Maid of the Mist

A brave girl named Lelawala lived by a big river. Her canoe bobbed in the water near her village. The river roared like a giant, happy lion. Roar, roar, roar. Lelawala loved the mighty water, but one day, it got very sad. This is the story of how she became the Maid of the Mist. Her people lived by the great waterfall and the water was their friend. But when the water turned dark and quiet, everyone grew worried. Lelawala was a very brave girl. She knew she had to do something to help her river feel happy again.

Lelawala decided to visit the big Thunder Spirit. His name was Hinum, and he lived in a sparkly cave behind the roaring waterfall. Splash, splash, splash. She knew he could make the river better. Lelawala took her little canoe. She filled her tiny boat with sweet berries. She filled it with colorful flowers. They were a gift for the spirit. She pushed her canoe into the water. Paddle, paddle, paddle. The sound of the falls was so loud, like big drums. BOOM, BOOM, BOOM. The cool mist felt like soft rain on her face. Drip, drop, drip. Lelawala wasn't scared. She loved her people and the river. She paddled right to the big water curtain to ask for help.

Lelawala’s little canoe went over the waterfall. Whoosh. But she did not fall down. Two helpers gently caught her. They were Hinum's sons. They carried her to the secret cave behind the water. The kind Thunder Spirit, Hinum, was happy to see such a brave girl. She told him about the sick river. He showed her a giant, grumpy serpent hiding under the village. Hiss, hiss. The serpent was making the water sick. Together, Hinum and brave Lelawala scared the serpent away. Hooray. The river was clean and happy again. Lelawala chose to stay as a guardian of the falls forever. Now, when you see the swirling, white mist at the waterfall, that is the Maid of the Mist. Her story reminds us all to be brave and to love our beautiful world.