Fire, the Hunger

Part 4 - Hummingbird Steals FIRE.

Faster than sound, a Story by accident or coincidence travels from the other side of EARTH, so we have these accounts of FIRE. 



Animals watched how the gods kept FIRE in their volcanoes. Their desire for warmth and comfort from the darkness of night was as overbearing. Hummingbird Quinde decided to find out about FIRE as Hummingbird has imagination and also courageous. She wanted to know and why Humans and Animal Cousins had no FIRE. While a man of the eastern Ecuadorian people, the great Taquea, who had FIRE.

A long time ago, in the years when Cousin Animals and Humans spoke to each other, a tiny Hummingbird Quinde heard complaints from his Cousins:
"We cannot move at night." 
"The cold keeps us quiet and hidden in our homes." "The Wind howls."

The trees complained, "We cannot move around." 

The insects complained, "WE must stop collecting pollen needed for our foods and fertilizing trees and plants."

Human Ecuadorians complained, "We served our squash, beans, Yucca, the fish we catch in the dark."

The great man Taquea, who had FIRE cooked his meals, light to brighten his night, and warmth to comfort him. As soon as the sun sank behind Mother Earth, the trees, Humans, and the Animal Cousins went to bed. When the sun rose above the trees, they got up. The great man Taquea FIRE in his hearth day and night.


The Ecuadorians wanted the FIRE as the great Taquea had and would not share in his hearth. No one knew why he had FIRE; only he did. His wife cooked meats and vegetables for him and their children. With tree branches, dried leaves wrapped around them, then tied with green twigs, then soaked with animal fat, gave them, FIRE to keep the family warm like the sun shining during the day.



Hummingbird Quinde decided to find out about FIRE because of the inventiveness Hummingbird has. Quinde watched the wife of the great Taquea, who had FIRE and would not share, as she picked her vegetables.


Hummingbird Quinde soaked herself in the spray of water from the spring and laid herself in the pathway, so the wife of the Taquea, who had FIRE and would not share, could find her. She looked at the limp hurt Hummingbird.


"What happened little Hummingbird you are wet and hurt?"


"I'm unable to fly. I need to dry by warming FIRE. My legs and wings are cold. I cannot eat with my sharp beak the sticky pollen for my meals. I will die."


"Hummingbird, you poor creature, I need you to pollinate my flowers. I will take you to FIRE. Do not get too close, or FIRE will eat you. Warm yourself and be gone before my husband sees you at our hearth. He is the guard of FIRE for the gods."
 The wife of the great Taquea, who had FIRE and would not share, picked up Hummingbird and put her tenderly in the basket on top of the vegetables. The wife walked Hummingbird into her home and placed the basket on a rock hearth, which circled the flames of FIRE.


The wife of the great Taquea, who had FIRE and would not share, tenderly picked the cold, wet Hummingbird from her basket and set him in front of FIRE on the hearth. FIRE reached for them.

"Here, you stay so your wings might dry. Enjoy small Hummingbird, who flies in my garden of flowers. You will be safe. Stay away from Fire as it reaches towards you. Leave as soon as you can."


What joy for Hummingbird Quinde, who sat in the warm ashes. As she refreshed in the warmth, she rolled around and fluttered her wings, taking a bath in the hot ash like a fresh bath from the spring. She enjoyed the warmth on her feet, and feathers, just like the heat from the sun. Quinde decided what she must do.


While the wife of the great man Taquea, who had FIRE would not share, busied with cutting the vegetable, Quinde stood and shook her wings free from the warm ash that clung to her beautiful feathers. In an instant, with a sharp and quick decision, FIRE reached forward to eat her. Hummingbird's tail feathers caught a spark from FIRE. As fast as Hummingbird Quinde can, she flutter through the doorway into the depths of the jungle. She flew far and before the R on her feathers burnt. Hummingbird sat the FIRE on the deadwood of an old Pine tree.


"Pine, you can keep the FIRE as the great Taquea, who has FIRE and will not share for my Cousin Animals and Humans, who want the warmth and light."


Pine tree accepted, "The FIRE will stay in my family's. We will protect as the great Taquea does." Flames sparked and shot in the air from the old dry Pinewood. The Animal Cousins watched with fear; only the Monkeys watched with curiosity. 
Over the canopy of the trees, the Ecuadorians observed thick smoke coming from the forest and ran from their farms to see what happened. They thought the great God Ray remembered their prayers for warmth, so placed FIRE in the old Pinewood.


They examine where the FIRE burned, searching for a reason why FIRE was in the tree. The Ecuadorians found under twisting vines the remains of burnt tail feathers from Hummingbird Quinde. She was not there; she hid in the tallest tree watching as the Pine's branches fell to the ground aglow with red heat.


The Ecuadorians picked up the burning sticks with the glowing FIRE. Hummingbird Quinde saw the glee in the Humans' eyes and walk as they carried FIRE back to their huts for use.

To contain FIRE, the Ecuadorians built hearths as the great Taquea, who once had FIRE and would not share. They nourish FIRE with more dry Pinewood that they picked up on their way home. The hunger of FIRE ate everything given.

Immediately, Humans prepared and roasted their squash, yucca, and boiled their beans in clay pots. Unfortunately, they also hunted and roasted the flesh of the Animal Cousins, the birds, and fish. The Animals watched in wide-eyed horror, as horrific heat and hunger of FIRE cooked them.


~~~~


This action separated the harmony of the Animal Cousins from the Ecuadorians. Distrust established no longer did animals speak to humans. The humans did not care; they sat with their FIRE in comfort while the animals hid and watched in fright, smelling the hunger and want of FIRE. Humans rest around the glowing flames full of heat, telling how Hummingbird Quinde brought them FIRE. A mark on Hummingbird Quinde's tail feathers resembling a diamond that glistens in the sunlight as she filters from flower to flower reminds Humans that Hummingbird gave the Pine trees FIRE for their use.