A Snake Falls to Earth: Newbery Honor Award Winner

by Darcie Little Badger

That was the last story my mother told me. Remember, she said. Creator, I was so young when my parents died. Now, I carry sounds without the meaning. Isn’t that sad?

But here’s the thing about monsters. Sometimes, they prefer to hunt in the light.

I’m not the kind of small-minded fellow to buy into stereotypes like “all coyotes are tricksters.”

“First things first: that big round circle in the sky isn’t really the sun. We just wish it could be the sun, I guess. But no. It’s a passageway. Only bright because the Earth is bright. Dark because the Earth is dark. And vast because …” He pointed at me. “Because the Earth is vast?” “That’s right. Guess what else the Earth is.” “A spheroid with a core of iron.” “Uh. Correct. But I was hoping for the word moving. The sunny passage rises in the morning and sets in the evening because, like the Earth, our world is always moving. And that makes things tricky. During our journey, everything has to be choreographed perfectly. Timing. Direction. Otherwise, we could land in the middle of a highway in Houston. And if you think Dad’s truck goes fast, wait until you see the vehicles on a highway.”