Join us at the campfire for tales from around the world, told by storytellers of all backgrounds and creeds. From the heros and heroines of old, let us relearn and rediscover the wisdom of our ancestors. Shhh..the story begins..

Long ago, Owl was very shy and believed himself to be exceedingly ugly...so ugly that nobody would ever want to look upon him...so ugly that babies would scream at the sight of him. Because of this, Owl would almost never go out in the daytime, waiting until all was dark so his appearance might be hidden.

One night, Owl was abroad and he met a young woman. They began to talk and she invited Owl into her house. Owl was happy to accept. They sat on her porch for several hours, talking about this and that. Owl discovered he was growing very fond of the young woman and she seemed to return his affection, inviting him to return again the following night. Owl did so and again, the pair sat on the porch and talked until it was almost dawn. At some point during the evening, they started to hold hands. Night after night, Owl would come to visit the young woman and, night after night, he would leave before dawn so the young woman would never truly know what he looked like.

The girl's friends heard of her mysterious suitor and began asking questions. They liked the girl and were pleased that she had finally met somebody of whom she could be fond...but they were also quite curious.

"Why does Owl never visit during the day?" they asked.

"Oh," replied the girl, "he works very hard and by the time he gets home, gets cleaned up and has his supper, it is well after dark."

"Nonetheless," insisted the girls friends, "we would love to meet him."

"Surely he doesn't work on Sundays," said one. "Why don't you throw a big party for him?"

"That's a wonderful idea," added another. "Then, we could all get to know him."

The girl liked the suggestion so, the next time Owl came to visit, she asked him to come to a party and, although Owl was very shy, he was actually quite pleased. "A party?" he queried. "A party just for me with me to be the guest of honor? Oh my!" And Owl agreed to return on Sunday afternoon.

But, when Sunday arrived, Owl began to grow nervous. Owl and his cousin, Rooster, whom Owl had persuaded to accompany him. mounted their horses and started out for the girl's home but, along the way, Owl began to compare his appearance to that of his fine-feathered kinsman. "Rooster is tall, brightly dressed and outgoing," pondered the disconsolate Owl, looking at Rooster's red hair, colorful clothing and yellow boots. Owl regarded his own brown clothes with some anxiety. "I am dull and drab," he muttered to himself. "Besides which, I am also so dreadfully ugly!" By the time they drew near to the party, Owl was in a state of panic. "Rooster," he said to his cousin, "I have forgotten something. You go on ahead and tell them I had to go back home, but will return in just a little while."

Rooster was a cheerful and accommodating sort of fellow and readily agreed to go in and deliver Owl's message.

Owl went away and came back later...much later...so much later that it was after dark when he arrived at the girl's house. He was afraid that the girl and her family might be angry that he was late, so when he went to the door of the house, he asked for Rooster. When Rooster came to the door, he was rather startled. "Owl," he said, "what IS that on your head?"

"It's a hat," mumbled Owl. "Lots of people wear hats."

"Oh, I agree," replied Rooster, "but most people wear them ON their heads not OVER them!"

"I hurt my eyes," whispered Owl, "and I can't stand to look at the light. The hat serves to keep them covered."

"Them and the rest of your head!" exclaimed Rooster.

"Oh, don't let's stand here discussing my hat," said Owl. "Is anybody angry with me for being late?"

"They'd be even angrier if you didn't arrive at all," replied Rooster, reaching out to drag Owl inside the house.

"Wait a second," cried Owl, "I'll come in, but you must promise me something first."

"And what might that be?" queried Rooster.

"I have to be home by sunrise," said Owl, "so, would you be willing to crow a little before sunrise, to let me know the time, rather than at sunrise as you usually do?"

Owl was very worried that if stayed until daylight, the young girl would see his face, even with the hat covering most of it.

"Of course, Owl," replied Rooster. "If that's what you want, I'll be happy to do it." And with that, they both went inside.

By this time, of course, the party was in full swing. Drummers were drumming, singers were singing and Owl realized it was his favorite song. When he heard it, he wanted to dance so he found the girl, apologized for being so late, and was readily forgiven. Hand-in-hand, the couple went out on the dance floor. For all his shyness, Owl was really a very accomplished dancer. He truly adored music and, once he began to listen to it and move to its rhythm, he ceased to think about where he was or feel embarrassed. Owl and his partner had a wonderful time dancing all through the night. In fact, Owl was having so much fun that he completely forgot about the time until he heard Rooster, who was quite drunk, attempt to crow.

"Cock-a-hic-a-doo!" gurgled Rooster. "Cock-a-hic..." Owl looked out the window and regarded the pending daybreak with much panic. Rooster was so drunk that he had missed the dawn. Light was fast flooding the sky and Owl was certain that the girl would see his face, realize how ugly he was and hate him for his appearance. Owl ran toward the door. Shocked by his sudden flight, the girl called out his name, beseeching him to come back, and following him to the door. But either Owl didn't hear her or failed to pay attention to what she said. He was in such a rush that he ran right into one of the drummers. Tripping, Owl fell to the floor and lost his hat! For the first time, the girl stared into his face. Then Owl got to his feet and ran for his life.

"Owl," cried the girl. "Come back, Owl!"

She was gaining on him as a result of his fall, but Owl still managed to make it to the door before the girl. Quickly mounting his horse, he rode swiftly away. Sadly, the girl went back into the house and helped to clean up the aftermath of the party. Nobody knew quite what to think of Owl's most peculiar behavior.

That evening, the girl sat on the porch and waited. She hoped that Owl would return, but he never came. "Oh well," pondered the girl, "it was a late night...maybe he will come tomorrow evening." And so, she went to bed and thought about him...thought about how nice he was and how well he danced and how he looked. Despite Owl's fears, the girl had not found him ugly at all. He had an almost round face with lovely big eyes and a darling small nose. The girl considered it a strong face...an attractive face and she liked his eyes very much. She never realized that Owl believed himself to be ugly.

She waited for him the next night too, but Owl never came...or the night after that...or the week after that...or the month after that. For an entire year the girl waited for Owl to return, but he never did come back. Finally, she met somebody else and married him. But, even then, there were mornings when she would awake and hear the roosters crowing and think about Owl...and wonder why he had run away and where he had gone.

A section has been added to Penumbra entitled "Rainbow Bridge," dedicated to the memory of our beloved animal companions. It features various pieces of work, whose words, it is hoped, will bring solace and comfort to those who have lost a dear little furry (or feathered or scaled...etc.) one.

It contains an area known as "BlueBird Bower" where a memorial may be placed by anyone upon request in the name of their departed pet (no species refused).

Just click on "RainBow Bridge" on the home page to access the area described.