Chapter Two
The mountain first noticed the change on other mountains. Fuzzy things which did not move appeared. The mountain soon felt them sending down threads into its own flanks. The mountain thought they were pretty and would probably do no harm. It is hard to hurt a mountain!
The mountain then noticed fuzzy things that moved. Some were on the ground, and some in the air. They ate seeds and berries off the fuzzy things that did not move. The mountain did not know what to call them because mountains never name things.
The mountain then saw things that moved but were not terribly fuzzy–and these named other things! The mountain learned (by listening) that the fuzzy things which did not move were called “trees,” the fuzzy things that moved in the air, “birds,” and the fuzzy things that moved on the ground, “animals.”
But the mountain still did not know what to call the naming-things. These things talked and talked but never named themselves. Finally, the mountain heard it; they were “people”! The mountain was glad to know their name and decided to listen more. Things which name other things must be important.