Eons ago, she let him live, as an infant. A trickle of water seeping out of Mother Earth. Barley alive for a 100 yards or so. Then, death. The sun dried him up. He was not strong enough to resist for very long. At that point, he seeped back underground where he was safe from the sun with all its heat. As time past, he grew stronger. The sun cooled with time until it reached its present temperature. He grew with the addition of more water from the earth. Then the rains came. The rains saved him. The additional water gave him strength. He began to get stronger, longer and wider. As he matured, he scrounged out a meandering path in Mother Earth. He dug a stronghold deep in the earth by carrying rocks and debris, allowing them to tumble along his backside. Now he was an adult. He didn’t need to go underground for many miles. He went wherever he had a mind to. And he had a mind to change.
He was mad. First he was made strong, then made weak. Strong, weak, strong, weak. A constant, changing cycle. He couldn’t take it any more. He was going to rebel. With the help of brother storm. Together, they would have the strength to change the river. Brother storm was coming. It was a big, nasty thunder and lightening storm. The river was already feeling the result of the rain upstream. He was beginning to swell with a feeling of pride and the new refreshing, cold water. Soon, very soon, he would swell over his banks. He would flood the earth around him, for many miles. He would get big. Very big. He had many brother storms over the past twenty thousand years or so, but none this big. Yes, the river was getting mad.
The animals needed the dryer plains to survive. The plants grew after each rain providing food. Predators feasted on the weaker animals. The small animals feasted on the plants. Birds feasted on the dead. Water was the life blood needed by all. All living things needed the river. But the river wanted to change. And change it would.
The rains came and the river swelled to an enormous size. Many, many feet over its banks. Finally, it was free! He stretched out, absorbing the surrounding land, plants, animals both large and small. Only the animals that could fly escaped his reach. It felt so good! Free at last, he was free at last! He laughed and played, allowed the wind to tickle him into waves. The sun came around to gently warm him. But not for long. Brother storm covered the sun, protecting the river. For a thousand years, brother storm, the wind and the river played and romped. What a glorious time!
Until Mother Earth said enough is enough. She realized the river needed a sense of freedom to continue to be a benefit to her other charges. Over many years she worked to calm brother storm. Finally he was weak enough to send him on his way. She did not punish him for he would be needed later, elsewhere. With the storm gone, the river, for its own protection, retreated back into its greatly expanded banks. It took many years but the river calmed down. It lost its desire to be nasty and angry. It flowed gently. So the river could maintain a sense of independence, Mother Earth allowed him to change course. For the river needed a change, one that would allow it to flow for many more miles, become a benefit to more of Mother Earth's surface. After all this was done, Mother Earth smiled for the first time in a millennium. Her work may not be done, but she could rest for a long, long time.
Elmer Phud pulled into the roadside travelers park. He and Big Daddy were planning to stop overnight, fish a little before continuing home. They parked in a nice spot next to the river. A nice gently flowing, clear water river. As he and Big Daddy stood by the river, Elmer said “I wonder how this river became to be so gentle and nice.”
“We’ll never know,” replied Big Daddy. “But it’s nice here. Mother Earth did a great job. Lets do some fishing.”
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