

Dedicated to my great uncle, brother to my grandfather, and teacher to his nephews. One of the three Legendary Ginseng hunters of his generations. Life is most often celebrated alongside death, and how we process the two determines who we are. November is a time to celebrate writing, but also Native Heritage for many Americans. October is the time to celebrate the dead. So this work, and the series that follows, is an accumulation of those themes into one story. A legend among myths, creations and legends. The familiarity of the flora and fauna of this story is something I owe to my uncle. And I wish to make them familiar to the world. Ginseng, as it were, has dozens of names that span across many cultures, and they all have the same sort of legends about them, and the same medicinal practices. The Cherokee word, as my uncle taught me, for ginseng is Garnintukin. The original story I wrote of such a being can be found in my collection of 200 Fairy Tales on Amazon in the first book of the collection. Admittedly, I use an incorporated vision of Turtle Island (America) and I try to weave it all into the story. Some things will appear to be alien to readers as maybe not all of you have knowledge of American flora and fauna or even First Nation lore. Fear not, I have included pictures I have drawn to help bring the reader closer to the story without forcing them to google every single detail. Somethings don't translate so well, even through pictures, so I have included an Afterword to help explain locations and places and how they play into the local legends of the setting(s). I really hope you enjoy this fairy tale of a ginseng's journey through turtle island. I apologize if this work offends anyone, as it is not my intention.