*This is a short story that I’m parking here. Humour me, thanks!*
October 9, 2019
(A Story for Otter by Michelle A. Palladine, which borrows characters
from Charles de Lint)
A long, long, long, (very long) time ago when the world was new and the cauldron in which the world was created was still very hot to the touch, so hot that even Cody hadn’t gotten too near it yet, all the first Cousins were young and bursting with life and purpose. In those days, only the very oldest Cousins were here yet, Raven, the Crow Girls, Cody, Grandmother Toad, Grandfather Turtle and perhaps a handful of others. Some say Crazy Bones was alive back then too, but I never saw him. But, then this isn’t his story anyway, so it doesn’t much matter if he was there or not. Not even the first Aunts or Uncles were born yet. They came later, much later really, but this isn’t their story either. It’s just a little bit of a story. A footnote, if you will about what happened to one little Cousin on a day not long after the world was made when Cody first decided to try to stir the cauldron with his tail.
Anyhow, during much of this time, the wisest and oldest Cousins loved to sit around one of the pools that filled from a tributary of little streams and dells and then slowly slipped and sloshed down, down, down to murky rivers and deeper waters and finally out to sea. Sometimes, when they were lucky, the Salmon of Knowledge would come and answer questions. In those very new days of life, the great Salmon was much more willing to converse with almost anyone, so long as they were polite and waited their turn, since it had seemed such a very long time since he remembered talking with anyone. Back then, it wasn’t considered quite so impolite as it is now to just ask any question off the top of your tongue because everything was new to so many of the Cousins, and so all knowledge was much more freely given. Every now and then, the Salmon and Grandfather Turtle might get into a debate, but everyone always learned something new and no one ever got angry. Often times, they’d get so wrapped up in the little details of the thing itself that everyone would have forgotten the question just for the new story that was enfolding around the different versions from each Cousin. Usual as not, this just had to do with who told the story and where they’d been when they saw things come to being. Some said Raven made the world. Some said Grandmother Toad had done it. Still others insisted that Grandfather Turtle had carried the whole world on his back. And as the Cousins continued to go off to build homes and families more and more, each of them carried a version of the truth and they all knew it to be a version of the whole story that was only ever complete when told by all of those that were really truly there.
Because of this freedom of knowledge, there came a day when a young she otter crept to the edge of the pool to listen. She had overheard the Crow Girls earlier in the day and, well, let’s just say that otters are incredibly curious by nature. Perhaps this is partially why. I don’t know, but I suppose you could ask one.
Anyway, Otter came upon the others just at dusk, right when the Crow Girls had said they might be at the pool. I suppose I should tell you here that her name wasn’t just Otter, although, that’s what she answered to most. She’d been given all her names, her regular name and her Secret, Making Name, same as all the others, but for some reason she kept getting called other things, like ‘Look out, Otter!’ and ‘Watch out, Otter!’ Oh, and the most common one of all, ‘Wait a bit, young one. There’s no hurry little Otter.’ It was very confusing, especially along with all the new scents and sights and delightful sensations like water. Oh, water! Was there ever a more wonderful thing as water? Water itself was just enough to make her heart feel as if it would burst with pleasure. So you must understand, it was very, very difficult for her not to wade into the pool with the Salmon, even though she had a sense that it would somehow be frowned upon completely.
So there’s everyone gathered up by the pool. Raven’s dozed off a little in the tree that over hangs the pool cause it seems like all that making the world stuff has him tired out. Grandmother Toad and Grandfather Turtle are down near the edges of the pool listening to the Crow Girls endless questions, half slumbering themselves. Question after question after question. Those Crow Girls, well I don’t know that they’ve ever been quiet and, mind you, they’ve been talking since before the world was made and they still have questions. Anyway here’s the Salmon, bright and big as can be, answering questions, first Maita then Zia, then Maita again. Now Cody, then Zia. Then Maita and Zia together. When after awhile, someone notices that Cody is gone and everyone thinks, well that’s just Cody going off being coyote, doing his coyote thing, maybe even going to see Coyote Woman (that’s Cody’s sister for those that don’t know). But him being gone doesn’t feel right. Not to anyone, not even little Otter who can’t understand why anyone would leave stories like this for anything. No one remembers who first brought it up -- what Cody’s last question was, but most almost everyone said it was Raven. A couple said it was me, but I know that’s not right cause I was there and I know. No one could seem to remember, no one that is, except a tiny little furball of an Otter who couldn’t hardly remember her secret name.
As she listened to the others discuss back and forth, Zia demanded, ‘No, he didn’t ask that, I asked that.’
‘No I asked that. You asked the one about whether fish would breathe water the same.’
‘Oh, right. Then we both asked if they could blow bubbles in the air the way we can in the water.’
With the Crow Girls giggling over their own questions, everyone started to relax and finally they all decided after a time and a time that nobody really needed to worry about Cody right at the moment. I mean after all, if no one could remember his last question, surely it wasn’t going to be the sign of him starting any trouble, he was probably just out with some of the other Cousins getting ready to start up a howl or a jaunt along one of the rivers. I suppose now would be as good a time as any to mention that Cody already had a knack for causing mischiefs and troubles and such. He was always the one for tricks and games and he’d often teased little Otter. Not in a terribly mean way, but not always in the nicest of ways either. Perhaps that’s why she’d remembered, or perhaps it was just the strangeness of his question that made her tuck it away.
So there she sat, worrying and worrying, because Cody’s question really hadn’t seemed right and the more she thought the more she knew she had to speak up. And when Raven finally popped open one eye and suggested that perhaps someone should look for Cody after all, she knew she had to speak. Wiggling forward was the hardest thing she’d done so far in her short little life. Especially when everyone turned to look at her as she came all the way into the clearing from behind the rocks on the West side of the pool. She was just a bit of a thing, happy all the time, happiest in water, but still she knew this had the potential to be a serious matter, so she made herself wiggle forward a few more feet than she wanted.
‘I think I know where Coyo, um, Cody is.’ Her own voice seemed too quick and too full of breath for she was very nervous. She’d never even spoken to Raven before, although Grandmother Toad had been nice to her once.
Raven looked down at her and cocked his head. ‘Yes, Otter? What do you know?’
Before she could answer, Grandfather Turtle wanted to know why she was there at all. He seemed rather perturbed by her presence, which is probably one reason why Otters and turtles aren’t always the best of friends today. It was Grandmother Toad who said that all the Cousins (even the younger ones) had the right to be there, they just weren’t that interested. She blinked at Otter and gave her a nod to go on and say her piece.
Otter took a big breath gave a quick blink of thanks to Grandmother Toad. Never letting her eyes leave Raven’s face, she said, ‘Cody asked what guarded the caldron and whether the winds ever stopped enough so that someone could look inside again.’
Even the Crow Girls looked serious. Raven actually looked angry, which was probably the first time anyone had actually seen that so far. Everyone began talking at once until Raven gave a loud caw and said that he and the Crow Girls should go and make sure things were alright. All three flew off immediately and Otter started to back away slowly, trying to melt into the rocks. Grandmother Toad called her forward and Otter shambled over again, practically quaking with fear. It wasn’t that anyone had ever been mean to her, it’s just well, she was just an Otter who’d never done anything that seemed important and this was Grandmother Toad. Grandmother Toad who was right next to Grandfather Turtle, who had both helped make the world.
Grandmother Toad and Grandfather Turtle seemed to be having a bit of a conversation that only they understood. But by the time Otter reached them, both were quietly watching her as she dipped her head in that way that Otters do. Sort of a ‘How do you do?’ greeting that somehow didn’t seem quite formal enough for Otter, but made Grandmother Toad give a half smile in response. It was Grandfather Turtle that spoke though. His slow, measured tones somehow soothing and serious all at once. Just the sort of voice you’d expected him to have, if I say so myself. She realized as she glanced from one to the other, that she’d never heard him speak much before. She heard him now.
“You’ve forgotten your Making Name, Small One, haven’t you?”
Otter gulped. Audibly. How could he know? She looked at Grandmother Toad who was trying very hard not to smile. She gave an almost imperceptible nod for Otter to answer. Looking again at Grandfather Turtle, she gave a small nod and said, very quietly, “Yes.” Then in a rush, she felt the need to explain that there had been water. She tried very hard to remember not to look at the Salmon of Knowledge when she mentioned chasing fish, but he didn’t seem concerned in the least. Water (Oh, water!) and fish to swim after. It was all too much, too delightful and so she, just this one time, forgot to remember and in that moment her forgetting turned complete. She hung her head, barely able to meet his gaze. To her complete surprise, he smiled and said, “Ask me and I’ll remind you.” Now, if you’ve ever seen a turtle smile, you know that it’s a pretty infectious smile to begin with. Add on to that that Grandmother Toad was beaming across her whole face and Otter could barely contain her own self. Her jaw dropped a wee bit and she barely remembered not to stare while she was also reminding herself to close her mouth. She smiled and asked Grandfather Turtle to tell her her special Making Name. To her great delight, he leaned forward and whispered it into her ear. It tickled when he said it and as soon as she heard it, she giggled without being able to control herself. Of course that was it! Of course it was! How silly she was to have forgotten! She danced a little wiggle of joy and all three laughed with delight.
What’s that? Oh, no. You think I’m going to tell you? Noooo. That’s not for me to say. Now, if you ever meet this little Otter, and you might, who am I to say, and you and she become friends, then she may just tell you herself. Otters are that friendly. But at the moment, it’s her secret to keep. And this time, she knew she would remember forever.
So, right about then, the Crow Girls and Raven billowed back into the clearing and Raven immediately began cleaning his already shiny feathers. The Crow Girls couldn’t seem to stop giggling and Otter would learn as years went by that this was their almost constant state.
Grandmother Toad finally croaked at no one in particular and at everyone present, “What HAPPENED? Did you find Cody? What was he up to? Is the Cauldron safe?”
Raven stopped grooming to gaze at her before just answering, “Yes.”
Both the Crow Girls answered in a rush, “Cody’s tail is all singed on one side and he’s too embarrassed to be seen! We had to chase him for ages just to get a look at it!” Both collapsed in a pile of giggles and squawks that very shortly turned to little snoring noises. Otter stared. She’d never seen either of them sleep before. She looked a bit closer and noticed that Zia had one eye open, which winked at her when she met its gaze. She couldn’t help but smile back.
As she looked around again, she realized everyone was moving off and getting ready to go about their business for the new day, which wasn’t too terribly far away now. Giving one last wistful look at the pool, she shambled down to the river to go about catching her breakfast.
* * *
Much, much later, she would be known as the Mother of All Otters even though she only bears two cubs. And sometimes, even now, when you see her smiling in her sleep, it’s because she remembers back to that day when Grandfather Turtle answered her one question and told her again her Secret Name.