Fierce, Fearless and Free by Lari Don

Author:Lari Don
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

FIRE AND RAIN

MEXICAN MYTH

Fire is our friend and fire is our enemy. Fire can provide warmth and light, fire can cook our food. Fire can also burn and kill.

Long ago, fire was neither friend nor enemy. Long ago, fire was entirely unknown.

Then, one day, a black rock cracked open and a tiny spark emerged. The spark perched on the edge of the crack. The next day, the spark danced in a circle on top of the rock. The day after that, the spark flew high in the air above the rock.

The people sent a girl and a boy, who were young enough to learn new things, to find out what the spark was.

‘I am Fire,’ said the spark. ‘I can be your friend and I can be your enemy.’

The boy and the girl sat by the rock and spoke to Fire, hoping to make friends with him, so he would help their people.

Fire asked them to bring feathers to feed him and bowls to give him a safe home.

The girl and the boy brought Fire everything he asked for. He grew from a spark into a flame, and from one flame to many flames. As he grew, Fire became hot and beautiful, bright and glorious.

Fire asked for more to eat and burn. He asked for arrows, baskets, wax and beads. Full of all these good things, Fire became excited and wanted to eat more and more. Fire’s flames leaped high and stretched far, and Fire started to burn everything he could reach.

The boy and the girl ran in fear from the fast and hungry flames.

Fire burned across the earth and burned through the air. Fire burned everything he touched. Fire roared his red-hot joy at the world around.

The people were terrified. They tried to drive Fire away. They threw wood at Fire, but he laughed and ate the wood. They threw rocks at him, but he laughed and melted the rocks.

Then the girl realised that Fire had asked for solid things to eat, but he had never asked for liquid to drink.

The girl shouted up to the sky, calling the name of the great goddess. ‘Nakawé! Nakawé! Let down your hair!’

Nakawé looked down from the clouds and saw flames rushing over the land. She took off her hairnet, freeing her black plaited hair, and a few drops of water fell to Earth.

Fire hissed in disappointment.

Nakawé unplaited her hair, letting it swing loose, and drizzle fell to Earth.

Fire hissed angrily.

Nakawé brushed her hair and rain fell in heavy drops.

Fire began to shrink and steam.

Nakawé bent over and shook her hair above the earth, and a storm of water hit the ground.

Nakawé’s storm doused Fire everywhere.

All except one tiny spark, hiding under an upturned bowl held by the boy and the girl.

Then Fire, sad and soggy and small, said sorry to the people. Fire suggested quietly that if they built a little clay house, he could live safely and calmly inside.

So the girl and the boy built a clay oven and put the spark inside.

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