Raven and the Flood

Raven and the Flood

A long time ago, before the world was as we know it now, there was a great storm. Blades of lightning cut through the sky. Thunder shook the ground. The rain fell, and kept falling, for eighty days and eighty nights.

As rain fell day and night, the water kept rising. Rivers flowed over their banks. Lakes rose and drove people from their homes. The ocean swelled, and large waves flooded the small towns near the coast. People feared that if the rain did not stop, there would be no land left.

A wise sea captain with a very large boat took action. He collected his crew and invited their families onto his boat. Before lifting anchor, the captain and his crew gathered one male and one female of each animal. They wanted to be sure that every kind of creature survived the storm,

When the rain finally stopped, not one patch of ground was visible anywhere. The captain and his crew stood on deck, amazed by all the water. A pod of dolphins swam alongside the giant boat. In the distance, the clouds parted to reveal a blue sky.

The captain knew they could not live on the boat forever. So he found Raven, the smartest of all the birds. “ Mr. Raven, ” the captain said, “ I need to talk with you. ” The captain spoke to Raven with respect because what he wanted Raven to do was serious.