You know about that one, that Old Coyote? He's sure one tricky fellow. He come over for tea you have to watch him all the time. He keeps sticking his nose where it don't belong — like in the jam jar or down the muzzle of a gun barrel — and then gets to feeling sorry for himself when he gets bit by wasps because he's covered in sweet stuff, or gets his nose blown off by the shot gun because he forgot to make sure the safety was on before pulling the trigger with his nose down the barrel.

That's when you really have to watch out; when Coyote feels sorry for himself and thinks the world owes him something. Hoo Boy, then it's time to board up the windows and bury yourself in the root cellar cause you don't know just what could happen.

He gets resentful and looks for someone to blame, and you just have to hope he doesn't pick you. Sometimes he doesn't find anyone, and then he gets depressed and starts moping about the house. Then he starts sighing — oh boy you don't want to have those Coyote sighs floating around in your house — you never know what they can turn into. He was doing a lot of sighing just around the first time that George Bush Jr. got elected president and you know what that's been like

Well the other day that one, Old Coyote, he was around my house and he was looking as sorry for himself as I've ever seen him do. I thought the world has enough trouble right now without more Coyote sighs loose in it, but I was ready for him this time. There's nothing Coyote likes better than to hear stories of himself and I thought I had the perfect thing for him.

Those people over at Penguin Canada have just put out a book full of tricky stories about Coyote and his extended family called The Coyote Road: Trickster Tales. Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling are the ones who went around and asked people to write down some tricky stories from all over the world, and I knew there would have to be some in here that Old Coyote have not heard before.

"Old Coyote," I said. "Come over here. Get your head up from off your paws lying there out in the yard like dumb dog and stop your sighing. Have a nice cup of tea; I want to tell you some stories that people have written down about you and your family and friends around the world. Very tricky stuff."