Why The Autumn Leaves Are Red
A long time ago, no one but animals lived on earth, and they sometimes held great Councils. The Bear will be there—the Bear, with his sharp claws, his shiny fur, and his mighty growl; and the Deer, who was very proud of his antlers, for they grew from his head like trees; and all the animals, and all the birds, shall be present at the General Assembly. Little Turtle will also go there. She was still young, so she didn’t like talking to anyone. But she often wishes:
“Oh, if only I could do something good! What can a small creature like me do? At any rate,” she thought, “I will keep watch – and maybe someday I will have a chance to do something for my people.”
Little Turtle always remembered the good deed she intended to do. One day, the opportunity came to her. She is at the Council, and the animals are saying:
“It’s so dark here; we can only see Snowlight. It’s also bleak. Can’t we create a lamp and place it in Skyland?” they asked.
Little Turtle said: “Can I go to Skyland, please? I’m sure I can create light there.”
They said she could go, and they called Dark Cloud to bring Little Turtle there. Dark clouds are coming.
Little Turtle saw Thunder in the Dark Clouds, and when she came to Skyland, she created the Sun from Lightning and placed it in the Sky.
The Sun cannot move because it is lifeless, and the world below is too hot to be habitable.
“What should we do?” the animals asked each other. Someone said:
“We must give the Sun life and spirit, then it will move across the sky.”
So they gave him life and spirit, and he moved across the sky. The mud turtle digs a hole through the earth for the Sun to pass through. Little Turtle took some Lightning from Dark Cloud as his wife. She is the Moon. Their young children are stars playing all over Skyland.
All this time, Little Turtle has been taking care of Skyland. The animals below call her Skyland’s Caretaker. And she was pleased because she did her good deed.
Some animals became jealous of the Little Turtle, especially the Deer, who were proud of their antlers. One day, Deer said to Rainbow:
“Rainbow, take me to Skyland, where Little Turtle lives.”
Rainbow didn’t know whether to take Nai to Little Turtle’s house or not, but he said:
“In winter, when I rest on the big mountain by the lake, I will take you.”
This makes Deer happy. He didn’t tell anyone about Rainbow’s promise. All winter, he waited and watched near the great mountain for the Rainbow to come, but the Rainbow did not go to him. In the spring, one day, Deer saw a Rainbow by the lake.
“Rainbow,” he asked, “why didn’t you keep your promise to me?” Rainbow made him another promise.
“Come to the lake with me when you see me in the thick fog,” he said.
The Deer kept this promise a secret because he wanted to go to Skyland alone. Day after day, he waited by the lake. One day, when a thick fog rose from the lake,—the Deer saw a beautiful Rainbow.
The Rainbow forms an arch from the lake to the great mountain. Then, a bright light shone down on the Deer, and he saw a straight road illuminated with all the colours of the Rainbow. It leads through a large forest.
“Let’s follow the nice path through the big forest,” Rainbow said.
The Deer entered the bright path leading straight to Little Turtle’s house in Skyland. And the Deer went all over Skyland.
When the Great Council met, Deer was not there. “The Deer does not come to the Council; where is the Deer?” they asked.
The Hawk flew everywhere and could not find the Deer in the air. The Wolf searched deep in the forest and could not find the Deer in the woods.
When Dark Cloud brought Little Turtle to the Council, Little Turtle told them how Rainbow opened the way for Deer to climb to Skyland. “There it is,” said Little Turtle.
The animals looked across the lake and saw the beautiful road. They have never seen it before.
“Why didn’t Deer wait for us? We should all have gone to Skyland together,” they said.
Now, Brown Bear resolved to follow that path the next time he saw it.
One day, alone near the lake, he saw a bright path leading through a large forest. Soon, he found himself in Skyland. The first person he met was Deer.
“Why did you leave us? Why did you come to Little Turtle Land without us? Why don’t you wait for us? he asked Deer.
The Deer shook its antlers angrily. “What right do you have to ask me? No one but the Wolf could wonder why I had come. I will kill you for your insolence.”
The Deer arches its neck; he balanced his antlered head; his eyes burned with anger.
Bears are not afraid. He stood up; His claws were sharp and strong. His throaty growl echoed throughout Skyland.
The battle between deer and bear rocks Skyland. The animals look up from the earth.
“Who will go? Who will go to Skyland and forbid the Deer to fight?
“I will go,” said the Wolf. “I can run faster than anyone.” So the Wolf ran along the shining road and, in a moment, arrived at the place of battle. The Wolf made the Deer stop fighting. The Deer’s antlers were full of blood, and when he shook them, large drops fell, piercing the air and splashing all the leaves in the forest. And the leaves became a beautiful red colour.
So, in the fall, when you see the leaves turn red, you probably know that it is because once upon a time, the Deer and the Bear fought a great battle in Skyland, the land of the Little Turtle, doing his good deed.
