Fire, the Hunger

Part 8 - FIRE eats everything.

The one who stole FIRE showed the other Hunters how to carve and hold the roasting sticks. Far enough from the flames so not to devour the flesh, close enough, so FIRE feasted only on the juices that dripped from the yams, squash, and fish. The Hunters boiled their beans with wild tomatoes in terracotta pots away from FIRE. With each drop the fall into FIRE, the Hunters watched flames flare and heard the sizzling greed of FIRE'S appetite.

The smells of the roasting and the tastes were magical. With laughter and chatter, the adults sat around the warming FIRE. They talked about the marvels of the flames, and the charms of its light and dance offered them.

The children poked the emptied cooking sticks into FIRE and let the ends burn into a glowing ember. They danced around, swinging their sticks back-and-forth. The gleaming tips burst into flames. Seeing the dancing and hearing laughter, Wind thought he might help with the play.

Flashing and flickering, FIRE ate while the children lunged their sticks at each other. The magical, aggressive FIRE entranced the adult Hunters who watched the joy and merriment of their children.

From the jungle, animals collected on the outside of the camp and watched the dangerous play. Their eyes widened with fear. FIRE hypnotized the Hunters, who knew not how to keep FIRE contained.

In horror, the animals watched as Wind tossed the FIRE from the sticks into Air. Into high flames reached FIRE. Wind expanded FIRE because Wind held Air, who fed FIRE oxygen. As FIRE danced, eating Air, Wind blew harder and faster. Sparks from the flames flew up into the sky into the trees, the Holders of FIRE. Crackling, rumbling FIRE sparked into the trees. The trees blazed popping and flickering as the eating FIRE roared in pleasure.

The hypnotic fury caught Wind, who blew FIRE higher, and flames stretched farther into Air. The animals ran back to their homes for protection chased by FIRE'S appetite to ate them.

Finally, the Hunters heard the bellowing roar, smelled roasting flesh. They detected FIRE in the trees spreading out-of-control from tree to tree. The Holders of FIRE screamed, cracked, fall, spraying FIRE to each other.

Smoke roared into the sky, and sparks popped as Wind continued his dance with raging FIRE, which extended farther. Hot and scared, the Hunters screamed running to their huts only to find that FIRE ate their homes. With panic for their lives, they followed the screeching animals to the river. The Hunters throw Water at FIRE from the river banks. They dug ditches, to keep FIRE from grabbing them.

Still, in the rapture of FIRE'S hypnotic spell, Wind traveled with the manic hunger. His blow pushed FIRE over the river to roar through more trees. Animals and other humans fled as FIRE helped by Wind jumped from the valley to villages burning trees, shrubs, grasses, animals, insects, and humans. FIRE ate anything in its path.

Rain in the sky heard the cries of the humans, animals. Mother Earth sobbed. Rain smelled the roasting and observed sparks of light flashing as Wind blow into Air. Rain realized FIRE was out of control into his raging hunger, eating, and Wind was under its hypnotic spell.

Mother Earth begged, "Rain drown, FIRE to save the remaining life on Earth."

Rain filled with sadness and took pity on the trees, Holders of FIRE. The frightened animals and the arrogant Hunters he could save. After all, Rain nurtured all of them. He stormed, dropping large tears. FIRE began to smother into darkening clouds, which caused Rain to gash, flooding Mother Earth. The blanket of tears from Rain drowned FIRE.

Released from the hypnotic spell, Wind ceased its blow and disappeared behind the mountains in shame that he had help FIRE eat life from Mother Earth.

Standing in the river, humans choked on the smoke from the drowning FIRE and smelled the burnt trees, the innocent grasses, the roast flesh of animals, and their people. They crawled from the river with the animals who ran in horror. The humans walked on the hot, muddy ash of what remained.

They saw trees left standing burnt, stripped of leaves and bark, silently forever wounded. The animals, the insects, all the other creatures ran from the humans in traumatic horror.

With shame and guilt, the humans sobbed as Rain and Mother Earth did. They witness the useless death of other creatures. With broken bowls, they dug and carried dirt and river water to drown any FIRE left. FIRE had no guilt, no shame, and smoked in patches here and there ready to eat again.

~~~~~~

To this day, the animals hold of the smell of FIRE eating and devouring them. Their ears remember their shrieks, howls, squeals, and squawks as they died. Their bodies of fur, feathers, and skin remember the burn of FIRE. All the harmony and respect for the humans gone.

~~~~~

Humans did not heed the words the ancient Lords of All, the African Bushman God Kaang, "If humans use fire, fear and distrust will sour between humans and animals. Fire will frighten the animals from man, and they become enemies. Mother Earth's harmony broke. FIRE eats anything. FIRE brings more trouble than good."

~~~~~~

If Hunter had heard God Kaangour the Animals Cousins, insects, plants, and trees would live in harmony  on Mother Earth.