Star Born

On the day when the Great Mother had set the last petal on the very last flower and taught the final bird to sing she sent for Chameleon. Chameleon walked with great care along a branch of the Great Mother’s throne-tree and waited. She turned to Chameleon and fixed him with eyes that contained the beginning and the end in their liquid depths. “Thank you for coming, my friend. I have a favour to ask of you.” Chameleon blushed with all the shades of a summer sunset and bowed down before her. The Great Mother reached into the folds of her robe and pulled out a beautiful glittering star. “This star contains the seeds of my most precious creation. I would like you to care for it until I need it.” Again Chameleon bowed and very carefully took up the star in his curled tail. Its brightness touched his scales and lit them in all the colours of the universe. “Thank you good friend Chameleon.” The Great Mother smiled once more and closed her eyes to rest.

Chameleon set out with his precious cargo to keep it safe in his leafy home. But as he walked in his slow and creaking way, he happened to pass Monkey. Monkey saw the glittering star and wanted it for himself. He leapt swiftly from branch to branch and settled himself to wait for Chameleon to pass by. Eventually Chameleon was directly below him and he reached out with nimble fingers and snatched away Chameleon’s treasure. But the star blazed in his hands and the heat from it singed his fur. Frightened, he threw it to the earth below them.

As it landed the star burst, sending a cascade of twinkling sparks into the air. Wherever they landed the sands shifted and boiled and figures began to emerge from the Earth’s womb. They stood on two legs and their fur and skin were in all of the tones and shades of the earth from which they had been born. As they lifted their eyes to the sky Monkey and Chameleon could see the sparks of the Great Mother’s star burning brightly within them.

Far away the Great Mother opened her eyes and smiled.