Two Turtles at the Crossing

A Red River Métis Fable

Two snapping turtles were traveling down a narrow trail, one from the north and the other from the south. They met at the edge of a muddy crossing, and when each of them saw the other, they stopped.

“I’ll wait,” said the first turtle politely, “you go first.”

“No no, please,” said the second, “after you.”

Neither moved. They sat with the patience turtles are known for as the sun warmed their shells. The dragonflies skimmed the reeds, the crows called out in the distance… and their feet sank into the muddy path.

“I don’t want to seem pushy,” said the first, after a long silence, “but I’d prefer it if you passed by.”

“And I don’t want to appear rude either,” said the second, “but I insist.”

So they waited and settled further into the mud.

Days passed, then more, and the clouds came and went. Even the season began to turn cold.

One morning, frost kissed the grass. The wind blew colder and the mud beneath their feet grew cold and stiff, and the turtles were stuck.

The first one said, “I see now, I kept thinking that you'd be the braver one to move past first.”

“And I,” said the second, with a faint sigh, “was waiting for the moment you'd feel certain enough to lead.”

But neither one crossed and, when winter came, the trail disappeared under the snow. The two turtles, still facing each other, vanished with it.

Travelers have since passed that place and come across two smooth stones in the shape of shells, half-buried in the earth.

Sometimes we wait for others to be bold, forgetting the path won’t clear until we take the first step ourselves.