In the beginning, there was nothing but darkness and silence. Then, the Great Spirit appeared and created the world. He shaped the mountains, rivers, and forests, filling them with animals and plants.

Among the animals, a Gray Catbird stood out from the others. It had a beautiful voice and a unique talent for imitating the sounds of the forest. I am pleased with your talent and will grant you the gift of imitation. From now on, you will be able to imitate any sound you hear in the forest.”

The Gray Catbird thanked the Great Spirit for his gift. It flew away, eager to explore the forest and learn new sounds. As the Gray Catbird flew over the forest, It listened carefully and practiced imitating the sounds until it could reproduce them perfectly. The other animals were amazed by the Gray Catbird’s talent and gathered around it to listen to its songs. They marveled at how it could imitate any sound it heard, even the sounds of humans and machines.

Its gift had inspired all the animals, and they marveled at how the Great Spirit had blessed the Gray Catbird. And so, the Gray Catbird’s gift of singing and imitation became a part of the natural world.

~ Robert David Atkinson

Purchase a print →