The Standing Bird

''This article is about the folktale. For the character also known as "the Standing Bird", see Deusinite.''

The Standing Bird is a short folktale about Deusinite, who lives north of Fever Lake, and his puzzles. It is commonly told in the Fever Lake area, as well as in communities along the Western Border River.

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There is a house made of thatched roof and clay walls that can be found by following the West River down. Its door is too low for a human to walk under, so if you find it, you must crouch and knock. Knock at a respectful volume, so as not to startle the Standing Bird, who lives within. As long as it is light out, he will surely let you inside, for people in the West rarely have anywhere else to be but home.

When you enter, have a seat at the table, and the Standing Bird will offer you hot needle tea, made of the tree his home rests against. There is no point in accepting or denying it, for he always has needle tea made, and he'll bring you some anyway. The Standing Bird is a polite bring, so be polite back. Engage him in conversation. Ask him what his clothes are made of. Ask him why he hangs driftwood and colourful glass from his windows. Ask him what he uses to catch fish with. And then, when you feel he's relaxed and comfortable, ask for one of his puzzles, and you will see him brighten with excitement.

You may have to wait a bit for the Standing Bird to bring the puzzle, because every one is different from the last. It may be a simple riddle, or a jigsaw puzzle made of teeth and things found in the river. He may ask you to untangle the heartstrings of a beast that died in love. It might be something different altogether - not quite physical, but not exactly mental, either. You may not even comprehend it at all. When he brings you the puzzle, you will have until nightfall to complete it.

Should you finish your puzzle in time, the Standing Bird will offer you a prize no one else can give. He will give you a full reading of your intentions, your hopes and dreams - even those you never knew you had. And though he cannot help you to achieve them, he will point you in their direction. If you don't complete your puzzle, the Standing Bird will thank you for your time, allow you to finish your tea (for he will keep bringing you tea the whole time you are working,) and then ask you to leave so he can sleep.

The trick that he won't tell you, however, is that he knows from the moment you walk in whether you are good. Though he may be cordial with you for the entirety of your stay, the Standing Bird can read from the lines on your face if you are a person of ill intentions. It is said that he never gives an impossible puzzle to someone of generous goals. To seek the Standing Bird's approval is to seek reassurance of your own goodness. And so, should you visit him of your own free will, you will never be the greatest he has met yet, for entering his home is vanity defined.