Atondido Stories
The Boy in the Land of Shadows
Two orphan children, a boy and a girl, lived alone near the
mountains. Their parents had long been dead and the children
were left to look after themselves without any kindred upon the
earth. The boy hunted all day long and provided much food,
and the girl kept the house in order and did the cooking. They
had a very deep love for each other and as they grew up they
said, "We shall never leave each other. We shall always stay here
together." But one year it happened that in the early spring-time
it was very cold. The snow lingered on the plains and the ice
moved slowly from the rivers and chill winds were always blow-
ing and grey vapours hovered over all the land. And there was
very little food to be had, for the animals hid in their warm win-
ter dens and the wild-geese and ducks were still far south. And
in this cruel period of bad weather the little girl sickened and
died. Her brother worked hard to provide her with nourishing
food and he gathered all the medicine roots he thought could
bring her relief, but it was all to no purpose. And despite all his
efforts, one evening in the twilight his sister went away to the
West, leaving him alone behind upon the earth.
The boy was heart-broken because of his sister's death. And
when the late spring came and the days grew warm and food
was plentiful again, he said, "She must be somewhere in the
West, for they say that our people do not really die. I will go and
search for her, and perhaps I can find her and bring her back." So
one morning he set out on his strange quest. He journeyed many
days westward towards the Great Water, killing game for food
as he went, and sleeping at night under the stars. He met many
strange people, but he did not tell them the purpose of his trav-
els. At last he came to the shore of the Great Water, and he sat
looking towards the sunset wondering what next to do. In the
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