The text is an excerpt from a story titled "Sparrow Searches for the Rain." It starts with greetings from a podcast called "Sleep Tight Stories" and mentions various names of supporters. Then, it introduces a Canadian folk tale about a girl who values a suitor's ability to make her laugh. Several suitors try but fail. The story then shifts to a narrative about Whirlwind and Rain, two characters who leave their village, causing a drought. Various animals and birds are sent to find them, but only Sparrow succeeds. Sparrow brings Whirlwind and Rain back, ending the drought, and since then, Sparrows chirping signal the arrival of rain on the Atlantic coast.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The story is set in a village near the sea.
2. The village is home to many indigenous people.
3. A wise old warrior lives in the village with his daughter.
4. The daughter is kind, gentle, and beautiful.
5. Suitors come to ask for the daughter's hand in marriage.
6. The daughter decides to marry someone who can make her laugh, keep her thinking, and keep her company.
7. Loon and Fox come to see the daughter but fail to impress her.
8. The young men of the village are angry that the daughter has not chosen any of them.
9. Whirlwind, a great man with the power to make himself invisible, is asked to play a trick on the daughter.
10. Whirlwind knocks the daughter down and steals her hat, throwing it into the sea.
11. The daughter's father is angry and decides to banish Whirlwind from the village.
12. Whirlwind's best friend, Rain, is blind and depends on Whirlwind to lead him.
13. Whirlwind and Rain leave the village together.
14. The absence of Whirlwind and Rain causes a drought and the land suffers.
15. The chief summons a council to decide how to bring Whirlwind and Rain back.
16. The council decides to send messengers to find Whirlwind and Rain.
17. Fox and Bear are sent to find Whirlwind and Rain but fail.
18. Little Sparrow takes up the search and uses a down feather to detect Whirlwind's presence.
19. Sparrow finds Whirlwind and Rain in a cave and wakes them up.
20. Whirlwind and Rain agree to return to the village the next day.
21. Sparrow returns home and tells the chief and the people about Whirlwind and Rain's return.
22. Whirlwind and Rain return to the village, bringing wind and rain with them.
23. The land is restored, and the flowers bloom again.
24. Since then, wind and rain have never been absent from the Atlantic coast for long.
25. To this day, sparrows know when rain is coming and gather together to signal its approach.