THE DREAM TREE

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1067, 3 September 1930, Page 14

THE DREAM TREE

is the story of Golden-foot and Silver Spear, who lived in I the days when the stars were flowers and all the trees had voices. Golden-foot was so named because she had dipped her slender right foot into a pool that mirrored the gilded clouds of sunset, and Silver Spear was called that because the moonlight had enchanted his quiver of arrows so that each one flew from his bow like a shaft of silver. They roamed the forests and listened to what the trees had to say, and Golden-foot would wear a star in her hair just as maidens wear flowers today. But there came a day when Silver Spear did not return from hunting. Golden-foot looked everywhere for him and called his name on the wind, but only the mountains gave back the echo. Then one night, when roaming the Hills of Sleep, Goldenfoot found the Dream Tree. It was a voiceless tree, but from it hung a score of dreams in coloured globes, like glass bubbles. With trembling hands Golden-foot plucked a dream and 10, there was Silver Spear beside her! But Silver Spear was voiceless, too. He could not even tell her why he had not returned from hunting. Instead he took her hand and led her to a lofty peak, and together they gazed down on the world they had known. Thereafter the days for Golden-foot were mere stepping stones to the Hills of Sleep where grew the Dream Tree, but soon she had plucked all but the very last dream that hung in its coloured globe. The next night, with bated breath, she reached up and plucked the last remaining dream, and there was Silver Spear, holding her hands, and voiceless no longer. And in the forest the wind searched vainly for Golden-foot, and to this day has never succeeded in finding her. REDFEATHER.