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Smiles Alot and The Butterflies by © lmaenle “Smiles Alot,” Grandmother Speaks Softly placed her hand on her shoulder, “After our morning chores are done, you Mother and I would like to take a walk . Would you like to come along?’ “Oh yes Grandmother!” Smiles Alot was exited and asked, “Can we go to the meadow that I spoke to you about?”  Wide eyed with excitement she looked from her Grandmother to her Mother Silent Tongue who shook her head yes.  Smiles Alot hurried through her chores, not too fast though. If she didn’t do them right she would have to re-do them and that would take too much time. There was so much she wanted to show Grandmother and Mother.  The chores were finally done! They seemed to take forever today. Now it was time to get ready for their walk. They placed berries, meat and sweet bread in their pouches and headed towards the woods. Smiles Alot hurried their steps telling them along the way and pointing out each spot where she met her friends. “Here is the stream where Father Running Bear taught me how to fish. And also the first place where I seen Grandfather Bear.” And going farther in the woods, “These are the berry bushes where I met the deer family. And there,” Smiles Alot pointed to a clearing in the woods, “That’s where I played with the fawns.” Still they walked on, farther and farther, closer to the meadow.  Then Smiles Alot stopped. She took a small pinch of tobacco out of her medicine pouch and placed it on the ground next to a large tree. She was silent for a minute and then stood.  “This is where I helped bury small one, my squirrel friend. And this tree,” Smiles Alot hugged it, “This is the home of small one and his family.” Looking up at the very top and smiling she then grabbed her Mothers hand, Okay the meadow is just up here. Come on!” Smiles Alot almost drug them the rest of the way. Then she stopped. The meadow. Flowers everywhere! “Butterflies!” Smiles Alot ran into the meadow. Grandmother Speaks Softly and Mother Silent Tongue followed. “Look at all the beautiful butterflies!” There were hundreds of them, fluttering from one flower to another. All different colors. All different sizes. All different shapes. “Smiles Alot if you sit real still and be patient one might just land on you.” After just a few minutes several butterflies landed on Smiles Alot. Some on top of her head, some on her shoulder, but just one landed on her bare knee. This one stayed for awhile as if to allow her to gaze at its beauty. Grandmother spoke,  “Now I will tell you the story of the butterflies that my Grandmother told me.”  “One day the Creator was resting watching some children playing. The children laughed and sang. But the Creator was sad. For he knew that one day these children will grow old. Their skin will wrinkle, their hair will turn gray, their teeth will fall out. The young hunters will be too old to go out on hunts. The green leaves on the trees will turn brown and fall off. It was fall now and with the coming winter, bringing its cold and taking away the green things, the Creator became even more sad. And even though it was fall, it was still warm and the sun was still shining. The Creator seen the sunlight on the ground and its shadows. The Creator seen the yellow in the leaves. He seen the blue in the skies and the whiteness of the clouds. And the Creator smiled. ‘The colors should be kept. I will make something that makes the children and myself happy.’ The Creator took out his pouch and started gathering a spot of sunlight, a handful of blue from the sky, some whiteness from the clouds, the blackness from children’s hair, the yellow from the leaves, the green from the pine needles, the red, purple and orange from the flowers in the meadow. The Creator put all these things in his pouch. He then walked over to a grassy spot where the children were playing. ‘This is for you.’ He handed them his pouch. ‘Open it, there’s something special in there.’ The children opened the bag and hundreds of butterflies flew out. The danced around the children. Some landed on top of their heads,some on their shoulders. Others went from flower to flower. The children smiled with excitement at the Creators surprise. The Creator was happy again.” “Oh Grandmother what a beautiful story! Thank you!”