Years ago in the American southwest, there was an apprentice rainmaker. He learned everything he could from his mentor, a Great Chief, who could taste the wind, read the sky, and cause it to rain in the very spot he picked.
This Great Chief was known throughout the four corners for his rainmaking and he was often called upon by farmers and ranchers when their crops or their cattle were suffering. They would send a messenger or a telegram and the Great Chief would make it rain.
The apprentice took note of everything his mentor would do. He tasted the sky. He stared up at the clouds. And he watched as the Great Chief honored the four winds and paid tribute to the spirits.
One day after all of the long study and practice he believed he was ready to make his own rain.
The young apprentice rainmaker traveled far to a parched valley and decided this was the place he would command the sky to rain. He prepared the tributes. He took note of the sun. He turned to the four corners of the valley and tasted the wind. He then began the rain ceremony.
He stomped and chanted and commanded the clouds to come to this valley.
And nothing happened.
He checked his tributes. He turned to the four corners again and tasted the wind. He stared up at the heavens and not a cloud could be found. He repeated the ceremony, and again, nothing happened.
No rain fell in the parched valley.
Disappointed he returned to the valley of his mentor, the Great Chief, and he sought out his counsel.
“I did everything you did,” the apprentice lamented. “I tasted the wind, I looked to the sky, and I paid tribute to the spirits of the four winds. And still it did not rain.”
The Great Chief nodded and listened intently to everything the apprentice said. He then closed his eyes. The apprentice also closed his eyes and the two sat perfectly still without a sound between them.
Suddenly, their silence was interrupted by Pete from the Telegraph Office. He handed the Great Chief a message that had just arrived.
After the Great Chief had read the message he started to laugh. The apprentice was dumbfounded and curious why his mentor was laughing.
When he had finished, he wiped a tear from his cheek, and handed over the message. The apprentice read it quickly and let out a surprised gasp.
The message sent from ranchers in a distant valley said, “Stop making rain. Stop. Entire Main Street deep in mud. Stop. Water everywhere. Stop. We have enough rain for now. Stop. Stop. Stop.”
Copyright 2015, Michael S. Sommermeyer. All Rights Reserved.
© 2015 – 2018, Michael Shawn Sommermeyer. All rights reserved.
