the Aval manitou

about a Manitou

THE AVAL MANITOU ©

 

By Dot Sutton©-Moon
25-jan-00

A few men were working and were blowing any giant stones up to make a new road, as they came to one giant stone; they put the dynamites around it.
Suddenly a voice called out, WHO MAKES ALL THIS NOISE AROUND ME?

Everyone looked around but saw no one apart from their work mates; they all went white in the face, and very quiet.
Oh come now the voice called out, you are all grown up men so there is no need to be afraid of me.
One man shouted, oh hell, it’s the stone talking.

Oh such language the voice said and there are children near you, you should wash your mouth out with soap, and you are right as I am a talking stone.
A little boy walked over saying, how did you get in there?
Oh I was a naughty young boy and was put in here, but I am so glad that YOU are not afraid to talk to me the voice replied, but I can hear and see all that goes on around me, and I can talk.

Well what did you do wrong to be put in there? A little girl asks.
I was a very naughty boy playing evil tricks on people by making them fall over, making children cry.
Then one day I trapped some children in that cave behind you and I was caught out, I had no intentions of hurting any of them but they were very frightened, but our head Manitou found me out and trapped me here, where I have been for forty years.

If you were free, would you still play evil tricks on people? The girl asks him.
Of course I would he replied, it’s what I do, and then he laughed.
I don’t do good things he told her, I only do bad things, so if you men would kindly set me by blowing this boulder up.
Why can’t you do good things instead of bad ones? Don’t you want anyone to love you? The child cried.

The voice went very quiet for a few minutes the answered; I have never been asked that question before, what is your name?
My name is Kim, what is yours please?
I am not going to tell you the voice answered, just call me stone.
You are right; you really ARE nasty she shouted, and then walked away.

The men wouldn’t blow the boulder up but a young lad did by messing around that very same night.
He put the dynamites around the giant stone, he wasn’t really going to blow it up as he was pretending to be a workman, but then he lit one and ran away.

The noise was deafening and then a voice cried out, I’M FREE AT LAST.
The men came running over but saw no one else around, they didn’t even see that the giant stone had been blown up until the next morning.
Oh no, whatever was in that stone, is free now a man cried.
Right away things began to go wrong, no one was hurt in any way at all.

Kim stood looking around then called out, where are you stone?
I am right here of course a voice answered, where else would I be.
A young boy appeared in front of her and she said hello stone.
Hello he answered.

Look at all the damage you’ve done stone after all the hard work these men have done she told him, now they won’t able to work or feed their families and the children will starve.
It’s nothing to with me he replied, I haven’t done anything --yet.

Are you saying it’s not you who has brought those sheds down and tipped all the much in the water, and moved these men’s working tools? She asks.
That is correct he told her, it is not me and I have no idea who it is.
They all stood looking at him then he told them, when I said I was an evil Manitou, I lied to you.

I never did anything wrong but someone did and I always got the blame for it.
The day these children were trapped in the cave, I was nowhere near it as I was away fishing at the time, but when I got back our chief gave me a right telling off for playing a trick on them.
I tried to tell him where I was, but he wouldn’t listen to me.

I know that someone must have hated me to blame me for the things going wrong, but I had no idea who it was and couldn’t prove I was innocent.
After a while Kim looked at him saying, is there anyone you have made angry at all, someone who must have been doing this to put it all on you?

There was only one I know of, he smacked a little girl across her face and I shouted to him to leave her alone, we had a big fight and I won.
His father saw it all and belted him in front of everyone across his face saying, how does it feel to be hit, like you hit the child?
We did of course make friends, but ever since then things began to go wrong, a few of the children said it was me as they saw me.

I knew after a time that someone was dressing up making themselves look like me, but I could never prove where I was as no one was with me.
I kept telling our chief I didn’t do the things he accused me of, but he never listened to me, and that’s when he trapped me in the giant stone.
A voice cried out, surly you don’t believe him, he’s a Manitou boy.

Kim looked at him saying, who are you?
We are new around here and we’ve just moved into the ranched a mile from here he replied, I came to town to look around and meet everyone.
Kim noticed something but said nothing as all the children went to him each saying they would show him around.
Are you not going with them Kimberley? Stone ask her.

No I am not she answered, my name is Kim, why are you calling me Kimberley?
I like the Kimberly best he told her, as you cannot do anything about it, isn’t Kim short for Kimberly then?
Later as a child was playing, the boy told him to go over and find some small stones, I will teach you how to throw them on the water so they will not sink, no one saw that a large stone was very unsteady and began to wobble.

As the child began to walk to over to where the stones were, the other boy ran off.
One of the men saw the child and also saw the stone moving, he ran forward and stopped the child just in time, it would have crushed him to death had he had been near it.

He went straight to stone shouting at him, why did you send this child over there knowing the big stone was unsteady, are you trying to kill him?
But I didn’t send anyone over there he cried, I was over there by the water.
I saw you with my own eyes so don’t you lie to me the man shouted.
But I don’t even know the child stone told him, so why would I do that?
He knew it was no use trying to tell him as the man wouldn’t believe him.

He saw Kim waling to over to him and he told what happened, it wasn’t me Kimberly but no one will believe me.
I believe you she answered, me and four other children saw you standing alone, by the water edge.
Kim told the man and a few others who were with him how they saw stone on the edge of the river bank.
Well he cannot be in two places at the same time the man told her, he said I am so sorry son for not believing you, Kim is well known for speaking the truth as she will never lie to anyone and hates lies being told.

Some of the children were swimming and stone joined in; he ducked Kim under the water longer than he should have done.
All the children started shouting and he let her go saying, I am sorry Kim as we Manitou people can hold our breath longer, I forgot for a moment you’re not one of us.

Kim looked at him then screamed; he got out of the water and ran off.
She told everyone she is alright, and then the doctor who checked her over told them all, that boy has to go from here.
They all stood in front of him saying he has to leave town.
But it wasn’t me he cried, and just because I am free from the stone, I still cannot leave here.

Kim never tells lies a man shouted, so why should we believe you?
It was not stone Kim told them.
But Kim, you saw him yourself, and so did the children the doctor cried.
That is true she answered, but it was not stone who did it, it was the other Manitou boy.

What other Manitou boy? Stone ask.
She turned pointing to the new boy then said HIM.
She went on to tell them, when we first met him, I notice something, when he ducked me under the water it was still there.
He can change shapes stone and made himself look like you, but the one thing he cannot change, is the scar on his face.

He also called me Kim, you call me Kimberly.
The other boy touched the scar on his face as stone cried out, MANNA, so it was YOU all along doing this to get me into trouble.
That is right the other Manitou answered it is me, you made  father show me up in front of our tribes and it was you who gave me this scar in a fight that you won.
I vowed to get even with you for it and I did, I will go on doing it too as there is nothing you can do about it.

That’s what YOU think a voice called out, and everyone turned to see a giant man standing there.
FATHER!  What are you doing here the boy shouted?
It seems I have punished the wrong one and didn’t listen to him when he tried to tell me it was not him making trouble for people; it has been YOU all along making trouble for this boy the giant shouted back.

I have seen you leave and coming here so I was watching you for the past few weeks, you tried to drown a young girl, and tried to get a little child killed by the moving stone.
You are no son of mine he yelled, you are banned from here and our land too as I am sending you to nowhere land, you will forever roam on it alone forever.

He lifted his hands outwards and the boy disappeared in front of everyone.
He turned to stone saying please forgive me and our people for not believing you.
Will you come home now as I will let our people know that it was not you who was evil, it was your twin brother.

I will come home my father but first I would like to say thank you Kimberly, if it was not for you I would still be stuck here.
No my son you wouldn’t, I have seen with my own eyes what was going on here chief Manitou told him, that is why I came here.

But young Kim is welcomed any time to our land, as is everyone else here, now I will put right what my other son has done here and he did put everything then said they had to leave now.
Stone walked over to Kim and put a small stone on a leather strap around her neck thanking her for what she did, he kissed her on her face and she blushed.
Just as they were disappearing he called back, my name is Nunda.
I will call you stone and there is nothing you can do about it she called back, and everyone started laughing.

Kim went to the Manitou land and the children loved her, so did stones parents, Kim and Nunda saw a great deal of each other over the next few years and she knew she couldn’t marry him as she was not a Manitou herself, she was very sad about this but didn’t show it.
The parents of them got together as they saw how much in love they were with each other, the chief Manitou told her how her parents have said he could make her a Manitou, but saw the sadness in her eyes as she looked at her parents.

It is alright as I have made them Manitous too he told her.
She ran to him throwing her arms around him saying thank you.
When they were old enough, they did get married and stone as she still called him, taught her everything and everyone was happy, but not as happy as their parents were when they found out they’d soon be grandparents.
THE END