The Story of the Sister Lakes
故事全文
The chief of the Khmu group of the Tsou people had two kindhearted daughters who sang beautifully. The older sister was called “Ena”, and the younger sister was called “Eva”. The sisters loved to sing in the woods.
One day, the fierce son of the chief of the Wumu group, Wugu, heard the sisters singing in the forest as he was heading home after a successful hunt.“What are you singing! You sound awful! Go home!”Ena replied angrily,“Please leave this place, and do not disturb us.”Wugu became enraged and said,“I am not only a skilled hunter, I am also a fierce warrior. How dare you raise your voice at me? I will let the both of you taste my wrath!”Saying this, he went home with his catch.
After a few days, the Wugu group sent someone to the Khmu group and told them,“Our harvests are dwindling, and our prey has become scarce. It must be because the Mountain God is angry, and must be appeased with an offering of 100 human heads. Your group is to contribute 50 human heads for the human sacrifice, or the Mountain God will burn your houses, and make all villagers sick.”Everyone felt scared upon hearing the news, but no one knew what to do. Ena knew that this had to be Wugu’s evil plot, but she did not know what to do. So, the sisters ran into the forest, and prayed to the God of the Heavens,“Oh, God of the Heavens! The Wumu group is plotting to sacrifice to the Mountain God to kill our people. Please protect our people from harm. We are willing to sacrifice our lives to protect our people.”
The God of the Heavens was moved by their plea, and transformed their tears into two conjoined lakes with deep waters. The sisters stood at the center of the lakes. When Wugu led his warriors to attack the Khmu group, and saw the lakes blocking their way, he said aloud,“Do not think that these lakes can stop us.”Ena replied,“How dare you take the lives of our innocent villagers in the name of the Mountain God! The God of the Heavens will not condone such a heinous act!”Suddenly, lightning streaked across the sky followed by a torrential downpour. The lakes’ water level rose, and a massive hundred-foot wave came down upon the warriors of the Wumu group, washing them away. The wave also took the lives of Ena and Eva. In honor and remembrance of their sacrifice, the villagers named the lakes “The Sister Lakes”.
