Fireside

This is just a short story I wrote a long time ago.  I just felt like posting it today because it's cold where I am and I was feeling sappy.  Please note, the story below is entirely fictional.  The "history" in it is made up and not meant to be factual to any Native American history.

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FIRESIDE

There was something hypnotizing about fire.  While being capable of incomprehensible destruction, when contained it was beautiful and mesmerizing. 

Those were Jay’s thoughts as she stared at the flames dancing merrily in the fireplace.  She set her book aside.  Lying on her stomach, she rested her chin on her hands and simply enjoyed the serenity of the atmosphere and the charm of the fire.  It was relaxing her to the point that she was mostly unaware of anything happening around her. 

The daze she’d fallen into was broken as her husband stretched out on the floor alongside her.  She looked his way, giving him a satisfied smile before rolling to her side and letting him spoon up behind her.  She sighed contentedly as his arm draped over her and they both watched the flames for awhile.

“I love fires,” she mentioned softly several minutes later.

“There are a lot of stories surrounding fire,” he commented behind her.  “For some it represents power; others devastation.  Some cultures revere it as a god.  A few believe that it holds untold secrets.”

Her husband would be aware of that kind of knowledge.  Those type of beliefs and stories were a big part of his Native American heritage.  She moved her hand to where his rested against her stomach and laid her palm over his knuckles.  Her fingers slipped between his in a loving grasp.  “Will you tell me a story?” she asked.  He was quiet for a time, apparently thinking over what story to share. 

“There is a legend—one of many—about how the Cherokee people first came to be,” he started, his voice low and reverent.  “One tells of two tribes that were constantly at war with one another.  Each had a gift—a trait unique to their people—that the opposing tribe desired.  One tribe had the gift of creating light where none existed.  Because of this ability, they could hunt at night, dwell in caves, and see into the depths of even the murkiest waters.

“The other tribe had the ability to create heat.  Their people were always warm, even in the coldest of winters.  Food could be cooked instead of eaten raw, and the people did not succumb to sickness as easily because they were not forced to live in cold and damp environments.

“Unfortunately, while neither tribe fully appreciated their individual gifts, they were not willing to share the secrets of their abilities with their neighboring tribe. 

“Then one day,” he continued.  “A girl from the light tribe and a boy from the heat tribe accidentally met by the river.  The boy was immediately drawn to the girl’s beauty and graceful ways.  The girl found the boy’s strength and humble manner enticing.  Despite their tribes being at war, the young people did not fight their attraction for one another.  They spent the entire day together. But then, when night fell, the parents of both youths went searching for them.  When they found them together, they were enraged and separated the couple with dire threats if either saw one another again.

“Back in their villages, the boy and girl longed for each other.  With only the knowledge of where they had met by the river and the pull of their hearts, they sought each other out each night when the rest of their people were asleep.

“Finally, the boy told his beloved that he couldn’t stand to be apart from her anymore and the two of them made plans to run away together the next night.  They both succeeded in their elopement, but knew they would have to find a place all their own in order to be one with each other. 

“They traveled for weeks with only one another as company.  As they sought out their own special land, the boy taught the girl how to create heat, and the girl taught the boy the mystery of light. 

“One night as they rested, it started to rain.  Holding hands, they both called on their personal gift as well as the new abilities they had taught each other.  The result was a burst of heat and light that combined to create a flame. 

“The couple was startled at first, but then overjoyed at what the combination of their abilities and love had made.  They stayed warm from the fire’s heat, and could see each other clearly all throughout the night.”

He stopped there, but Jay didn’t speak.  It didn’t feel like the story was over and she waited patiently for him to go on.

“They did find a land that they could settle on and call home,” he continued after a short silence.  “And for the rest of their lives they kept the flame burning; both the flame that gave them heat and light, as well as the flame that burned in them for each other.  Their love was passed down to their children, who through their parents all had the natural ability to create heat and light.  Their parents warned them though, that these abilities and their combined result needed to be respected as well as shared unselfishly with others, because they were a result of true love.  

“It is said that those two youths were the founding parents of the Cherokee people,” he  finished quietly.

Jay thought over the story, enraptured by its loveliness and her husband’s natural story-telling abilities.  “That was beautiful,” she whispered after a time.  Her head turned to be able to look at him and he gave her a soft smile.

“Some tribal marriage ceremonies used to have the groom say, ‘You are the light to my heat.  May the flame between us never go out,” he told her softly.

Jay gazed at him unwaveringly.  “Can I be your light?” she asked softly.

He answered without hesitation.  “You already are, Love.”

He followed his words with a kiss that was incredibly tender.  Jay returned it willingly, her heart full.  Caressing her lovingly, he rolled her to her back.  The kisses he gave her were slow and deep.  The fire was their only other companion, and it lit up the devotion in their eyes and warmed their bodies as they shared their love.