The Story of Jumping Mouse

[Amfortas]

The Story of Jumping Mouse - Northern Plains Traditional Lore

Once there was a Mouse. He was a busy mouse, searching everywhere,
touching his whiskers to the grass, and looking. He was busy as all
mice are, Busy with mice things. But once in a while he would hear an
odd sound. He would lift his head, squinting hard to see, his
whiskers wiggling in the air, and he would wonder.

One day he scurried up to a fellow mouse and asked him, "Do you hear
a roaring in your ears, my Brother?" "No, no," answered the Other
Mouse, not lifting his busy nose from the ground. "I hear nothing. I
am busy now. Talk to me later." He asked Another Mouse the same
question and the mouse looked at him strangely. "Are you foolish in
your head? What sound?" he asked and slipped into a hole in a fallen
cottonwood tree. The little mouse shrugged his whiskers and busied
himself again, determined to forget the whole matter.

But there was that roaring again. It was faint, very faint, but it
was there! One day, he decided to investigate the sound just a
little. Leaving the other busy mice, he scurried a little way away
and listened again. There it was! He was listening hard when
suddenly, someone said hello. "Hello little Brother," the Voice said,
and Mouse almost jumped right out of his skin. He arched his back and
tail and was about to run. "Hello," again said the voice. "It is I,
Brother Raccoon." And sure enough, it was! "What are you doing here
all by yourself, little Brother?" asked the raccoon. The mouse
blushed, and put his nose almost to the ground. "I hear a roaring in
my ears and I am investigating it," he answered timidly. "A roaring
in your ears?" replied the raccoon as he sat down with him. "What you
hear, little Brother, is the River." "The River?" Mouse asked
curiously. "What is a river?" "Walk with me and I will show you the
river," Raccoon said. Little Mouse was terribly afraid, but he was
determined to find out once and for all about the roaring. "I can
return to my work," he thought, "after this thing is settled, and
possibly this thing may aid me in all my busy examining and
collecting. And my brothers all said it was Nothing. I will show
them. I will ask Raccoon to return with me and I will have
Proof." "All right Raccoon, my Brother," said Mouse. "Lead on to the
river. I will walk with you."

Little Mouse walked with Raccoon. His little heart was pounding in
his breast. the raccoon was taking him upon strange paths and Little
Mouse smelled the scent of many things that had gone by his way. Many
times he became so frightened he almost turned back. Finally, they
came to the River! It was huge and breathtaking, deep and clear in
places, and murky in others. Little Mouse was unable to see across it
because it was so great. It roared, sang, cried, and thundered on its
course. Little Mouse saw great and little pieces of the world carried
along on its surface. "It is powerful!" little Mouse said, fumbling
for words. It is a great thing," answered the Raccoon, "But here, let
me introduce you to a friend."

In a smoother, shallower place was a Lily Pad, bright and green.
Sitting upon it was a frog, almost as green as the pad it sat on. The
frog's white belly stood out clearly. "Hello, little Brother," said
the frog. "Welcome to the River." "I must leave you now," cut in
Raccoon, "but do not fear, little Brother, for Frog will care for you
now." And Raccoon left, looking along the river bank for food that he
might wash and eat. Little Mouse approached the water and looked into
it. He saw a frightened mouse reflected there. "Who are you?" little
Mouse asked the Reflection. "Are you not afraid of being that far out
into the Great River?" "No, answered the frog, "I am not afraid. I
have been given the gift from birth to live both above and within the
river. When Winter Man comes and freezes this Medicine, I cannot be
seen. But all the while Thunderbird flies, I am here. To visit me,
one must come when the world is green. I, my Brother, am the Keeper
of the Water." Amazing!" little Mouse said at last, again fumbling
for words." Would you like to have some Medicine Power?" Frog
asked." "Medicine Power? Me?" asked little Mouse. "Yes, yes! If it is
possible."

"Then crouch as low as you can, and then jump as high as you are
able! You will have your Medicine!" Frog said. Little Mouse did as he
was instructed. He crouched as low as he could and jumped. And when
he did, his eyes saw the Sacred Mountains. Little Mouse could hardly
believe his eyes. But there they were! But then he fell back to
Earth, and he landed in the River! Little Mouse became frightened and
scrambled back to the bank. He was wet and frightened nearly to
death. "You have tricked me," little Mouse screamed at the
frog!" "Wait," said the Frog. "You are not harmed. Do not let your
fear and anger blind you. What did you see?" "I," Mouse stammered, "I
saw the Sacred Mountains!" "And you have a new name!" Frog said. "It
is Jumping Mouse." "Thank you. Thank you," Jumping Mouse said, and
thanked him again. "I want to return to my people and tell them of
this thing that has happened to me." "Go. Go then," Frog
said. "Return to your people. It is easy to find them. Keep the sound
of the Medicine River to the back of your head. Go opposite to the
sound and you will find your brother mice."

Jumping Mouse returned to the world of the mice. But he found
disappointment. No one would listen to him. And because he was wet
and had no way of explaining it; because there had been no rain, many
of the other mice were afraid of him. They believed he had been spat
from the mouth of another animal that had tried to eat him. And they
all knew that if he had not been food for the one who wanted him,
then he must also be poison for them. Jumping Mouse lived again among
his people, but he could not forget his vision of the Sacred
Mountains.

The memory burned in the mind and heart of Jumping Mouse, and one day
he went to the Edge of the Place of Mice and looked out onto the
Prairie. He looked up for eagles. The sky was full of many spots,
each one an eagle. But he was determined to go to the Sacred
Mountains. He gathered all of his courage and ran just as fast as he
could onto the prairie. His little heart pounded with excitement and
fear. He ran until he came to a stand of sage. He was resting and
trying to catch his breath when he saw an old mouse. The patch of
sage Old Mouse lived in was a haven for mice. Seeds and many things
to be busy with. "Hello," said Old Mouse. "Welcome." Jumping Mouse
was amazed. Such a place and such a mouse. "You are truly a great
mouse," Jumping Mouse said with all the respect that he could
find. "This is truly a wonderful place. And the eagles cannot see you
here, either," Jumping Mouse said. "Yes," said Old Mouse, and one can
see all the Beings of the prairie here: the Buffalo, Antelope,
Rabbit, and Coyote. One can see them all from here and know their
names." "That is marvelous," Jumping Mouse said. "Can you also see
the River and the Great Mountains?" "Yes and no," Old Mouse said with
conviction. "I know the Great River, but I am afraid that the Great
Mountains are only a myth. Forget your passion to see them and stay
here with me. There is everything you want here, and it is a good
place to be." "How can he say such a thing?" thought Jumping
Mouse. "The Medicine of the Sacred Mountains is nothing one can
forget." "Thank you very much for the meal you have shared with me,
Old Mouse, and also for sharing your great home," Jumping Mouse
said. "But I must seek the Mountains." "You are a foolish mouse to
leave, there is danger on the Prairie! Just look up there!" Old Mouse
said, with even more conviction. "See all those spots! They are
eagles, and they will catch you!"

It was hard for Jumping Mouse to leave, but he gathered his
determination and ran hard again. The ground was rough. But he arched
his tail and ran with all his might. He could feel the shadows of the
spots upon his back as he ran. All those spots! Finally he ran into a
stand of chokecherries. Jumping Mouse could hardly believe his eyes.
It was cool there and very spacious. There were water, cherries, and
seeds to eat, grasses to gather for nests, holes to be explored and
many, many other busy things to do. And there were a great many
things to gather. He was investigating his new domain when he heard
very heavy breathing. He quickly investigated the sound and
discovered its source. It was a great mound of hair with black horns.
It was a great Buffalo. Jumping Mouse could hardly believe the
greatness of the being he saw lying there before him. He was so large
that Jumping Mouse could have crawled into one of his great
horns. "Such a magnificent being," thought Jumping Mouse, and he
crept closer. "Hello, my Brother," said the Buffalo. "Thank you for
visiting me." "Hello Great Being," said Jumping Mouse. "Why are you
lying here?" "I am sick and I am dying," the buffalo said. "And my
Medicine has told me that only the eye of a mouse can heal me. But
little Brother, there is no such thing as a mouse." Jumping Mouse was
shocked. "One of my eyes!" he thought. "One of my tiny eyes." He
scurried back into the stand of chokecherries. But the breathing came
harder and slower. "He will die" thought Jumping Mouse. "if I do not
give him my eyes. He is too great a Being to let die." He went back
to where the buffalo lay and spoke. "I am a mouse." he said with a
shaky voice. "And you, my Brother, are a great Being. I cannot let
you die. I have two eyes, so you may have one of them."

The minute he said it, Jumping Mouse's eye flew out of his head and
the buffalo was made whole. The buffalo jumped to his feet, shaking
Jumping Mouse's whole world. "Thank you, my little Brother," said the
buffalo. "I know of your quest for the Sacred Mountains and of your
visit to the River. You have given me life so that I may give away to
the People. I will be your brother forever. Run under my belly and I
will take you right to the foot of the Sacred Mountains, and you need
not fear the spots. The eagles cannot see you while you run under me.
All they will see will be the back of a buffalo. I am of the prairie
and I will fall on you if I try to go up the mountains." Little
Mouse ran under the buffalo, secure and hidden from the Spots, but
with only one eye it was frightening. The buffalo's great hooves
shook the whole world each time he took a step. Finally they came to
a place and Buffalo stopped.

"This is where I must leave you, little Brother," said the
buffalo. "Thank you very much," said Jumping Mouse. "But you know, it
was very frightening running under you with only one eye. I was
constantly in fear of your great Earth-shaking hooves." "Your fear
was for nothing," said Buffalo, "For my way of walking is the Sun
Dance Way, and I always know where my hooves will fall. I now must
return to the Prairie, my Brother. You can always find me there."
Jumping Mouse immediately began to investigate his new surroundings.
There were even more things here than in the other places, busier
things, and abundance of seeds and other things mice like.

In his investigation of these things, suddenly he ran upon a Gray
Wolf who was sitting there doing absolutely nothing. "Hello, Brother
Wolf," Jumping Mouse said. The wolf's ears came alert, and his eyes
shone. "Wolf! Wolf! Yes, that is what I am, I am a Wolf!" But then
his mind dimmed again, and it was not long before he sat quietly
again, completely without memory as to who he was. Each time Jumping
Mouse reminded him who he was, he became excited with the news, but
soon would forget again. "Such a Great Being," thought Jumping
Mouse, "but he has no memory." Jumping Mouse went to the center of
his new place and was quiet. He listened for a very long time to the
beating of his heart. Then suddenly he made up his mind. He scurried
back to where the wolf sat and he spoke. "Brother Wolf," Jumping
Mouse said. .... "Wolf! Wolf," said the Wolf .... "Please Brother
Wolf," said Jumping Mouse. "Please listen to me. I know what will
heal you. It is one of my eyes. And I want to give it to you. You are
a greater Being than I. I am only a mouse. Please take it." When
Jumping Mouse stopped speaking his eye flew out of his head, and the
wolf was made whole. Tears fell down the cheeks of the wolf, but his
little Brother could not see them, for now he was blind. "You are a
great Brother," said the Wolf, "for now I have my memory. But now you
are blind. I am the guide into the Sacred Mountains. I will take you
there. There is a great Medicine Lake there. The most beautiful lake
in the world. All the world is reflected there. The People, the
Lodges of the People, and All the Beings of the Prairies and
Skies." "Please take me there," Jumping Mouse said. The Wolf guided
him through the Pines to the Medicine Lake. Jumping Mouse drank the
water from the Lake. The wolf described the beauty to him. I must
leave you here," said Wolf, "For I must return so that I may guide
Others, but I will remain with you as long as you like." Thank you,
my Brother," said Jumping Mouse. "But although I am frightened to be
alone, I know you must go so that you may show Others the way to this
place."

Jumping Mouse sat there trembling in fear. It was no use running, for
he was blind, but he knew an eagle would find him here. He felt a
shadow on his back and heard the sound that eagles make. He braced
himself for the shock. And the eagle hit! Jumping Mouse went to
sleep. Then he woke up. The surprise of being alive was great, but
now he could see! Everything was blurry, but the colors were
beautiful. "I can see! I can see!" said Jumping Mouse over again and
again. A blurry shape came toward Jumping Mouse. Jumping Mouse
squinted hard but the shape remained a blur. "Hello, Brother," a
voice said. "Do you want some Medicine?" "Some Medicine for me?"
asked Jumping Mouse. "Yes! Yes!" "Then crouch down as low as you
can," the Voice said, "and jump as high as you can." Jumping Mouse
did as he was instructed. He crouched as low as he could and jumped!
The wind caught him and carried him higher." "Do not be afraid," the
Voice called to him. "Hang on to the wind and trust!" Jumping Mouse
did. He closed his eyes and hung on to the wind, and it carried him
higher and higher. Jumping Mouse opened his eyes and they were clear,
and the higher he went the clearer they became. Jumping Mouse saw his
old friend upon a lily pad on the Beautiful Medicine Lake. It was the
Frog. "You have a new name," called the Frog. "You are Eagle!"