Nothing Changes

Bjorn was on his way to perform that ancient Piney skill, Gypsy Poling. Helgi, his wife wanted a cedar fanned trellis for her roses. So off went Bjorn. He headed southeast from his cottage in the hill for Twenty-One Lakes.

He crossed the Disappearing Pond expecting to see his ole friend, The Great Serpent. He gave a sigh of relief since the crafty serpent tended to play tricks on him. On the other side his mind was now free to ramble on much more pleasing thoughts about the blueberries he could eat on his way. Or maybe, it would be fun to ‘ping’ them off the head of that sly dragon when he was not looking…

Bjorn stopping at edge of the Dried out Diappearing Pond with cracked mud under foot.

Following the trail to the left, he approached the intersection and remained consistent. Though he met his inconsistent friend, Timmy Turtle, as he ran from the woods in front of Bjorn. "My friend." said Timmy.

"Yatahey! Where are you off to little one?" Bjorn replied with a wave.

Timmy the Turltle coming out of woods.

"I had to leave my home in the hollow on the edge of the pond, out of embarrassment," Timmy's voice reverberated from within his shell as he shrunk his head back in.

"How so?"

"A Beaver had broke in to rob me of my winterberries; I hid myself in the cupboard."

"Why so?"

"I was embarrassed, since last night I woke up in the middle of the night and ate them all. I'm afraid I owned nothing worthy enough for the thief to rob," Timmy continued as his head shrunk back in his shell a little more. "I'm on my way to gather more so I can keep my pride up the next time I get robbed!"

Bjorn shook his head and waved before continuing. As he walked through the dried gorge heading to Twenty-One Lakes, Dun the Dung Beatle was rolling up hill a ball of rabbit and deer gifts.

"Yatahey, Dunn!"

Bjorn looking at a dung beatle fighting to roll up a ball of dung up the steepest part of the hil instead of using the near by easy slope.

"Yatahey, Bjorn," said Dunn breathing heavy.

"Why are you pushing it up such a steep hill," Bjorn asked. "Wouldn't it be easier to go up the mild slope just to your left?"

"The distance to the top is shorter here; you need to learn more about dung Bjorn!"

Well he proved over and over that dung truly falls downhill.

On top of the ridge stood Nobbi the buck who caught the apple Bjorn threw up at him. When Bjorn cleared the gorge and stood above Twenty-One Lakes, he looked to his left and saw Bucky Beaver looking up, "It's the darnedest thing..." Bucky said looking up at the tree he gnawed off at the bottom that got caught in the branches of the trees next to it. Bjorn shrugged and then set his boat off with his saw to cut a few dead cedars out of the swamp.

Beaver looking up at tree he gnawed stuck in the branches of another tree.

After cutting down 5 trees for the fan trellis, he put his saw down. He crouched down to grab the saw once more. In case he messed up, he wanted an extra tree. Right before he could grab it, the Great Serpent stole it and went under the boat.

Bjorn cutting down cedar trees in swamp with the Great Serpent stealing his saw.

Bjorn then looked everywhere. When he looked under the boat, the snake put the saw back. Bjorn turned around and was shocked that the saw had returned. He rubbed his eyes and the old dragon stole it once more. He stood up and looked over the edge once more. It was then the Great Serpent rocked his boat and he fell out.

Bjorn soaked with hair in eyes in pond with Great Serpent laughing at him.

Bjorn stuck his head out of the water with the full length of his hair hanging over his face, "Hello..."

The Great Serpent patted him on his head with the end of his tail before he sunk back and swam away, smiling.

Bjorn gathered all of his logs back on the shore and began walking home. Then the Thunderbird swept down and knocked all but one of the logs off his shoulder. Bjorn fought to hold onto that one, but was lifted high into the sky.

Hulton finding some lion's mane mushrooms.

As he flew by, he heard the Ratter squirrel shout, "I don't care what The Great Serpent says about you, I still think your the bees knees..."

Squirrel on banch.

He flew so far and high, by the time the Thunderbird dropped him, he fell right down a blue whale's blow hole. Inside he found Gramps playing Nine Men Morris who lost nine hundred acorns to Karl. Karl asked, "Why do you keep going into the snake's den?"

Gramps playing Nine Men Morriss on a table with Karl behind the table next to him playing cards inside a whale with pinnochio behind them in the distance.

"I guess my skin is too thick to try on new clothes?" Bjorn answered as the whale travelled to the east throughout the night.

"My skin is too thin and I have to wear suspenders to keep them up," Gramps said as he laid three aces over jokers.

"The Emperor's new suite, won't fit you so you will have to wear your original," Karl said as he knocked the stones off the board and shook his head making Gramps smile.

After nine steps toward the table, Bjorn woke up in his bed.

He woke up glad, for Helgi left him a sunflower in his vase on the nightstand as she does every morning. He was glad that some things never change.

Njorn wakes up in bed with a sunflower to his right on the nightstand.