Since I was doing this as a community spokesperson, rather than as an artist detailing her own vision, I didn’t have a problem with acting in accordance with others’ wishes. Perhaps this isn’t a good analogy, but if I knew that someone in my ward suffered from an allergy to nuts, I wouldn’t bring anything to a ward party that person might be attending that contained nuts.

If I had my heart set on bringing that dish to the party, I’d find another recipe for it, one that didn’t contain nuts.

Not all Navajos are traditional Navajos, and the impression I have is that many would not suffer much if any discomfort hearing a tale from another country about a wolf eating a family of goats, especially since the story comes out well, and the goats come out well. But having this particular “nut” in this community dish just wasn’t that important. Nothing rested on it; other stories served just as well.

I’m glad the kids liked it. And “wondered” is just right, just what was hoped for.

This isn’t to say that the folk story form can’t be subverted. Like many forms of narrative, it can be hijacked in attempts to restrict choices and direct others’ movements. It can be used to strip away Story.

I appreciate this sort of tale. Neil Gaiman wrote something similar once as a frame to a story and I thought it was brilliant also. It’s fun to take a step from story to Story and see what there is to see.