Greetings folks, got linked to this online and thought it was a fine little fireside story. A bit on the "Hippie" side of life but all the better. I tried to edit it, but some of it's phrased somewhat awkwardly; still, hope you enjoy as much as I did.

*~Magical Creatures Story~*

This was a story I heard from a Native American Lakota Elder once at clean up after the Rainbow Family gathering at the 2002 - Upper Pennisula, Michigan, near the town of Bruce Crossing in Ottawa National Forest, and after dinner in a circle of kind folks. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do; this story changed the way I look at those I meet.

And the story goes;

The Great Creator one-day came to the Indians and asked them to help with teaching some Magical Creatures how to live one with Mother Earth as the Indians have mastered and to protect them till they were all able to live as one with Mother Earth. The Indians were more then honored to do such a great deed for the Great Creator and agreed to do so. And the Great Creator being so pleased with the Indians for doing so that a promise was made between the Indians and Great Creator that the Indians would always be protected and one day sit with the Great Creator in the home of the Great Creator in the stars forever.

And the story goes;

The day came when the Great Creator brought the Magical Creatures to the Indians, they were of all sizes and shapes, there were big ones, tall ones, short ones, long ones, and of many colors. The Indians did protect and teach the Magical Creatures for many a season, and learn much they did till the one day when the Great Creator came back to see how the Indians had done with what was asked of them. The Great Creator was very pleased with what the Magical Creatures had learned what the Indians had taught them and vowed then that the one day would come when the Indians would surly sit in the Great Creators home in the stars forever. And the Great Creator told the Magical Creatures to go live as One with Mother Earth with warnings to only show themselves to the Indians, which all the Magical Creatures agreed to.

And the story goes;

They went to live in the valleys, the hills, the mountains, and the sea shores and would be seen from time to time by the Indians. But then one day the Evil White-man came to their lands and the Magical Creatures went into hiding and weren't even seen by the Indians. But the Magical Creatures were watching the White-man, and were sad of what White-man were doing to the Indians. As the Magical Creatures saw that the Indians were being killed at a alarming rate and there were less and less of the Indians the Magical Creatures so Loved for how the Indians had treated them and taught them all they needed to live as one with Mother Earth. So the Magical Creatures mated with the Indians and it was said that the offspring were like both the Indian in living one with Mother Earth and in looks, but also had the magic of the Magical Creatures.

And the story goes;

And these offspring of the Magical Creatures and Indians, also went into hiding from the White-man and were seen from time to time by the Indians, and over time these Magical Offspring saw that not all White-man were bad, so they mated with the White-man. It is said that these offspring of Magical Creatures, Indians, and White-man also were like all three, the Magical Creatures, the Indians, and White-man. So in the looks of the White-man and the way of the Indian & the magic of the Magic Creatures they lived one with Mother Earth. So be very, very careful when traveling down the Highway, Bi-ways, cities and towns of America for you never know who you may be meeting or the magic they may hold......