THE CREATOR VISITS
A long time ago, a young man and his grandfather lived together
in the woods. They were very poor.
One night, the young man had a dream that the Creator
came to visit him. When he woke up the next morning,
he told his grandfather, who said that he had the same dream.
So they took this as a good sign.
The young man and his grandfather prepared a feast for the visit
they would be getting from the Creator.
They cleaned and cooked even though they didn’t have much food.
They made some bread and soup.
That morning, someone came knocking at the door.
When the young man opened the door, two little children were standing there.
They were very hungry, so the old man called them in
and gave them something to eat. When the children finished,
they helped to clean up, and then the old man sent them on their way.
Around noon, someone else came knocking at the door.
It was another stranger but this time it was a young man.
“Oh, please, I am so hungry”, he said.
“Is there any work I can do for you in exchange for something to eat?”
“Well, come in”, said the grandfather.
“I will give you some soup”.
The visitor ate the soup and helped wash the dishes.
He was very happy. He thanked both of them
and set out on his journey to the next village.
Not long after that, someone else came knocking at the door.
“That must be the Creator”, said the grandson.
But when they opened the door, it was a middle-aged man.
The man was cold and hungry.
“Please, can you help me?” he said. “I am so hungry”.
“Well, we don’t have very much food left
and we are expecting company, but I can give you
a little bit of bread”, said the old man.
The visitor ate the bread and drank some water.
He was very happy.
He cleaned up before he too started on his journey again.
It was getting dark outside, still the Creator had not come
to see the grandfather and his grandson.
Around 8 o’clock, someone comes knocking on the door.
The grandfather opens the door and sees an old man.
“Please give me something to eat.
I am too weak
to make it to the other village”, said the old man.
The grandfather is so disappointed
that this is not the Creator, he slams the door
in the old man’s face. “Go away!” he shouts at him.
Outside in the yard, the old man slipped and fell.
He was hungry and weak.
When the grandfather and the grandson saw this,
they felt bad. They ran out and helped him
into the house and gave him some water
and the last of their soup and bread.
There was no food left.
When the old man left, he thanked them for the food.
As they watched him walk away, he disappeared.
The grandfather and the grandson were tired,
so they went to sleep.
The Creator once again comes to them in their dreams.
They ask him, “Where were you?
Why didn’t you come to see us today?
We made a feast for you.”
The Creator answered,”I was there today.
I came to see you four times. Each time you gave me food.
From this day on, you will never be hungry again”.
As retold by Ervin Polchies
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