Page 4 - THE FROG MAUNTAIN SHAMAN GIRL

It took her six nights to talk to the gods. During six days
she was fixing the forest, planting new seeds, listening to the
voice of the wind and completing the circle of the Sun.
As for the beast, it spent all those days and nights on
casting a spell and finally it made it. The shaman girl's spell
was broken. Here is the beast, walking through the forest,
growling. On seeing the fire on the mountain, it is heading
there. The fox deity, the bravest one, ran to the shaman girl
the other way, unseen by the beast. It reached the Frog
mountain with the shaman girl on tops and said, «I've known
you for years. You've always been of good help to the
animals, no one been refused help. We, foxes, have also been
under your treatment. I'll help you. Here comes the beast to
steal your soul. I can hide you». The shaman girl says, «What
about the village? Who will help the people there?»
– Don't worry, I'll help them too.
The fox deity whispered something to the rock. The
Frog, now alive, swallowed the shaman girl. Then it became
the rock again. The shaman girl found herself in the Lower
World with forests growing, rivers flowing and mountains
rising. Looks like those on the earth but still different. The
mountains are covered with gold fog and in the rivers gold
water is running. The girl sat down into the grass and looked
at it close. Under a closer look each blade of grass and every
leaf showed gold too, even vibrating in the wind like a string.
And there came a soft groan. The girl turned round, then
again – not a living soul around. And the groan was getting
louder, making the girl's heart stop with pity. The girl got up
and went to see who it was groaning so piteously. Down to
the river she spotted a faint green seedling, working its way
up in the gold grass, pleading, «Water me! Water me!» The

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