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A long, long time ago there was no fire. The world was cold. One day the Thunders sent their lightning and it struck a hollow sycamore tree, which lived on an island. A fire began in the bottom of the sycamore tree, and soon smoke started coming out of the top of the tree. All the animals could see the smoke and knew the fire was there.
The animals decided that they wanted to bring the fire back from the island, but they couldn’t get to it, because the island was surrounded by water. So, they held a council meeting to decide what to do.
The Raven offered to go get the fire and since he was so big and strong, they thought that he would be able to bring the fire back. The Raven flew far across the water and landed on the sycamore tree. The Raven was sitting and wondering how to get the fire, when the heat from the fire scorched all his feathers black, and he was frightened so much that he returned without the fire.
The little Screech owl spoke up next and said he would go. He flew over to the island and landed on the top of the sycamore. Then he looked into the hollow sycamore tree and a hot blast of air shot up and nearly burned out his eyes. He could hardly see, but managed to fly back to the other animals with out the fire. It took a long time before he could see well again. The Screech-owl eyes are red to this day.
The Hoot owl and the Horned owl offered to go. As they flew close to the sycamore tree, it was burning so fiercely that the smoke almost blinded them. The wind blew up the ashes from the fire and put white rings around their eyes. They turned around and flew back home with out the fire. No matter how hard they rubbed their eyes, the white rings would not go away and they have them to this very day.
No more of the birds would offer to go. The black racer snake said he would go. He swam through the water to the island. He crawled through the grass until he came to the sycamore tree. He entered the sycamore tree through a hole in the bottom of the tree. He darted here and there over the hot ashes, until finally he found the hole he had entered by. He had nearly caught himself on fire from the hot ashes and his body was scorched black all over. He returned back home and to this day the black racer darts about as though he is trying to escape from something.
"The Climber”, the great blacksnake offered to go next. He swam over to the sycamore tree and climbed the outside of the tree, like all blacksnakes do. When he got to the top of the tree, he stuck his head into tree and the smoke from the fire choked him and he fell into the hollow sycamore. Before he climb back out, he was scorched as black as the black racer.
Since all their attempts had failed, the animals held another council meeting to see if there was someway to get the fire. But most of the animals had some excuse why they couldn’t go and get the fire. They were afraid of the burning sycamore tree. Then at last the Water Spider said she would go. Now this is not the water spider that looks like a mosquito, but the other one with black downy hair and red stripes on her body. She can run across the water or dive to the bottom. But the other animals wondered how she would bring back the fire. She was so tiny. So they asked her how she would bring back the fire. She said, “I have a way, just wait and see”. She then spun a thread from her body and wove it into a tusti bowl, a small bowl. She then placed the small bowl onto her back. She went across the water and through the grass to the sycamore tree.She placed one small coal into the small bowl and brought it back with her. We have had fire ever since and the water spider still keeps her small bowl.
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