The Elemental War

By: Kristen Zuchowsi

It began with the fire’s havoc, then rained the wild water. Next came the dancing wind, then the fumbling forming earth. At first everything was peaceful but the elements did not get along well.

The fire was angry at the water, for stealing its dark lustrous game. The water denied that it took anything, that the heavens like water more.

But the water was angry at the wind, for nefarious stirrings of its ocean. The wind denied that it was evil but free and feral, saying the heavens liked wind more. At the same time the winds dislike the earth, for growing mountains that stood in wind’s way. The earth denied that its creations got in any one’s way, that the heavens liked the lands most

In fact that fire liked the earth for things to smolder, and the lands offered alliance to the fire in exchange for certain lands to burn in if the fires joined to help get rid of wind. When the wind heard this, it made a deal with the water, that if the water became an ally, the wind would stop stirring up the seas. The water liked this idea very much and accepted. When earth heard about their secret, earth knew there was no chance of winning the war. The earth was sneaky and spoke to the water, and lied to the water.

The earth ‘assumed’ the wind was plotting to pretend friends so the wind could take the water over, and dry it up with fire and earth. The water became enraged and called to earth to side against wind and fire—to put them both out forever. However, when the fire heard this secret plot it hid away to the lands the earth had promised to dwell in shadows, until the right moment to fight alone.

When the battle time came the wind was angry that the earth had turned, and that fire hid away, and that water was against the wind. The wind was angry and fought the water first, for its betrayal, and the earth tried to stay out of the quarrel until the wind and water attacked the earth. The wind and water became allies once more, and when they did, earth called to fire, who was in hiding to stay out of the brawl. When the earth discovered this he cowardly blamed all the fighting on fire convincing wind and water to attack the hiding fire

When they found fire— sleeping, they put it out. After wiping out the fire, the elements decided to share the world, and let the wind roam freely, while the earth and water shared the other space. All was happy until time developed, and things grew and life formed.

Soon the world was increasingly messy, with humans and their ways of life. When the earth complained that it was too much—heavy, it called on fire to wipe out the humans, but what was left of the fire on earth (that wasn’t destroyed) declined the earth’s plea, since the earth had betrayed the fire. The fire let the earth suffer with unbearable weight, so it would have to uphold everything that grew, while water held the lands up at its best, and the wind tried to sweep the lands clean. But there was too much to blow through and the wind failed, and the water could not stop the extra earth growing forth from its floors, and they all regretted taking the fire’s world away, but they were too late to leave the world, for they were stuck where they were until the end of time…