Why the River Bends
1Before rivers had bends, the young river Sere ran straight from the mountains toward the sea. She carried a silver cord stretched tight between the two places and followed it exactly. Each evening, the sea rang a shell to welcome arriving waters. Sere wanted to reach it first, with no mud on her shining surface.
2Along her route lay a broad, dry valley. Its hard ground rose in shelves, so water passing through the lowest channel could not reach the higher land. On one shelf, a reed weaver named Tavren lived with his grandfather. Their well had become a narrow darkness. They lowered their empty jar farther each morning.
3When Tavren heard Sere approaching, he hurried down with a cup. “Could you turn toward our shelf?” he asked. Sere glanced at the cord. “A turn would cost me time.” She slipped past his cup before he could fill it. Ahead, the valley narrowed, and she brightened at the thought of how quickly she could pass through.
4At the narrowest point, a fallen stone blocked the straight channel. Sere struck it until her silver surface clouded. Tavren arrived carrying a small spade. He pointed toward a low ridge. A shallow trench there could lead around the stone and past the shelf. Beyond the ridge, the land sloped back toward Sere’s original course.
5“Cut through the ridge,” Sere ordered. Tavren set down his spade. “I can dig a beginning, but I cannot make the whole channel alone.” Sere pulled against her cord. For the first time, she noticed how thin it was beside the weight of water gathering behind her. From far away came the sea’s evening shell.
6The shell sounded again across the valley. Sere loosened the cord and sent part of her current into Tavren’s unfinished trench, choosing the longer route so her water could reach the shelf. Tavren dug beside her until the water widened its own passage. The abandoned cord lay on the bank. By dusk, water had collected beside the empty well.
7Sere reached the sea after the other rivers, carrying brown soil and a floating reed. The sea made room for her without asking when she had arrived. On her next journey, Sere curved toward another dry shelf, though no stone blocked her way. Other rivers followed her example. That is why rivers bend, the valley storytellers say, and why the sea receives waters of many colors.