THE GRANITE TOWER

By P.K. Silverson

© Copyright 2009
By The Author
All Rights Reserved

In the time before there was time, the Great Spirits looked out from their lodge in the heavens. Deep in the darkness, they beheld a wonderful place. In that place, they made the land. But it was very dark. It was hard for the Great Spirits to see the land which they had made. So, they placed a ball of fire in the sky above it.

Once they could see what they had done, the Great Spirits were pleased. The land was rich and green. But the ball of fire soon turned the land to brown. This is not what the Great Spirits wanted, so they went back into their lodge in the heavens and sat down together to discuss the problem.

They lit a pipe and passed it among themselves as they considered what had to be done. “It is obvious,” the Great Father said to his clan. “We need to bring the waters to the land. That will keep it rich and green.

The Great Spirits nodded in agreement. They passed the pipe among themselves as they put their heads together to decide how they might accomplish this task. After a while, the Great Father slapped his hands upon his thighs. His big belly shook with laughter. “Many hands will make the job an easy one,” he told his clan. “Big, strong hands to make mighty rivers to quench the thirsty earth.” All the Great Spirits nodded in agreement, because the Great Father was the wisest of them all.

“Let us bring giants upon the land,” the Great Father decided. “They will guide the waters across the earth. The land will become rich and green once more.”

So it came to pass. A tribe of giants came to walk upon the world. With their big hands and strong arms, they laid mighty rivers across the thirsty earth. The land was nourished and the world began to flourish. This pleased the Great Spirits as they watched from their lodge in the heavens.

Bringing the water to the thirsty world was good work. It made the giants happy to do it. They arose each day as the ball of fire soared into the sky from the great water which lay against the edge of the land to the East. Joyfully, they chanted as they worked. As the warmth from the sky gently caressed their skin, their songs filled the air. When the ball of fire began to fall from the sky into the great water which lay against the edge of the land to the West, they went to their meals happy for doing such good work.

Happiest of all were seven brothers, for their clan made the waters run smooth and true through the largest valley near the great water at the edge of the land to the West. Trees and grass and flowers grew quickly in their valley. Soon, many animals came to live there. This pleased the seven brothers, who worked long and hard to make sure their valley would always be rich and green.

Every so often, the youngest of these seven brothers would turn his head to follow the flight of the ball of fire the Great Spirits had placed in the sky. In the evening, he would watch with special interest as it disappeared beneath the waves of the vast sea which nestled against the edge of the land. “I wonder where the fire goes at night,” he would often say to his clan as they had their dinners and got ready to sleep.

“Away, perhaps to another land,” one or another of his brothers would answer. “It is no concern of yours. The Great Spirits have made plenty of work for you to do right here.”

So the seven brothers rose when the ball of fire soared into the sky each morning. They went about their business of bringing the rivers to the thirsty land, leaving their youngest brother to wonder in silence like a stone.

When the great spirits looked down upon their busy world from their lodge in the heavens, the Great Father smiled and told his clan, “These giants have done well. They deserve to be rewarded.” So, the Great Spirits went back into their lodge and lit a pipe to pass between themselves as they sat down to consider a way in which to repay the giants for the job they had done.

“These giants have brought water to a thirsty world,” the Great Father said after due consideration. “It is what they do and what they always should do, for they seem happy in their work.” The Great Spirits all nodded in agreement, for the Great Father always said the wisest things.

“Let us give them the means to do this always,” the Great Father decided with a twinkle in his eye. “We will turn them into mountains. They shall become the source for the waters from which the rivers flow. They will be part of the land they love and they will always be able to keep the world rich and green.”

The Great Spirits again nodded in agreement, smiling with pleasure at the thought of rewarding the giants so handsomely.

When the ball of fire soared into the sky from the great water in the East, the change began. One by one, each of the giants became a mountain. Straight, still and proud they stood. So it went throughout that day. As the ball of fire flew across the sky, each giant in his turn became a mountain, strong enough to do his job for all the time to come.

As the ball of fire raced toward their valley near the Western edge of the land, the seven brothers watched as their tribe became mountains. “Why are the Great Spirits doing this?” the youngest brother cried. “I do not wish to become a mountain.”

“The Great Spirits are wise,” his clan answered.

“But there is still so much for us to do,” the youngest brother said. “I would like to know where the ball of fire goes at night. I would like to see the other lands. I still want to bring water to the thirsty earth with my own two hands.”

With that, the youngest of the seven brothers began to run toward the great water to the West. “Stop,” cried his brothers, trembling in fear and anger. “Your place is here with us.”

They pursued their youngest brother toward the great water, trying to catch him and bring him back with them so they could all become mountains together. Out of their rich, green valley they ran, close on the heels of their brother. But the ball of fire in the sky reached them before they could catch their runaway brother. They became mountains where they were. One by one, in a line reaching from the rich green valley to the edge of the great water, six of the brothers became mountains strong and still.

The youngest brother came to the edge of the great water before the ball of fire could reach him. He thought he was safe. He ran a few steps into the great water and turned back to encourage his brothers to follow, but it was too late. He could see his clan had already become mountains. He felt a great sadness for them.

He stood there, just past the edge of the rich, green land, staring at his brothers. That was when the ball of fire caught him. He, too, became a mountain, the youngest of seven brothers, silent and somber, staring back at the land he would never touch again.

In the time when time began, the tribe of man came to the rich, green land. He saw it was filled with many animals, so the hunting would be good. Many clans made their lodges in the largest valley near the great water at the edge of the land to the West. They gave thanks to the Great Spirits, who smiled down from their lodge in the heavens. All was well.

Then, one day, a strange canoe came to the land from over the great water from the West. The clans in the valley had never seen such a canoe before. Tall it stood in the water, like many lodges placed one on top of another. It had no oars. Tall, barren trees grew from its middle. Large flapping skins unlike any ever seen before seemed to blossom from these trees in the middle of the strange canoe. They caught the wind by its throat and held it prisoner as it howled.

The strange canoe was followed by another just like it, then another after that. They glided across the great water, heading straight for the mountain by the edge of the land it would never touch again. From these strange canoes came men who spoke in a tongue the like of which had never heard before in the valley. The many clans could not understand the men who came from these strange canoes.

From where they stood on their strange canoes, the foreigners pointed at the youngest brother, who stood in the water never to touch the land again. They called it by a strange name. “Morro,” was what the foreign men called the youngest brother, as if addressing him by name. But he said nothing in return, for he was only a mountain and could not speak.

In their hands, the foreigners carried strangely shaped sticks. Soon enough, the clans of the valley found out what these sticks were for. The foreigners would point them at the warriors and the women and even at the children. A flash of lightning and a clap of thunder would come out of the sticks. Then, the members of the clans would fall, never to rise again.

Helplessly, the clans of the valley fled from the foreigners. The seven brothers watched as the tribe of man left them behind. And they wept.

In the time before this time, many new men came to visit the Morro, drawn by tales of shining gold. These men came from the East across the high mountains the vast deserts. They came in small wagons that rode upon large wheels. They also came from the West across the great water in graceful ships which captured the howling wind and forced it to do their bidding.

These men carried heavy metal tools in their hands and overpowering greed in their hearts. These men climbed upon all the seven brothers, even the one who would never again touch the land, picking at the mountains with their axes and their shovels. But these men found no gold on the Morro, nor on his six brother mountains, for they were pure stone and nothing more.

Many men threw up their hands in disgust and cursed at the Great Spirits for playing such mean tricks on them. They went away from the Morro and his brothers, searching for fortunes that never were. But other men stayed on, held to the land by the rich soil, tied to the great water by a great bounty of fish. These men made their home in the shadow of the Morro. The seven brothers watched over them silently.

Once again all was well. That is, until, one day when a magnificent steaming ship came from across the great water to set its anchor by the Morro. Soon, an army of brutes came off the ship. They began to cut away at the youngest brother who would never again touch the land. Great stone slabs they hewed from him with their massive arms and their powerful backs and their sweat.

Helplessly, the youngest brother turned his eyes to the heavens, pleading with the Great Spirits for their mercy. But there was no answer, for he was only a mountain made of solid stone.

Long days without number passed. Large slabs were quarried from all the sides of the Morro while his six brothers watched. The slabs were brought onto the very land the youngest brother would never touch again. There, they were loaded onto wagons and driven to the trail of the iron horse. As they were taken, the slabs called back to the Morro and his six brothers. But there was no answer, for the mountains could not speak. In despair, knowing they would never see their home by the great water or the rich green land forever more, the stones wept.

When they reached the trail of the iron horse, the slabs were loaded into waiting cars and carried to the city. Far away from them largest valley near the great water nestled against the land to the West, the slabs taken from the sides of the youngest brother were brought together again. They became tall buildings. They rose toward the heavens where the Great Spirits made their lodge. These buildings towered over the land, blocking out the sky and the lodges of the Great Spirits who lived there, as well.
The time came that is this time. In the great Northern woods, a Lovely Maiden was born. The Lovely Maiden was loved by her Father and loved by her Mother and loved by all her clan. Because she was so adored and well cared for, she grew up strong and healthy in the lodge of her clan in the great Northern woods.

Every day, the Great Spirits sent their fire up into the sky. It gently warmed the Lovely Maiden as she played among the tall green trees. When the ball of fire fell from the sky, the Lovely Maiden could count the Great Spirits in their lodges high in the heavens, way above the very top of the tall green trees.

The day finally arrived when the Lovely Maiden was grown into a woman. When this day came, she went to her Father and her Mother and told them she would travel from her home in the great Northern woods to the city, where she would make her way in life.

These tidings saddened her Father and frightened her Mother, who loved their daughter very much and did not want her to leave. But in their age and wisdom, they knew the Lovely Maiden had to follow her own path. “Do what you know to be right,” the Lovely Maiden’s Father advised her. “The Great Spirits will always see you are well.” With that, they sent the Lovely Maiden out to make her own way in the world.

And so the Lovely Maiden went to the city with the morning dew still fresh on her face and the stars still shining in her pale blue eyes. She made her place in a towering lodge which rose from the covered land to touch the face of the sky itself. In this lodge, many people made their homes, each hidden away from the other behind their walls of stone.

Things started out very well for the Lovely Maiden. She went out into the deep and mighty canyons of the city, where the sky never reached the ground, in search of work she could do to make her way. It did not take long for her to find such work because she was as smart and able as she was lovely. Before long, she was accepted into a busy tribe who bartered and traded from their place within a magnificent stone building which reached high into the clouds. As a member of this tribe, the Lovely Maiden did work for which she was well rewarded. In this way, she began to make her way in the world.

The Lovely Maiden met many people in the tribe… more people than she had ever met before. The tribe was bigger than her own clan. Even more numerous, it seemed, than the tall green trees in the great Northern woods. She found joy in their company as she went about her work. At the end of each day, when the ball of fire fell from the sky she could not see above the towering stone buildings, she would return to her lodge feeling tired but fulfilled.

Safe inside the strong silent walls of her lodge, the Lovely Maiden slept peacefully. When the ball of fire soared anew into the sky each day, she awoke ready to take on whatever challenges might come her way.

The solid walls of her lodge held her and watched over her, but they said nothing, for they were only stone.

Many days came and went. The Lovely Maiden walked through the deep and mighty canyons of the city to join with her tribe in the magnificent building which reached high into the clouds. She was frequently introduced to powerful men who had much authority over the others in the tribe. They smiled invitingly when they met the Lovely Maiden. But, although they were often handsome and usually charming, she knew this was not the right way. The Great Spirits would not look kindly upon her if she were to linger with them. Though she was always pleasant and never unkind, the Lovely Maiden could not help but see the disappointment on the faces of these men when she turned down the kind offers of their companionship. She often felt sorry for these men. Secretly, she felt flattered by their attention. But she told this to no one, not even the strong, silent walls of her lodge as they watched over her.

After a time, the Lovely Maiden was summoned to the very top of the magnificent building. In a room high above the clouds themselves, she was introduced to the leader of the tribe. This Powerful Chief appeared to her to be as old as her Father, perhaps even older. This Powerful Chief was a very handsome man, even for one so old.

The tribe’s Powerful Chief smiled at the Lovely Maiden as their eyes met. She smiled politely in return. The Powerful Chief made polite conversation, and very well, too, because he was a most learned man. The Lovely Maiden spoke with him and laughed with him. Things seemed to be going very nicely.

After a while, the Powerful Chief suggested to the Lovely Maiden he might take a personal interest in her as she made her way in the world if, in return, she might take a personal interest in him. Flattered as the Lovely Maiden was by the offer, she knew this was not the right way for her. The Great Spirits would not look kindly upon her if she were to accept. As politely as she could, the Lovely Maiden declined the Powerful Chief, who, still smiling, accepted her decision. He shook her hand and ushered her to the door. The Lovely Maiden left the room at the top of the magnificent building, high above the very clouds themselves, never to return there again.

It was not many days later before the Lovely Maiden was summoned to another room in the magnificent building. This room was far below the clouds themselves. In this room, the Lovely Maiden was told of many changes being made. No longer would she have to walk through the deep and mighty canyons of the city to the magnificent building. From this day forward, she would be able to do her work without even leaving her own lodge. She was told of a magic spirit tool. The Lovely Maiden was told how her spirit tool would give her the ability to use lightning itself to sing through the wires of the city.

“How wonderful this new way will be for you,” she was told as she was shown to the door, where all her personal effects lay boxed and waiting for her.

Confused, the Lovely Maiden returned to her lodge in the tall stone building, carrying her belongings slowly through the deep and mighty canyons of the city. She never noticed how the sky couldn’t reach the ground. When the ball of fire had fallen from the sky she could not see, she found herself unable to sleep. All through the long night, she wept upon her bed.

The walls of her lodge watched over her but said nothing, for they were only made of stone.

By the morning, the tears of the Lovely Maiden had dried away. She still had work to do. She determined to do it as well as she was able. “The Great Spirits are watching over me,” she told herself in the calmest voice she could summon. “As long as I do what I know to be right, all will be well.”

As she sat on her bed, pondering where she might begin, there was a knock at the door of her lodge. Pulling her robe around her, the Lovely Maiden ran to her door to see who might be there. Opening it, she found two strong men carrying large boxes. The taller of the two men tipped his cap to her and told her about the magic spirit tool they had been ordered to deliver to her. She held the door to her lodge open so the two strong men could bring in the boxes, which they quickly did. It did not take them long to set up the spirit tool for the Lovely Maiden in a place she made for it by a long window overlooking the deep and mighty canyons of the city.

When they were done, the two strong men left the Lovely Maiden alone in her lodge in the tall stone building. Alone with the spirit tool. It waited for her next to silent walls that watched over her but said nothing.

The Lovely Maiden sat down in front of her spirit tool. With a touch, the power of lightning filled it with magic. It seemed to come to life beneath her delicate hands. Soon, she was bent to her task, doing work for which she would be well rewarded. But at the end of the day, she was still alone, all by herself within the silent walls of her lodge.

Many days came and went. With each one, the Lovely Maiden took her place in front of the spirit tool, which filled with the power of lightning at her bidding. Still, she missed walking through the deep and mighty canyons she could see through her window. She missed the sound of her tribe around her. She missed the touch of a friendly hand or the glance of a knowing smile. She was all alone, sitting in her lodge in the towering building, watched over by strong stone walls that said nothing.

The days passed, and her loneliness grew. The Lovely Maiden would look out of the window, through the stone walls of her lodge. She could see the deep and mighty canyons of the city as they held the sky back from ever touching the ground. She found herself longing for the tall green trees and the gentle warmth of the ball of fire in the sky on her skin. Despite a loneliness which overwhelmed her, she would turn to her spirit tool and bend to her tasks, because she had her own way to make in the world.

Yet, her own spirit would not be held within the stone walls of her lodge. With eyes closed, she dreamed herself to step out through her window. She went soaring up into the clear blue sky. As she flew, she would pass over the tall green trees, past the rich valleys and the mighty rivers and the majestic mountains, until she would come to the edge of the great water. There, her spirit would set down gently. She would dip her toes into the water as the fire in the sky warmed her skin. All was well until she opened her eyes and found herself back in her lodge, faced only with her spirit tool, all alone.

This was the way the Lovely Maiden passed many days, so many she almost lost count. She did her work well and was well rewarded for it. In this manner, she was still able to make her way in the world. But her loneliness grew.

“Why must I be so alone?” the Lovely Maiden despaired one morning as she turned on her spirit tool. As always, it filled with the power of lightning itself as it came alive beneath her fingers, ready to do her bidding. But the Lovely Maiden no longer wanted to do her work. She wanted the company of anyone who would but talk to her.

Under her fingertips, magic hummed within the spirit tool. “The Great Spirits are watching over me,” the Lovely Maiden told herself. “They would not force me into a life of loneliness for doing what is right. I will follow the spirits within this tool and see where they will lead me.”

With a delicate touch, the Lovely Maiden bade the spirit tool to take her away from her lodge in the towering building. In less than the time than lightning takes to flash, the spirit tool carried her to a place where many tongues spoke together at once. This bright and colorful place was unlike any the Lovely Maiden had ever seen before. Many voices seemed to call out to her, urging her to join them and become one with their tribe.

The Lovely Maiden found herself suddenly shy. Although she was very lonely, it had been a long time since she had spoken with anyone. This Place Of Many Tongues was strange to her. She was not sure what was right. “Still,” the Lovely Maiden told herself, “the Great Spirits are watching over me. Their tool has brought me to this place. They would not have done that if it was not the right thing to do.”

As she thought this to herself, a friendly voice called to her through her spirit tool. “Hello,” the voice said to the Lovely Maiden. “Are you new here?”

“Yes,” she answered, “I am new here.”

“Do not be afraid,” the friendly voice told her. “You are welcome.”

This made the Lovely Maiden very happy. Soon, she was talking happily to the Man With The Friendly Voice. She told him of herself and her lodge, of her clan and of her former tribe and how she came to be in this place rather than doing her work to make her way in the world. The Man With The Friendly Voice answered her, telling her of a place far away where the sky reached all the way to the ground, and about how he could walk in warmth and happiness all through the day.

As the Man With The Friendly Voice told her of these things, the Lovely Maiden could see and feel the place he was describing. So pleasing was his company, the Lovely Maiden forgot about where she was and what she was supposed to be doing. She lingered throughout the day in his company.

Finally, the Lovely Maiden noticed through her window that the ball of fire had fallen from the sky. With longing and regret, she bade the Man With The Friendly Voice farewell, but not before she made a solemn promise to him to return the next day. It felt good to make this promise, so much so that the Lovely Maiden could barely sleep through the night.

The very next day, the Lovely Maiden hurried to take her place at the spirit tool. As her fingers summoned the power of lightning to bring the spirit tool to life, she was again transported to the wonderful Place Of Many Tongues. The Man With The Friendly Voice was there waiting for her. She called to him with a smile, and he returned her greeting in a manner which both pleased and flattered her. As she spent the day in his company, the walls of her stone lodge in the high building in the cold city seemed to melt away. The Lovely Maiden was not lonely anymore.

Together, their spirits flew through the air, reaching up to feel the gentle warmth of the fire in the sky. They soared over the green valleys and the mighty rivers and the majestic mountains, settling lightly to the ground at the very edge of the great water. Together, they dipped their toes in the great water. All was well.

In this way, the Lovely Maiden passed many happy days. In the morning, she would hurry to her spirit tool and command it to carry her to the Place Of Many Tongues. The Man With The Friendly Voice always seemed to be there waiting for her, which made the Lovely Maiden very happy. So happy, in fact, she longed to meet the Man With The Friendly Voice in person.

When the ball of fire fell from the sky and darkness crept through her window, when her visits to the Place Of Many Tongues ended and she had finished talking with the Man With The Friendly Voice, the Lovely Maiden found herself consumed with thoughts of  him. As she hurried to do the work her former tribe called for through her spirit tools, she found herself thinking instead of what the man behind the friendly voice might look like.

She was sure he was tall and handsome and strong. How could he be otherwise? He walked in happiness everyday as the ball of fire in the sky gently warmed the way along his path over the rich, green earth.

When she went to bed at night, she dreamed of walking with him hand in hand at the edge of the great water, feeling her toes as they dipped them together and she bathed in the smile of his eyes.

So familiar had she become with the Man With The Friendly Voice, she could keep nothing from him. He could tell from her way that she had something on her mind. He asked her about it. With a shy smile, the Lovely Maiden told the Man With The Friendly Voice she would like to come to him and meet him. She told him she wished to see his lodge and walk together with him by the side of the great water.

Suddenly, the Man With The Friendly Voice was silent. The Lovely Maiden asked him what was wrong, but he did not answer her. While the tribe in the Place Of Many Tongues still spoke around her, she could not hear his friendly voice among theirs. She called to him and called to him, but he did not answer. All through the day, she waited, but she did not hear from him again.

Confused, the Lovely Maiden could not do her work. She could not eat. She could not sleep. The next day, she went again to the Place Of Many Tongues and called to the Man With The Friendly Voice. Although many men in the tribe came forward to talk with her, the Lovely Maiden could not find the voice she was seeking. She spoke to no one. She waited all through the day as the ball of fire soared across the city’s sky far above the deep and mighty canyons outside her window. The Man With The Friendly Voice did not come to the Place Of Many Tongues. The next morning, she waited once more. Again, he did not come.

The Lovely Maiden sat alone in her lodge, seeing only the spirit tool, calling all through the day to the Man With The Friendly Voice. The walls of her lodge watched over her silently. But, they said nothing, for they were only made of stone. Many days and many nights passed in this way. The Lovely Maiden found herself unable to do her work. She was no longer able to make her way in the world. Her loneliness returned, far stronger than before. With it came a deep despair.

Still, she turned on her spirit tool every morning. As always, the power of lightning surged within it, bringing it to life beneath her fingers, ready to do her bidding. Every day, she would make her way to the Place Of Many Tongues. She would call to the Man With The Friendly Voice.

At last, one morning, he answered her. With a smile of relief, she flew to him, calling joyously to him across the Place Of Many Tongues. But he was not smiling for her. She felt a sudden dread as to what he might say.

The Man With The Friendly Voice spoke, but his voice was no longer friendly. “I’m sorry,” he told her. “I have truly enjoyed your company…so much that I’ve been very selfish, I’m afraid. The truth is I work here each day with only my spirit tool for company. All through the day, I am lonely. That is why I appreciate the company you have kept with me. But, at the end of the day, when the ball of fire falls from the sky and the Great Spirits move their lodges into the sky, I am joined by my mate and I am happy once more. This is why I must not see you and you cannot come to me. I am with another. You and I cannot speak again.”

With that, the Man With The Friendly Voice left the Place Of Many Tongues. The Lovely Maiden knew she would see him no more. She sat in front of the spirit tool in her lodge high in the building which towered above the deep and mighty canyons of the city. She sat there while the ball of fire soared high into a sky which never touched the ground. She sat there still while the shadows grew long through her windows and the light began to fade.

When the ball of fire had finally fallen from the sky, the Lovely Maiden got up from her place in front of the spirit tool and walked over to the window which looked out over the deep and mighty canyons of the city. It was so dark below her, she could not even see the hard streets that covered the land.

The Lovely Maiden looked at the stone walls of her lodge, silent walls which held her when she slept and held her when she worked. Cold, hard walls which held her very life. She thought of the tall, tall trees where her clan made their home. She thought about a world where the sky comes all the way to the ground. The Lovely Maiden thought about the Great Spirits and about doing what was right.

Opening the window of her lodge, the Lovely Maiden spread her arms so her spirit could take flight through the night sky, rising up to greet the moon, to soar past the green valleys and the mighty rivers and the majestic mountains before reaching the edge of the great water. The Lovely Maiden stepped through the window to begin her flight. She was never lonely again.

The walls of her lodge watched silently as the fair maiden left. They said nothing, for they were only made of stone. But, knowing they would never see her again, they wept.

Final Note: The tale of The Granite Tower was not originally created as part of the Truly Grim Tales set. Because this story was created separately, there was no moral written for it. If it pleases you, faithful reader, feel free to devise a moral for this legend on your own. Thank you for reading these Truly Grim Tales.

With All My Best,
P.K.
Sept. 2, 2009