When the earth was very young， the night and the animals didn't exist. There were only trees， plants and peo- ple. During this time， the sun shone very brightly. The people were always very tired because they didn't sleep well. The trees were faded because of the hot weather.

Only the Big Snake who was a witch could make the night appear. She kept night on the bottom of the river， inside a coconut.

The witch enjoyed seeing the people very tired and asleep. The Indians begged her to give them night， but it was useless.

One day， the snake's beautiful Indian daughter married. Like her mother， she didn't need the night to rest. But her husband and the other people of the village were always tired. She didn't like to see them suffer. So she told her husband that she would ask her mother to give her the night. Her mother never refused her requests.

Her husband sent three faithful servants to take the night from the witch. The witch didn't like the idea about giving them night， but she couldn't refuse her daughter's request.

She gave them the coconut with the night inside and told them that only her daughter might open it. If another person opened the coconut，the darknesswould cover the earth forever.The servantsagreed.During their return they heard strange noises Mom inside the coconut. They became very curious and could wait no longer and opened the coconut. When they didit， all became very dark. No one could see anything. Faraway at the village，the witch's daughter told her husband that his three servants had opened the coconut. How could the people live in the dark?

But his wife had powers and thought of a solution. She took a string of her hair and cut the sky with it. Soon the dawn appeared.Now there would be both day and night.

The three foolish servants tried to explain what they had done but it was useless. The witch's daughter turned them into three monkeys.

在地球很年輕的時候，沒有夜晚，也沒有動物，只有樹木、植物和人類。在這個時期。太陽照耀著大地，格外明亮。由于睡不好覺，人們總是很疲倦。由于天氣炎熱，樹木都枯萎了。

只有叫做“大蛇”的女巫能讓黑夜降臨。她先把黑夜裝在椰果中，藏在河底。

大蛇以目睹人們疲乏和困倦樣子為樂。印第安人懇求她賜予他們黑夜，但總是徒勞無功。

一天，大蛇美麗的印第安女兒出嫁了。和她的母親一樣，她也不需要夜晚來休息。可她的丈夫和村子里的其他人總是很疲倦。新娘不想看著他們痛苦下去。所以她告訴丈夫她會請求母親把黑夜給她。她母親從沒有拒絕過她的請求。

丈夫派遣三名忠實的仆人把夜晚從女巫那里取回來。女巫并不想把夜晚給他們，可自己又不能拒絕女兒的請求。

女巫將裝有黑夜的椰果交給了仆人，并告訴他們打開椰果人的只能是她的女兒。如果其他人打開了椰果，黑暗將會永遠(yuǎn)籠罩著大地。三個仆人都答應(yīng)不打開椰果。在返程途中，他們聽到椰果中發(fā)出陣陣奇怪的聲響。好奇心使他們迫不及待地打開了這顆果子。椰果一打開，頓時漆黑一片。人們什么也看不到。在那遙遠(yuǎn)的村莊，女巫的女兒告訴丈夫三個仆人已經(jīng)打開了那椰果。在黑暗中人們將怎么生存呢？

幸好妻子有解決的辦法。她剪下了自己的一縷頭發(fā)，把天空劃成兩半。頃刻間黎明來臨了。從此便有了白天和黑夜。

三個愚蠢的仆人試圖為自己的行為辯解，但是已經(jīng)沒用了。女巫的女兒把他們變成了三只猴子。