Week 10 Storytelling: A coyote's longing for the stars
Climbing the mountain, I let out a deep sigh. It had been a long day — I had stolen fire from the Skookums and given salmon to the Indian people — so I was slowly ascending to my perch on top of the mountain, where I would sleep each night among the stars.
I curled up on top of the mountain, raising my head to the sky. I stared up at the moon, the stars. They twinkled at me, teasing me that I had to stay here on the cold ground, and they could shine bright in the sky, unburdened.
One star, shooting across the sky, seemed to be coming closer and closer to me. I called out to her, and she slowed.
"Star, let me come with you! Let me fly through the skies with you."
She simply laughed at me, her light twinkling around her, and I howled, feeling scorned.
"Fine," she said, after a long pause. "Tomorrow night, I will take you to the stars with me."
"Thank you, thank you, Star," I said, happy and comforted. I fell asleep in her fading light, and awoke to a vivid sunrise. There was much to do before another nightfall, and I had to prepare.
I spent much of the day practicing my leaping — cliff to cliff, tree to tree. I wanted to make sure that I'd be able to jump high and far enough to reach Star, so she could take me to the Star World.
When nightfall came, I was exhausted from leaping all day, but Star arrived right on time, shooting across the sky and then slowing as she got closer to me. When she got close enough that I could reach her, I leapt and caught onto her.
She took me higher and higher — I could see the tops of the trees, the mountains dusted with snow and ice. We went so high I couldn't see my mountaintop perch anymore, and as we flew higher and higher, I got colder and colder. Star, unlike the sun, was not warm — she was icier and colder the higher into the atmosphere we flew.
My paws grew icy and slick, and I couldn't hold on to Star anymore. I asked her to slow down, to take me back — anything.
"This is what you asked for," she said simply, and kept flying higher.
My grip was slipping, and finally, my paws were too numb to hold on anymore. So down I fell.
Down, down, down.
Author's Note: I rewrote a story from Myths and Legends of the Pacific Northwest, about how a coyote died after asking the Star to take him to the star world. The original story is written in third person, so I wrote it from the coyote's perspective in my retelling of this story. In the original, it's clear that the coyote dies at the end, but I left mine more open-ended.
Story source: Myths and Legends of the Pacific Northwest, especially of Washington and Oregon, by Katharine Berry Judson (1910).
I curled up on top of the mountain, raising my head to the sky. I stared up at the moon, the stars. They twinkled at me, teasing me that I had to stay here on the cold ground, and they could shine bright in the sky, unburdened.
One star, shooting across the sky, seemed to be coming closer and closer to me. I called out to her, and she slowed.
"Star, let me come with you! Let me fly through the skies with you."
She simply laughed at me, her light twinkling around her, and I howled, feeling scorned.
"Fine," she said, after a long pause. "Tomorrow night, I will take you to the stars with me."
"Thank you, thank you, Star," I said, happy and comforted. I fell asleep in her fading light, and awoke to a vivid sunrise. There was much to do before another nightfall, and I had to prepare.
I spent much of the day practicing my leaping — cliff to cliff, tree to tree. I wanted to make sure that I'd be able to jump high and far enough to reach Star, so she could take me to the Star World.
When nightfall came, I was exhausted from leaping all day, but Star arrived right on time, shooting across the sky and then slowing as she got closer to me. When she got close enough that I could reach her, I leapt and caught onto her.
She took me higher and higher — I could see the tops of the trees, the mountains dusted with snow and ice. We went so high I couldn't see my mountaintop perch anymore, and as we flew higher and higher, I got colder and colder. Star, unlike the sun, was not warm — she was icier and colder the higher into the atmosphere we flew.
My paws grew icy and slick, and I couldn't hold on to Star anymore. I asked her to slow down, to take me back — anything.
"This is what you asked for," she said simply, and kept flying higher.
My grip was slipping, and finally, my paws were too numb to hold on anymore. So down I fell.
Down, down, down.
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| A coyote in Alaska. Web source: Wikimedia Commons |
Story source: Myths and Legends of the Pacific Northwest, especially of Washington and Oregon, by Katharine Berry Judson (1910).
Hello, Dana!
ReplyDeleteSo I recently read another of your stories, which was about the man on the moon. Funny - here is another story about someone wishing that they were something/somewhere else, and this story also has negative consequences! This made me sad to think of the coyote's situation, and particularly to consider the lack of grace on the part of the star. The coyote didn't realize what he was getting into, and before he knew it, his interest in somewhere else was the likely cause of his death! I like the overall theme of being content with where you are. Though the coyote thought that the star was unburdened, he actually had freedom of his own while living on the ground. He was too distracted by the abilities of others to enjoy his own life!
Hey Dana! I thought this was very well written, as most of your work is. Coyote seemed cute and innocent while star was cruel. I wish I’d heard more about why coyote wanted to join the star. One of the best parts of telling a story in first person is that it’s easier to share more insight into the protagonist’s thoughts and motivations. I like that you left your ending a bit vague. Your reader probably knows coyote died, but you didn’t have to tell us he/she died in a painful, bone-crushing death. Thank you for sharing this!
ReplyDeleteDana,
ReplyDeleteI had not read the stories from the Myths and Legends of the Pacific Northwest. At the start of the tale I was unsure of the star, even though she did not act unkind to the coyote I did not trust the star. I like that you left your story open with the possibility that the coyote could live. You created a character I really enjoyed and did not want anything bad to happen to him. Great story!
I enjoyed reading this story. I do like that you left the ending open-ended, when I first read your story I just assumed he died but it’s good to know that that is not the only possible ending to the story. Changing the perspective was a nice touch, it allowed me to connect with the coyote more and to understand his desire. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDelete