The Tale of the Fire Bird
Excerpt from the first Chant of the Flooded novella
Genre: historical fiction (prehistoric setting), mythology-inspired
I've been working on editing, and prepping for publishing, and I thought I'd share a little bit of it with people! I plan on doing a virtual author reading of this excerpt at a later date.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Alright, do you want to tell it, then?”
“Why don’t we just sleep?”
“Everyone knows you get a better sleep after sharing a story.”
I made a vague sound that was almost a laugh in response to that.
“I’ll tell it, if you don’t want to.
“Long ago, many demons walked the earth, from the behemoths who’s bones we still build our homes from, to strange spirits who would drive you mad with a glimpse. There were no clans in those days, for there were few humans and they stayed with their blood families, hiding in crevices to protect them from everything. One of these humans was a man named Gaizka, who protected his family by night, and hunted game by day.
“One day, Gaizka was on the trail of a behemoth, spears in hand, but by the time he had brought down the beast, he realized the day had grown late and he had strayed far from his family. As the night is a dangerous time, he sought out a place to hide in safety for the night. It fell dark before he could find such a place, but in that darkness, he saw something.
“It was as bright as the sun, but smaller, and it flitted through the night sky with an orange glow. Drawn to it, Gaizka followed the light. When he grew close he discovered – the light was a bird! A bird who’s feathers were made of light and who’s flight was made of heat.
“No sooner did he realize this, did the bird vanish, and the morning sun rose.”
I was hardly listening. I knew this tale, and I tried to focus my ears on the sounds of the night, not his voice.
“Gaizka returned to his family and told them what he saw. They thought he had dreamed it. Gaizka was determined to prove to his family that the strange bird existed. He bid them goodbye, took with him his spears, and went out to seek the bird.
“During the day, he saw not a single feather. When night fell, he would see the glowing bird dance in the sky. He followed it for so many days, they became moons, and Gaizka became thin from lack of eating.”
My hand prickled again, Kemen’s hand creeping closer and closer.
“One night, the strange bird rested. It settled itself atop a rocky hill and tucked its head under its wing. Gaizka took the opportunity to sneak up on it.”
A little bit of tension thrummed through me. Kemen’s fingers moved just a bit against the back of my hand.
“The bird was even more wonderous up close. Its feathers crackled and glow, bright as the sun, and as warm as sunlight. Its heat went right to Gaizka’s bones.”
I tried to focus on anything, even his stupid story, to not pay attention to the feather-light feel of him stroking the back of my hand.
“Gaizka wanted to show his family this wonderous creature, and as a hunter he only knew one way, so he readied his spear to strike. But before he could drive the point home, the bird awoke and flew away into the dawn in a flurry of sparks.
“Disappointed, Gaizka returned to hunting the bird. How could he return home, without this incredible prize to show his family? More moons passed, and those moons became years.”
What I wanted to know, was why he kept moving his fingers against my hand.
“Eventually, Gaizka’s strength failed him. His legs could no longer run, his arm could no longer lift his spear, and his eyes could see little beside the brightness of the bird. He fell to the ground, wishing he could at least see his family one last time.
“That night, as Gaizka lay there, the bird approached him. It flew above him in the air, but Gaizka did not rise to chase it. As dawn approached, the bird landed next to Gaizka, who gathered the strength to raise his hand, hoping, perhaps, he could at least touch the bird before he passed.
“The bird did not want to be touched, but it admired the man who had played with it for so long. So the bird went over to Gaizka’s ear and in it whispered it’s song, and through its song, strength and knowledge flowed through Gaizka. The bird then curled itself around the end of the man’s spear, and then, when the spear itself glowed bright, it took off.
“With the fire on his spear to light the way, and the fire bird’s knowledge of how to create it inside him, Gaizka made the long journey back to his home. His partner was long dead, but his children lived on, and their children as well. They were in awe of his fire, and he showed them how to make it.
“With the fire, Gaizka and his family had no need to fear the night. Fire warmed the body and heart and kept evil at bay. To thank the fire bird for its gift, Gaizka and his family decided to share it, and they set out to find other blood families, and teach them the secret of fire.
“Eventually came the day when Gaizka died, but on that day, something wondrous happened. All those who were present were amazed that, when night fell, the fire bird appeared. It landed on Gaizka’s chest, and the two of them turned into a shower of sparks. The sparks flew high, so high that they settled among the stars, and there they remain to this day, an eternal game of tag, watching over the world below.”
The snap of the fire seemed fitting in the silence that fell.
