A River's Revenge

The Pasapa River is not only of spiritual importance, but very much of a practical importance as well. It is here the people work, clean, get their food and water and live their lives. Therefore, respecting the river is one of those things parents and teachers stress a lot when raising children. Along the river you can find dozens of stories that tell what happens to children who don't respect it, but the far most common one is the tale of the River's Revenge.

The Tale

Do you know what happens to children who do not respect the river?
Do you want to know? It is not a pretty tale, I can assure you.
There once was a little boy, living with his family on the Pasapa river, just like we do. When he would play by the river while his parents worked, he wouldn't go into the woods to relieve himself, but just drop his pants and do it in the river.
When his parents saw this they were horrified and punished him harshly, telling him that he must respect the river, or it would take revenge on him.
The boy however didn't listen, and as his parents were hard working folks, he had a lot of time to keep doing as he wants. He thought his parents were just trying to control him. Nothing had every happened when he made his business in the river after all, so why would it now?
But as it often turns out, parents actually usually know what they are talking about. One day when the boy woke up in his bed, because he was a big boy and didn't sleep in his parents bed anymore, his mattress was wet and he smelled the distinct smell of piss.
Horrified he leapt up and went running to his parents. They just accused him of wetting his bed and made him clean it up.
Later as he sat sulking on the veranda having his breakfast he took a sip of his drink and quickly spit it out. The taste was the worst he ever tasted and when he took a whiff from the cup it smelled just like his bed that morning. He began crying and when his parents heard this they realised what was going on.
"It is the spirit of the river that is punishing you. You didn't listen to us, did you?"
From that day on, everything the boy would eat or drink would taste like piss, every morning his bed would be wet with it and his clothes also smelled no matter what he did to prevent it.
The other children started to avoid him and he was soon an outcast in the village, forever stuck with the smell and taste of piss. All because he didn't respect the river.

Variations

Versions of the tale is told in most places along the Pasapa river, as the people rely on the river for food, water and cleaning. Sometimes the child in the story does several different things to piss of the river.

There is also different consequences, as well as different explanations of what brings out the punishment, ranging from magic powers to spirits, to nature itself turning against them.

Sometimes the punishment is also brought down upon the whole village instead of only the individual.