High in the Andes mountains, where the clouds brush stone and the air tastes of snow, there lived a girl named Amaya, who herded llamas on the slopes above her village.
Each morning, she sang to them, her voice echoing between cliffs. One day, as she rested, a great condor circled overhead — vast wings like storm clouds, eyes like black fire.
He descended and spoke, for in those days, birds could still take human form. “Little shepherd,” he said, “your song reaches my nest. Come with me, and I will show you where the wind sleeps.”
Amaya laughed. “The wind never sleeps. It only changes direction.”
The condor smiled. “Then you are wise enough to see the sky.”
He offered her a feather. “If you hold this and whisper your wish, you may fly — but only if your heart is light.”
That night, Amaya dreamed of flying. At dawn, she held the feather and whispered, “Let me see what lies beyond the snow.”
The wind lifted her. She rose past peaks, past sunlight, past breath. The world below turned small and soft as cloth. The condor flew beside her, laughing.
But soon, her joy turned to fear. “I cannot breathe!” she cried.
“The sky welcomes only those who remember the ground,” said the condor sadly. He carried her down, laying her beside her flock.
Amaya wept. “I wanted to be free.”
“And you were,” he said, “for as long as you remembered who you were.”
He gave her one last gift — a single white feather that never faded. “When the wind blows through it, your dreams will travel farther than wings.”
Years later, when Amaya grew old, she buried the feather at the mountain’s peak. The next morning, a new wind rose — soft, steady, carrying the scent of flowers to the valley below. The villagers said it was her spirit, still singing to the llamas and clouds.
And if you climb the Andes at sunrise, you can still see a condor circling, and hear a woman’s laughter in the wind.
Moral of the Story
Dreams lift us, but roots keep us alive. Freedom means knowing when to land.
Knowledge Check
- Who was Amaya?
A shepherd girl from the Andes. - Who visited her?
A condor who could speak and transform. - What gift did he give her?
A magic feather that let her fly. - Why did she fall?
Because she forgot to respect her limits — the air grew too thin. - What lesson did the condor teach?
That freedom must be balanced by belonging. - What became of Amaya’s feather?
It brought new winds to her valley after her death.
Origin: Andean Folklore (Peru / Bolivia)
