Week 11 Story: Don't Look Down!

As the group of five strolled through the unfamiliar town, a chill ran down Bluejay's spine. He could feel the eyes peering through windows and doorways. However, the fact of the matter is that his group needed food and a place to sleep for the night as they continued their journey home. Even if the locals weren't friendly with them, they would surely be friendly with their gold.

"Stop," boomed a deep voice. The group turned to see a towering man in a fabulous headdress and the longest tobacco pipe they had ever seen. That was a Chief if Bluejay had ever seen one. "State your purpose," we commanded.

Bluejay looked to his group, who had made him the de facto leader after losing their Chief to drowning earlier in the trip. He straightened his back to try to get to eye level with the village's Chief. "We are simply here to trade for food and goods, for we have nothing to eat and nowhere to sleep. However, we do have gold and will make fair trades with your people."

The Chief smiled and made a beckoning motion to a man behind him. The young man who stepped forward was an athletic specimen who seemed to have muscles on his muscles. "This is my son, Squirrel. He is the future Chief and the best climber in the village. Walk with me."

The group walked further into the village square where they saw a tall climbing pole, at least 100 meters high. The Chief had a smile on his face by this point. "Choose one among you to race Squirrel to the top of the climbing pole. If you win, we will feed and house you for as long as you need. If you lose, then all you own is mine." Bluejay knew that meant not only their possessions but their lives as well.

Bluejay picked up five strands of grass from the ground and began to turn around. "Okay, boys, we'll all draw strands of grass and whoever has the shortes--."

"Bluejay will take on the challenge!" yelled one of his so-called-friends.

"Yeah, Bluejay is the strongest among us for sure!" shouted another.

"Wow, thanks guys," Bluejay muttered under his breath sarcastically. It looked like he had no choice, so he stepped forward and began walking towards the pole. A crowd had formed around the scene. "Don't look down!" a villager laughed as Bluejay passed by.

The Chief handed each of them a bone with a pointed end and a piece of rope. Bluejay knew the bone was meant to be used by the winner to knock the loser off the pole and the rope was to tie a victory knot at the top. Both contestants placed the bone in their teeth and chalked up their hands. Bluejay and Squirrel lined up on opposite sides of the pole and, on the Chief's mark, they began their ascent.

Squirrel jumped to a quick lead, but Bluejay was in decent enough shape to stay on his tail. As they climbed and climbed and climbed, Squirrel was unable to widen the gap, but Bluejay was not making up any ground. Looking down was a mistake, as he saw how dangerously high up they were. He knew that he had to do something soon, or it was over for him and his friends. Suddenly, Bluejay had a plan that was just crazy enough to work.

Using all of his might, Bluejay burst up to a point where his head was around Squirrel's knee height. He gripped the pole as tightly as he could with his thighs and took the rope in his left hand and the bone in his right. With the sharp end of the bone, he frayed one end of the rope, then tied the rope to the bone with the frays facing out. Now, Squirrel was right above him, just close enough to where Bluejay could reach him with his contraption.

Bluejay pointed the bone up and began to tickle Squirrel's feet. Almost instantly, Squirrel broke out laughing hysterically and lost grip of the pole, falling to his death. "Wow, I did not think that would actually work," Bluejay chuckled.

Once he reached the top, Bluejay tied the rope as was the custom for the winner, which removed all evidence of foul play. He descended to hearing cries and mourning, but a deal was a deal and the Chief fed and sheltered them for a week before the Bluejay's group set out to continue their journey.

Extinct Alaskan elephant bone. Source: Wikimedia

Author's Note:

In the original story, there is no foul play; Bluejay beats Squirrel fair and Square. That seemed a bit boring to me, so I wanted to add an element of scheming on our protagonist's end. The rope tying thing was also not in the original story, but it served as a plot device to give Bluejay a piece of rope. Additionally, the group's Chief does not die in the original, it is another one of the group members who dies. I added that detail to give Bluejay more of a leadership role. Also, the drawing blades of grass thing never happens either, I just thought it would be a fun little addition.

Tales of the North American Indians by Stith Thompson (1929).
Bluejay and His Companions