The Volcano Deity and the Stone Sprite
"Life without love, is really not much of a life." - Metha Metharom
On a small island not far away, separated from civilization, lies a huge dormant volcano.
It has been rumbling for centuries upon centuries building up its heat and energy.
Within the centre of the volcano, is a small trickle of magma, running outward.
Not far from that trickle a tiny stone sits, it too had been there for countless centuries.
From the little trickle of magma was a small fiery woman. She is the Volcano Deity, her present form was stunted by the volcano’s current dormancy.
For countless centuries she had seen and spoken to the one single Stone Sprite who sat not far from her little trickle of magma but for some reason he would never answer.
"Why do you stand here all year long, neither moving nor saying one word?" She would ask.
"Yes, the stone may have given you life but now that you are a Sprite, you may move independently away from it at your will," she tells it.
And then silence would follow for he would not say.
But she would continue still to say, "If you stay, you will be burned by me and by my fire, just as your rock will melt away into me."
And as a complete shock to her, the Stone Sprite would smile, almost a knowing smile but would say no more on the matter.
"Why do you smile so? What is so funny? Bah!" She nearly burst into flame.
But the Stone Sprite merely smiled again.
"You may be a Sprite but you are also male, and all male have done nothing but done wrong toward me, you are the same!" she yell.
For centuries he never said a word until now, "Why do you say so oh fiery lady of mine?"
She is shocked by this sudden break of silence but even more so toward him calling her his own.
"Why do you say such? Why do you decide to speak now?" she says so at him
The Stone Sprite merely shrugged it off and remained silent as if waiting for a reply.
Steaming a little bit, but the Volcano Deity decided to answer anyway. "Very well I will answer your question but when it is done, you will answer mine. If you do not do so I will destroy you and all the villagers in kind," and without waiting for an answer she continued.
"A long time ago back when I was human, a man once said that he would protect me with all his life, he broke his promise and let me die."
The Sprite looked solemn but nodded as if waiting for the Deity to continue onward.
So the Deity continued onward, "Back then I lived in a village, and the times were hard, and in this village they believed that by sacrificing a young virgin they would appease a God that did not exist. The man had said he would protect me with his own life but did nothing and let me die."
"Because of my need for vengeance, the hate I felt for that man and the villagers turned inward toward my spirit, and because of the age of the volcano it granted me the power to become its Deity and I am now its one and only Deity. I can command it as I please and do as I wish."
"Now it’s your turn to answer my question; why do you stay here when you could go?" She asks him.
With a solemn smile he finally says, "It is nothing but a very similar answer much like your own."
Angered at his answer, and unable to accept it, she burst into flame, causing the volcano to rumble and the trickle of magma under her became a sudden stream. "I can not accept what you say, and because of this, I will take vengeance upon thee and all villagers in kind"
Though the pool of magma started to grow, the Stone Sprite merely says, "That is fine by me, for I do not wish to live, it is my fault that you had to suffer this fate, but the villagers of now are not the villagers of that day, they should not be blamed for this."
Stunned and confused at the Stone Sprite’s words, she said nothing for more than a minute. This time the Stone Sprite took this as his queue.
"Yes, this is my fault that this is your fate, I was the one who failed you in your past. I was the cowardly man who could not say and did not die at the same time as his love did, and for that I am sorry for my sin, but please do not harm these new villagers for whatever they did, they are not the same as the criminals from before, let them be and let it go."
Suddenly pained by his words, "I can not...why do you say this now, and you know because of your crime, even if I do not destroy those villagers I will destroy you for that crime you have committed."
He said "I accept those very sins, I take it upon my shoulder to be destroyed by the anger of your fire, you ask me why I am here, I can say now this to thee."
"I love thee, oh beautiful volcano Deity of mine. I love you so much that I wish upon the heaven that I be turned into this so that I could wait for my punishment for my wrong to you, or until such day that you could let go and finally be free of this infernal fate that is worse than death."
He continued on "Either destroy me and let these villagers go or please come with me and finally let go."
With those words the Volcano Deity started to cry, the flame around her start to disappear, until her fiery form turned back to that beautiful human form, her anger had disappeared but the result of her anger had not.
"Why do you tell me now, when you could have told me before?" she asks. "If you had told me before, your life would have been spared for it is too late to stop this process, the lava is already up to your feet, you will die if you do not leave, nothing will happen to me for I am its Deity but you are nothing but a small Stone Sprite."
"Even if you say that, this fate is fine. I have waited a long time, but with this as the fire burns me away, I will melt into you and become one with your volcano until the end of time, and I will be together with you in eternity if you wish so for me to be," he said to her.
She cried some more and said "But I no longer want to be part of this infernal hell. Let us go together away from this fiery place and be free together as we can always be."
"Oh well, in that case, let us flee, for truth to say I would rather not die, but really you got to be quicker with your words, if death you do not wish upon me," he said with a smile.
And the Stone Sprite sprouted wings from his back, for he was an angel and not a Sprite. He had waited for her for a long time, and would have waited for eternity but really, really he did not want to die, so quickly he took her away and off they flew.
Surprised and shocked by this she kicked him hard, but too hard that he almost dropped her back to the ground, but in any case as she frightfully clung to him, he laughed it off and took her up through the gateway of the heavens above. While the volcano sits dormant once again, wondering what the heck was making such a ruckus in its bowels, what a day it thinks but at least it had the companion of the sea.
And so the volcano chuckled to itself while trying very hard to woo the sea but oh well that’s another story but this is the end of the Volcano Deity and the Stone Sprite.