Week 11 Story: Stealing from the Sun

Stealing from the Sun

(Black Running Shoes from MaxPixel)

Trevor had been traveling for months. He had graduated from college and was taking a year off to just see the world. On a mountain hike, Trevor got incredibly lost. He'd been walking for days and had run out of water completely. Finally, he saw a strange looking cabin in the distance. It was a bright yellow color with orange trim. Knocking on the door, Trevor hoped against hope there would be someone inside who would let him spend the night. 

"Hello? Is anyone home?" asked Trevor. The door swung open to reveal an ancient looking old man dressed in clothes to match his colorful home. 

"How can I help you, young man?" asked the old man.

"I was wondering if you had some food and water. Maybe a place to stay for a night. I've been walking, lost, for days and have run out of food and water," explained Trevor.

"Of course, of course, come in," the old man replied enthusiastically.

Trevor sat at a kitchen table and looked around. The cabin was sparse but homey. The old man went into the kitchen to try and find a snack for Trevor.

"Oh no, I haven't been to the store in weeks. There's no food here. I'll just have to run down to the store," explained the old man. 

Trevor watched curiously as the old man laced up some beat up black running shoes and walked out the door. Before ten minutes had passed the old man ran back inside with groceries. The shoes were magic and allowed the old man to run miles in minutes. When Trevor saw this he became envious and wanted the shoes for himself. Once the old man went to sleep, Trevor snuck into his room, stole his shoes and set off running. Before long he tired and laid his head down to take a nap in the woods.

When Trevor woke up he was back in the old man's cabin. He tried to sneak out the front door, but the old man stopped him.

"Where do you think you're going?" he demanded. "You can't run from me. I'm the Sun. Everywhere you go is my domain."

Frightened Trevor tried to give the shoes back and apologize.

"No, you wanted the shoes, they're yours now," stated the old man. 

Trevor took off running however, he couldn't stop. The Sun had cursed the shoes. Trevor had no choice but to run and run and run. He ran for five years before the shoes finally wore through and fell off his feet. 

Author's Note: I based this story on The Theft from the Sun from Blackfeet Indian Stories by George Bird Grinnell. In this tale, an old man visits the Sun. The Sun has leggings that set fire to brush which scares the deer out so that the Sun and the old man can hunt them more easily. In the original story, the old man tries to steal the leggings twice before the Sun just gives them to him. Then when the old man tries to use the leggings himself they set his legs on fire and he has to jump into a river to save his life and the leggings fall apart. I kept much of the story the same but brought it into modern times. Instead of helping hunt deer, the magical footwear helps you get to the grocery store quicker. I kept the lesson the same too, with Trevor learning his lesson that stealing has consequences.