem, how rich and happy your brothers and sisters are! They are so full that their leaves and needles drop to the earth in bushels as new ones grow. Your efforts would bring a smile to the Daughter’s face.”

Brother Stem thanked the Owl and rested on a rock near a stream. As he drank, the Owl spoke again. “It seems that the Son of the Sky is smiling down on your efforts as well. Perhaps he is inspired by your hard work and devotion?”

Brother Stem thought on this and agreed. “The rain, I must admit, has been plentiful, and the sun and wind just right for my brothers and sisters to thrive.” He was troubled though. “Brother Owl, our mother warned us to be wary of the Son of the Sky and to take caution. Why do you think he favors us so?”

“I do not know, Brother Stem,” said the Owl. “But perhaps you should show your gratitude at the dawning of the sun tomorrow, and perhaps he will give you insight?”

Brother Stem agreed and the next morning, in the center of the forest, as the sun was rising, Brother Stem knelt on the ground and began to sing a song of thanks to the Son of the Sky for his blessings. Just as he was doing this, Brother Leaf came to the edge of the clearing where Brother Stem sang.

The Owl joined him on a branch near his ear and whispered,“Do you see? Your brother is in league with the Son of the Sky. His jealousy of your hard work, and his desire to care only for himself, is driving him to deliver suffering unto your brothers and sisters.”

Brother Leaf stormed from the trees to confront his brother. “What have you done, Brother? Why have you turned to Son of the Sky after our mother forbade it? How could you visit the suffering you have on our brothers and sisters to the East?”

Brother Stem stood and pleaded with his brother. “I have done nothing to bring favor or wrath from the Son of the Sky! I have seen fortunate weather and rain, this is true, but I have done nothing to bring these bounties.” He could see that his brother did not believe. “Brother, I would never hurt our siblings. Let us both go to the East and we will see if we can visit this fortune on the trees to the East.”

Brother Leaf calmed, and the two brothers traveled East to tend to their siblings. As they did, the trees began to green once again, and the weather began to favor them as well. As the trees began to thrive again, the Brothers traveled North and South to see if the Son of the Sky favored them both, and indeed, all the trees began to do well. The brothers returned to each other again and embraced, happy. They agreed to meet again, and to continue to care for their siblings together.

As time went by, the brothers began to spend time apart, and their competitive spirits returned. The Son of the Sky brought bitter cold to the nights, and both brothers began to huddle in the night for warmth that never came. The days were dry and warm, but each dreaded having to bed down for the night.

One evening, Brother Stem huddled in a small clearing when the skies turned dark with clouds and the wind began to rush through the forest. Suddenly a bolt of lightning fell from the sky and struck across the clearing from him. A patch of dense underbrush, dry and brittle, caught fire, and Brother Stem leapt from his bed and ran to the fire to put it out, but the warmth he felt gave him pause. The Owl landed on a branch above him.

“Brother Stem, on such a cold night, should you not be so hasty to deny yourself such warmth? It must feel good on your bones,” said the Owl.

“I cannot allow this fire to burn, Brother Owl. It endangers our brothers and sisters, and our mother would never allow it.” Brother Stem continued to stand in front of the fire, though, and made no move to end it.

The Owl looked up at the sky. “Brother Stem, does the fire rage out of control?” Brother Stem shook his head. “And did it not come from the Father of Fire, himself?” Brother Stem nodded. “And has the Son of the Sky rushed to drench the fire with his rain?” Brother Stem shook his head. “Could we not see this as a gift, then, from above? A bounty that is reward for such a capable shepherd taking such good care of his brothers and sisters?”

Brother Stem continued to stand in front of the fire, which burnt slowly and grew, but only little by little. The Owl flew down onto the ground. “Here, let us make a clearing so the fire does not grow too much.” The Owl’s mighty wings brushed back the leaves and needles, leaving only earth lying at the perimeter of the fire. The fire reached its limit of fuel and then rested, burning slowly and warmly, but not looking for a new home. Brother Stem and the Owl sat in front of the fire.

The warmth made Brother Stem sleepy, and as he began to nod off, Owl spread his wings around the fire. “Brother Stem, sleep now. You have worked so hard this day, and are deserving of this warmth. I will keep the children safe from the flames while you sleep.”

So Brother Stem slept, a deeper and warmer sleep than he had ever known. When he woke in the morning, as he had promised, the Owl still stood, wings spread around the fire which had burnt down and was now just glowing embers. Brother Stem felt the warmth from this fire, and while in his heart he knew that what he did endangered his brothers and sisters, he also heeded the words spoken the night previous by the Owl. The forest had never known such fullness, and Brother Stem heard the Owl’s words in his mind, and believed that it was his efforts that had brought this to be.

“You are wise, Brother Owl.” he said. “This fire is a gift from the Father of Fire, and I would be foolish not to waste it. Will the Father be angry if I keep this gift? How can I keep the fire alive?”

“You are also wise, my brother,” said the Owl.” We should wait to see if the Father wants this gift to be kept by you. If it appears again tonight, we will know that you are to be the keeper of the fire.”

That night, the Son of the Sky once more gathered the clouds together above Brother Stem’s camp, and once again the agitated clouds struck with lightning nearby. The drying moss and leaves immediately caught fire, and Brother Stem rushed to make a clearing so the fire didn’t spread. Once it was going, and the campsite was clear, Brother Stem danced around in a circle, singing happily to the Owl, to the Father of Fire, and to the Son of the Sky for this bounty. He sat in front of the warmth, feeling its radiating glow, and smiled once the Owl landed across from him.

“Brother Owl...such a miracle! I have been chosen to carry the fire, but I do not know how? Will you show me?” said Brother Stem.

Brother Owl showed Brother Stem how to gather the hottest embers into a horn filled with the fungus from one of his brother trees. The fungus kept the ember burning, and Brother Stem could carry the horn in his belt and build a fire whenever he needed.

“Now, Brother Brother Stem, you control the fire, and you can keep your brothers and sisters safe from it while enjoying its warmth.”

Brother Stem continued to build fires, and soon had created a ring of stones in which he could burn the fire every night and keep them from growing beyond his control. His fires got bigger and bigger as he fed them with the abundant fuel from the forest floor. He kept embers in a small stove that kept them burning throughout the day, and continued to build smaller fire rings throughout the forest, each with a stove for the embers. As he traveled throughout the forest, he lit each fire and warm himself before his work with his brothers and sisters. Soon, though, his attention grew more and more intent on the fire, and less on his care of the forest. His siblings began to suffer and thrive less. The Son of the Sky also gave Brother Stem’s trees less and less rain, especially toward the Eastern boundary, and with the cold and the increasing wind, they suffered further.

“Brother Stem, I see that your siblings toward the east are beginning to suffer. I worry that whatever illness has visited your brother has returned,” said the Owl.

Brother Stem sighed. “Must I once again save my brother? I will travel East, and I will show him how I have tamed fire.”

“I advise patience, Brother Stem, for your brother will not understand how you have mastered the flame, nor will he believe that the Father of Fire gave us signs that you were to be the keeper of the flame.”

They traveled East, and Brother Stem came upon Brother Leaf huddled in the cold, shrouded in a blanket of leaves and moss. They prayed together to Son of the Sky and to the Father of Fire for two days, but the rains did not come.

“Brother,” Brother Stem said. “What have you done to anger the Son of the Sky so?”

While the Brothers struggled, the Daughter of the Forest and the Son of the Earth had traveled as far as they could, across the land and to the other side of the world in search of a home for the new children. Try as they might, the children were never able to take root. The Son of the Sky brought rain to them, but far enough away that by the time The Son of the Earth had brought the water through his rivers to the saplings, the heat and the wind had all but dried it up, leaving only a trickle. In the places where the Son of the Earth could collect the water, the sun burnt unhindered in the sky, drying up the lakes and reservoirs.

The Daughter of the Forest felt her heart sink, and one day she was alone on a distant peak, looking at another fallow field, when the Son of the Sky landed near to her in the form of a Raven. The Daughter picked up a rock and threw it at the Son, who easily dodged the danger.

“Daughter, why do I find you so angry? Surely following your heart has brought you much joy?”

The Daughter pointed to the field. “Does this look like the product of joy? You have kept your skies dry to us, Raven, and we have suffered your promised wrath. The Father of Fire will know of your treachery and you will pay for your sins.”

“Ah, Daughter of the Forest. Have I not brought rain to you, and has the Son of the Earth not brought that water to your children? This was your choice, not mine, nor the Father’s, and thus you alone must atone for it. I have been tending to your children, Brother Leaf and Brother Stem, and their brothers and sisters are thriving under their care. If I have been negligent with you, it is only because I stand watch over them.”

As the Son of the Sky stood over her, the Daughter of the Forest collapsed and began to weep. She could not understand how words could seem so true but feel so wrong in her heart. The land before her was a testament to her failure, and yet she knew the Son of the Sky had created the ruin. She worried about her sons, and how the rest of her children were faring. The Raven’s words told the story of her children thriving, yet in her heart she now knew how deep the deceit ran in him. She went to Son of the Earth and bade him to travel with her to see her children.

The Son of the Sky watched them begin the long journey west, and took flight himself to return to Brother Leaf. He had left the entire forest without rain, and had turned the season against them with warm, fierce wind. He returned to see how dire the trees had become. Brother Leaf was sitting in a small grove of trees, kneeling at their bases and weeping as his brothers and sisters slowly suffered around him.

“Brother Leaf, what has happened to your brothers and sisters? I have traveled West and your siblings fare no better there.”

“I do not understand, Brother Owl,” said Brother Leaf. “I travel East and West, North and South, and tend to the trees without rest. The winds have become hot and angry, and the rains have forsaken these lands and all the reservoirs are dry. I have prayed to the Father of Fire and to the Son of the Sky, and neither have come to our aid. What more can I do?”

“We cannot know what has brought the Father’s abandonment upon us. Let us go visit your brother and see if he has word from the Daughter of the Forest or Father of Fire.”

The Owl flew ahead, guiding Brother Leaf West and into Brother Stem’s domain. They came upon the first of many stone rings, and in each stone, a small fire burned. The leaves and needles blanketed the ground, thick and dry, a reminder of the bounty the trees had until recently enjoyed. He could not understand what he saw, for only his brother could have built such a danger in the midst of their siblings, but surely his brother would never do such a thing.

“What has happened here, Brother Owl? What evil has surrounded my brothers and sisters with this danger?” said Brother Leaf.

Owl and Brother Leaf continued west until they came upon Brother Stem carefully arranging rocks in a new circle, his horn on his hip warm with a burning ember. The wind had begun to pick up more, and the fire in the center of the stone ring fluttered and danced. Brother Leaf stood at the edge of the ring, paralyzed with surprise and fear.

Finally he spoke.“Brother, what have you done? Our brothers and sisters around us are languishing, and you have brought this danger into their midst?”

Brother Stem stood and faced his brother. “What danger do you think you see, Brother? The only danger I see is the sickness you have brought to our siblings, which now infects the West. What have you brought?”

Brother Leaf became angry and his fists balled. “Fire is the Father’s tool, and his tool alone. The Father of Fire has said so, and our mother has warned us to fear it, run from it. Can you not see that you have angered the Father of Fire by presuming to take his fire for your own?”

“Brother, you have knowledge of none of this. The Father has chosen me to be keeper of the flame, and you must see how I, and I alone, have tamed it. I control it because the Father of Fire has given it to me.” He held the horn at his hip. “I carry it with me, I tell it when to cool and when to rage, what to burn and what to move away from. It is a power that we should never have feared and we should now embrace. You must embrace. You have failed your task, while I have thrived at mine. Your jealousy of my success is pitiful, and I will not let it lessen my triumph I will tend to your trees and make them well, and our mother will sing praise to me for it.”

The winds grew, and with them, rage swelled in Brother Leaf’s chest. He leapt toward his brother and they began to struggle. Their fists fell on each other, and their arms and legs twisted around their bodies as they wrestled in anger. Soon, the winds were raging and as the brothers fought, the flames throughout the fire rings in the forest swelled and began to dance around the edges of their confines and seek to move beyond. The brothers fought and broke each other’s bodies, stubbornly refusing to budge or to let up pressure on the other.

The fire finally broke free of its cage, and as the embers sputtered out of the rings, they landed on the deep carpet of dry leaves and grass which immediately burst into flame. The fire began to spread, but the brothers, consumed by their fight, did not notice. They wrestled as their brothers and sisters moaned and cracked around them, as the smoke billowed into the sky, black and oily, and as the heat began to turn the earth into glass.

When the fire reached its peak, and almost all the forest was engulfed, the Daughter of the Forest and Son of the Earth returned. Standing on the ridge that looked over the entire valley of her children, the Daughter of the Forest wailed. She saw that all of her children were lost, but in the center of the forest, she saw her two sons fighting. She called out to them, screamed for their attention, but the winds were too loud, and the brothers too focused to hear her. She looked up at the Son of the Sky, a Raven watching from a perch above, and asked him to bring his rain to quench the flames and save her children, but he only stood silently and watched. She fell to her knees and begged the Father of Fire to save her children. Her lament continued as the fires got closer to her sons, and finally she felt the skies open up and a bright light shine down from the heavens.

The Father of Fire spoke.“What has become of my favorite creation?” His voice boomed from the sky and shook the earth. The fire continued to burn, and the winds became even stronger. “What, my shepherds, have you done?”

The Son of the Forest and the Son of the Sky both bowed before the Father. The Daughter of the Forest spoke. “Father, we did as you commanded, but we could not bring new children to root in the East. The Son of the Earth brought soil deep enough and rich enough, and I brought my seeds and my love, but the children could not thrive. The Son of the Sky fought against us, and the winds and rains were never in our favor. It was he who was looking after my sons as they cared for the forest and I do not know what has brought this doom.”

“Did the Son of the Sky not bring you rain?”

“He did, my Father.”

“Did the Son of the Sky not allow my sunlight to fall to the earth.”

“He did, my Father.”

“Did you instruct your children as I have commanded?”

“I did, my Father.”

“And yet no children are growing to the barren lands, and now your sons have stolen my fire and destroyed the children to the forest. I see here that the failure to obey my commands were with your sons, and because they were instructed by you, yours as well. You chose the Son of the Earth to go with you, but this was not my vision, and it seems his gifts were not the ones you needed to fulfill your covenant. It also seems as if the instruction you gave your sons was corrupt, and therefore they have stolen from me and brought this calamity to my beautiful creation.”

“But Father,” the Daughter pleaded. “I tried to do all that you asked. I would never have chosen between the Son of the Sky and the Son of the Earth, and would have taken them both! I was only doing as you commanded.”

The sun became so bright that the heavens seared the eyes of the shepherds. “YOU DARE DOUBT THE WISDOM OF YOUR FATHER!” The Father of Fire’s voice shook the earth again, and all fell to the ground. “You presume to bring the fault of this disaster on me? You have failed in every way, Daughter, and for that you will pay the price for all of eternity. First I will save your children.”

The Father commanded the Son of the Sky to gather clouds above the forest, and bring rain down upon the forest. As the Brother’s fought, lighting struck the ground where they struggled, and they were transformed back into trees, only they shared the same root, and were intertwined with each other.

“Your sons, for their theft and negligence will forever be locked in their angry embrace, and will spend all eternity struggling against each other. As for you, I will give you the gifts you need to grow strong and healthy children, and you will live to see them thrive until I strike them down in a fiery death only to leave them to grow again. You will watch them suffer and then you will plant them again and watch them thrive only to see them suffer again and again.”

“You will all suffer from this fate. The Son of the Earth, you will see your soil poisoned and your mountains crumble as they slowly erode and fade. The Son of the Sky, your winds will become chaotic and out of your control, and your clear blue clouded by the blackness of fire and smoke. I will create a new shepherd to be the curator of this suffering, and he will walk these lands wreaking pain and destruction in his wake.”

Thus the Father had spoken and receded back to void of the Universe to silently watch. So it was that the Daughter of the Forest brought forth new life in the forests all over the land, and the Son of the Earth continued to take all the gifts he had and allowed the creatures on the ground to thrive, and the Son of the Sky brought creatures to flight and allow the breath of the world to carry them. A new shepherd, however, walked the earth, and he took many forms and sometimes came as one, but often as a legion. The legion also thrived, and everywhere they did, they tore at the earth to build shelter, burnt down the Daughter’s children to keep themselves warm, and clouded the world with their fires and industry to poison the sky. Each shepherd followed the commandment of the Father of FIre, each living as they had been instructed, and over time, each shepherd brought suffering to the others in a cycle that would last as long as the Father allowed them to exist.

Brother Leaf and Brother Stem continued to grow tall, and as they did, their angry embrace of only got tighter and more painful. They suffered in furious fighting for all of their days, and the relief of death was denied to them. If fires consumed them, the Father brought them back just as they were before. If the Earth swallowed them, he took their seeds and create them in the same place and ensure they continued their struggle. If the legion cut them down, the Father raised them again from the abandoned stump. They represented the Father’s anger for all eternity.