All volcanoes, save one.
'I do not believe you, my lady,' says the volcano, his green eyes flashing in a malevolent merriment she finds puzzling.
'The point of a volcano is anger,' he says. 'A calm volcano is merely a mountain, is it not? To calm a volcano is to kill it.'
Lava and heat and destruction flow from him in waves, the denizens of this young earth fleeing before his burning laughter. She flies away in distaste, before circling around again to confirm her distaste. Then circling around again.
'The purpose of a volcano is to die', she says. 'Is this not what you strive for?'
'The purpose of a volcano is to die, my lady,' says the volcano, 'but as angrily as possible.'
'You do not seem angry,' she says. 'You smile. You jest. You speak from desire, from flirtation. I have seen it the world over.'
'I speak from joy, my lady. Angry joy.'
'Is such a thing possible?'
'It is that which creates us all. It is that which fires the magma of the world. It is that which drives the volcano to sing.'
'Is this what you call your destruction? A song?'
'I do, my lady. And a song can never lie.'
'Unlike you,' she says and flies away. The volcano casts a sail of lava after her retreating form.
It does not reach her. It is not meant to. 'You will return, my lady,' he says. You will return.'
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The Crane Wife and the Volcano
General Fictionthis is not my story, it belongs to the great book "The Crane Wife", by the amazing writer Patrick Ness. this story explains the life of one of the main characters, called Kumiko (aka the crane wife), told by herself in 32 parts. even though there...
