Sonny and the Mountain Spirit

Sonny and the Mountain Spirit









Sonny looked upon his garden with pride.

He knew his plants had strong roots and stalks that would soon bear fruit.

He had toiled throughout the spring.

Sonny tilled the soil and planted the seeds.

He prayed for rain to make them grow.

He uprooted the weeds that sprouted up.

He sang the songs that grandfather taught him would make the young plants happy.

He couldn't wait for the harvest.

Sonny could already taste the sweet peas, hearty beans, succulent squash,

and his favorite golden corn.

It won't be long now, he thought as he walked down the hill to his house.



His mother was cooking when he came in.

She smiled at him as he took off his shoes and came over to give her a hug.

It felt good knowing that he would soon be providing food for his family to help them through the winter when food was scarce.

That night as Sonny lay sleeping, a mischievous mountain spirit named Kukulan, who had watched as Sonny had tended his garden, tiptoed through the neat rows.

The spirit quietly yanked the plants out of the ground and tossed them about.

When he had finished, he gazed upon the chaos and smiled.

He laughed to himself all the way back up the mountain.



The next day, the sun rose behind the hills and bathed them with light.

Sonny gathered his tools and trudged uphill to his glorious garden.

What he saw when he got there made his eyed well up in tears.

“What could have done this and why?”

He sat there sobbing thinking of all the time and care he had put into nurturing his plants and how hard it would be to make it through the winter without the food they would have provided him.

As he sat there, a sparrow flew by and lit upon a branch near him.

“Little boy, what is the matter?”

Sonny answered, “Oh sparrow, what do you know of the troubles of men?”

“Truthfully, I know very little, but what harm is there in telling me? Maybe it will make you feel better.”

“Very well,” said Sonny. “For all the spring I toiled to make these plants grow. I tilled the soil, I planted the seeds, I prayed for rain, and yanked the weeds. I even sang my grandfather's songs to make them happy so that they would bear fruit, and now someone has come and yanked them up. I do not know how my family will get along without the food from my garden during the cold winter when food is scarce.”



“Oh my!”, replied the sparrow. “I wonder if it could have been that rascal Kukulan?”

“You know who did this?”

“Why little boy, last night I heard someone tromping around down here and sometime later laughing to himself. That is just like something he would do. He lives atop the mountain, but do not dare to venture there, for no one who goes there ever comes back.”

It was of no use. Sonny charged up the mountain in a rage with the sparrow close behind.

When he came to the top of the mountain, he spied the entrance to a cave.

His heart was beating furiously, he was filled with anger and just a touch of fear.

He began throwing rocks at the entrance of the cave and shouting.

“Come out you little devil! You've ruined my garden and now I'll make you regret it!”



The mountain spirit roared back: “No one enters my realm and lives, come inside and face me!”

Sonny charged fearlessly in the mouth of the cave ready for whatever was waiting inside, or so he thought.

When his eyes adjusted to the light, the only thing he saw inside was the tiny sparrow doubled over in laughter.

“A-ha little boy, I am Kukulan the spirit of this mountain and I have played a trick on you.”

Sonny began to cry. “What a cruel trick and now I find out it was you all along. I am ruined and we will have no food to eat for the winter.”

Sonny turned and walked out of the little cave feeling betrayed.



For the first time, Kukulan began to feel something as well. It came from deep in his stomach and traveled the way up to the back of his throat. He saw the pain his mischief had caused and vowed to make it right. That night as Sonny tossed and turned in his bed, Kukulan gathered together all the spirits of nearby mountains, forests and rivers. They flew about far and wide gathering nuts and fruit and all that they could find that the children of men were known to eat.



Sonny woke the next day feeling just as sad as he had the night before, but when he opened up the door to greet the sun, he could not believe his eyes. He gazed upon a great mound of food, more than enough to feed his family through the winter. Atop this great mound was perched a tiny sparrow, with a mischievous look in his eye.