WHAT CAUSES THUNDER AND LIGHTNING? (STORY)
Told by: Mrs. Lon Jones
Recorded in Mountain Home, AR, 7/17/52

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     A long time ago, a brother and a sister lived way off out in the woods. Their father and mother had gone away, and the little brother said his father told him something before he went away, and this was what he said. He told him . . . Father said one to be master, and one to be mistress, so I'm going to do as I please.
      So one day, the little girl was in the house cleaning house, arranging for dinner, and the little boy ran in and he said, "Oh, sister, there's a big old rat ran under our barn, and we've got to get him out." So the little sister ran outside, and they tried to get the rat out. But he just sat back under the barn. They took long sticks and punched at him, but still, he wouldn't come out. They took rocks and threw at him, and still he wouldn't come out.
     So the little boy saw they couldn't get the rat out, and finally he said to the little sister, "Well, Father said one to be master and one to be mistress, and I'm going to do as I please. So I'll just have to burn the barn down."
     The little girl cried, and she said, "Oh, Brother, don't burn the barn down. We won't have anyplace to put our cows and our horses."
     He said, "Well, Father said one to be master and one to be mistress, and I'm going to do as I please." So he burned the barn down, and the old rat ran out under the chicken house. All the horses were burned, all the cows were burned, and the little girl stood crying.
     So when the rat ran out under the chicken house, the little boy says, "Well, we'll just have to get him out from under the chicken house." So they worked and worked and worked trying to get the rat out from under the chicken house, but he just wouldn't come out. He sat back under there, just looked at them. So finally the little boy said, "Well, we'll just have to burn down the chicken house."
     And the little girl said, "Oh, no, don't burn down the chicken house. We won't have anyplace to keep our chickens and we won't have anything to eat, and we won't have any eggs."
     The little boy said, "Well, Father said to be . . . one of us to be master, and one to be mistress, so I'm going to do as I please." So the little boy burned down the chicken house, and burned up all their chickens.
     And the old rat ran under the house where they lived. So the little boy said, "Well, we'll just have to get the rat out from under the house."
     And the little girl said, "Oh, yes, we must get the rat out from under the house." So they worked and worked until they were just exhausted trying to get the rat out from under the house.
     And finally, in exasperation, the little boy said, "Well, we'll just have to burn the house down."
     And the little girl cried and cried, and she said, "Oh, Brother, don't burn down the house. We won't have anyplace to live, and we won't have anything."
     The little boy said, "Well, Father said one to be master and one to be mistress, and I'm going to do as I please." So he burned the house down. They were left in the woods all alone and no place to go. So they . . . the little girl was crying and they started walking, and they walked and they walked and they walked, until the little girl just had to sit down and rest. And they sat down on a big, long old tree that had been cut down in the woods.
     While they were sitting there, the little girl crying and the little boy watching all around, the little boy said, "Oh, Sister, I see a light away off in the distance. Maybe if we'd walk to that light, we'd find someone." So that cheered the little sister up, and they started out walking toward the light. They kept watching for the light, and they could see it way in the distance, and as they'd see the light, why, they'd hurry up and walk.
     Finally they came to the light, and sure enough, there was a little house. All around were several houses. Oh, they were so happy that at last they'd reached someplace! So they walked up to this door, knocked on the door and a man came to the door, and the little boy politely said, "Mister, we've lost our way. We have no home. We're hungry for something to eat. Would you let us come in and have some supper with you and spend the night?"
     And the man says, "Well, come right in." Says, "We'll give you some supper," but says, "It's always night in this country. When it comes time for daylight to come, we have a mean old bird. He comes and sings, and he won't let it come daylight. But you may rest a while with us."
     So they fed the little boy and the little girl and put them to bed, and told them, "to be sure, now, when the bird comes and sings, don't even breathe hardly, because he's a mean bird, and if you bother him he'll bite your heads off." So they went to bed, and they slept a long time. After while, why they were wakened by the old bird. He came and got in a tree right by the window. Sat up in the window, it was time for daylight, but he wouldn't let it come because he could sing this song.
     And he sang, "Ching-bum-cider, ching-bum-cider."
     And the little girl was hardly breathing, but that bad little boy said "Ching-bum-cider, ching-bum-cider."
     And, oh, that made the old bird so mad that he jumped down on a limb close to the window, and the little girl was still crying. She said, "Oh, Brother, don't say anything. He'll bite our heads off."
     And the little boy said, "Well, Father said one to be master and one to be mistress. I'm going to do as I please."
     The old bird, he peeked through the window and got up a little closer and he said, "Ching-bum-cider, ching-bum-cider."
     And the little boy said, "Chingbumcider, chingbumcider." And the old bird was really furious this time. So he hopped up right on the window sill.
     And the little girl was crying, and she said, "Oh, Brother, don't say anything any more 'cause he'll kill us if we do."
     And the little boy said, "Well, Father said one to be master and one to be mistress, and I'm going to do as I please."
     And the old bird put his head through the window as much as to say, "I'll give you one more trial." He said, "Ching-bum-cider, ching-bum-cider."
     And the little boy said, "Chingbumcider! Chingbumcider!"
     The old bird reached out his long neck to bite off the little boy's head, and that little boy whipped out his knife and he cut the old bird's head off. And it came daylight and the birds were singing, the flowers were blooming and the grass was growing, the people were happy and they all came running to see who had been brave enough to kill the old bird.
     And this man and woman invited everybody in and showed them the little boy and little girl. The little sister was so proud of her brother to think he'd been so brave to cut the bird's head off, and the people were so grateful that they tried to think of something they must do for this brave little boy. So finally they went to town and brought a great big huge ball for the little boy to roll to his little sister. And when you hear the thunder rolling through the heavens, it is the little boy rolling his ball to his sister, and that's what makes thunder.
     And they also bought the little boy a shiny long sword, to show their appreciation. And when you see it lightning in the sky you will know it is the little boy flashing his sword back and forth, showing his sister that, after all, he could be master.
     And that's what makes thunder and lightning.

All Songs Recorded by John Quincy Wolf, Jr., unless otherwise noted

The John Quincy Wolf Folklore Collection
Lyon College, Batesville, Arkansas
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