Legend of Pyre

A piece I'm working on for Literature class. Not quite done, but getting there. All constructive criticism will be appreciated!

 

Long ago, before history but just after the beginning of time, there were a great number of spirits.  There were water spirits, earth spirits, fire spirits, air spirits, plant spirits, and many more, but they all respected the most powerful of all, whose name was Wisdom.  Most of the spirits got along well enough with each other, except for Pyre.  Pyre was a fire spirit, and he was particularly mischievous.  He loved to prance around, setting fire to the hard work of the plant spirits and boiling away the labors of the ice and water spirits.  He even had the nerve to melt the great stone statues that the earth spirits had been working on.  Eventually, almost all the spirits were sick of Pyre’s constant, annoying antics, and the ones who weren’t sick of them were sick of the other spirits complaining about them. And so, a water spirit, an earth spirit, and an air spirit all went to see Wisdom.  Upon hearing all their complaints, Wisdom called for Pyre to come to his home.  When he arrived, he spoke to Pyre.  “Why have you done all these terrible things to the other spirits?” 

 

Pyre replied to him, “I didn’t do it for any particular reason, sir.  It was just a bit of fun!”  Enraged by Pyre’s insolence, Wisdom grabbed Pyre with one hand, and squeezed as he said: “Pyre, as punishment for your misdeeds I will take away your powers of fire.  From now on you will require air to burn, and so be at the air spirits mercy.  Water will mortally wound you, and make useless the hardest of your efforts, just as you have done to the water spirits, and so you will be at their mercy.  The fire you make now cannot harm the softest of stones.  Nay you shall be conquered by mere dust.  The plant spirits alone will decide what you can burn, and you shall not expect, nor ask for any of their mighty trees.  You will only be allowed to burn the dried up husks of their works, and in doing so, clean the slate for them to create anew.  You shall endure these punishments forevermore.” 

 

Pyre dropped to his knees, a pathetic, withered husk of his former self, and crawled back to the rest of the fire spirits.  His brethren were shocked when he hobbled toward them, and they quickly swarmed about asking what had happened.  Pyre told the tale, and soon the other fire spirits were burning hotter than ever with rage.  “We must reverse this injustice!” one fire spirit cried. “Let us try to heal him!” And they did try.  They tried and they tried and they tried, but they could not reverse Wisdom’s curse.  When they could not help Pyre themselves, they started squabbling over what to do.  “We must plead forgiveness on his behalf!” shouted a meek voice in the corner.  “No, we must rebel, and force Wisdom to take back this curse!” roared a powerful voice in the middle.  Eventually things got out of control.  All but a few fire spirits banded together in a mighty inferno, and stormed Wisdom’s home in a blazing riot.  Wisdom did not take this well.  He called out to the angry crowd, “INSOLENCE!  This punishment was Pyre’s alone, but now all of you shall share in his curse!  You shall all bow before the other spirits forever!”  All the fire sprites that had joined the inferno immediately collapsed, weak and shriveled.  They crawled slowly back to the few who had not come, with their heads bowed in shame and fatigue.