Short Story Of Mosi's Tribe

Once, quite a long time ago, before the moon glistened in the night sky and the birds sang in the Palo Verde tree, there lived the first tribe of humans. These humans, like all living creatures, were made by the Great Creator who would whittle the creatures from the bark of a great oak tree. He would breathe life into them, giving them a soul and instilling a true sense of purpose. In this tribe, a father and his 14 year old daughter lived, her mother having passed during childbirth. They lived in a small hut, with nothing but the skins of animals for clothing. The daughter, called Mosi, was an adept tree-climber, she would scale the largest trees she could find and would weave her limber body through the branches until she reached the top.

Twigs and leaves would catch in it and her animal skin robe would often tear and stain. Mosi’s father would beg her to stop her reckless behavior and join the rest of the tribe in their rituals and dances. He knew his time was running short and the sun would soon set on his life, he wanted to see his daughter with a proper husband before he passed on. Mosi loved her father dearly and wanted for his happiness, and she promised to stay away from the trees and stay in the tribe. Many months passed by, and Mosi was true to her word, she ignored the call of the trees to focus on her life in the tribe. By this time, the people were beginning to starve. The large mammals that they would hunt were becoming scarce and the hunters had no way of climbing the large trees to kill the smaller

She watched for days as her father grew weaker and her people began to die. As she walked back to her hut, she saw a mother sobbing by a tree, holding a dead little boy in her arms. The sight of this struck burning anger into her heart. She knew she had no choice but to disobey her father. The next day, she walked into the forest with a woven basket on her back and a small bone knife in her hand. She then began to climb, she scaled the tall trees like lightning, keeping nearly silent as her strong, thin arms whipped through the leaves. She was as quiet as an owl as she snuck up on the unsuspecting squirrels and lizards. In a flash of brown and red, she caught them on the tip of her knife. It was a mere few hours before her basket was full of food for her tribe. Mosi returned a hero, the people sung her praises as they ate for the first time in many weeks. The children laughed and the adults wept with joy. Even her father couldn’t help but feel pride for her and her good deed. For many days, Mosi returned to the forest and caught food for her people. One day, as she was walking back, she saw a great oak tree towering over the land, its branches reaching up toward the clouds. She could faintly see a squirrel, sitting on one of the lower