An Uncommon Bond

In a land where all things are possible through the One who created everyone and everything, there were as many unique beings as there were stars in the sky if someone looked up and tried to count them all. Even if any two looked alike they each had their own combination of abilities given by the One who made them. Once a year many of the young ones would meet at a special gathering place, secluded from the rest of the world, for a week which in turn made them more aware of both the differences between one another as well as what tied them together. At this place, there was also plenty of time for games. This gathering place was surrounded by mostly forest except for part of the eastern edge where there was a huge lake.

One year a young girl made of flames made her first appearance at one of the gatherings. Her name was Prya. Wherever she stepped the ground under her feet became scorched. She was amazed by the variety of beings she saw when she first arrived. Out of all of them, there was a young boy made of a huge rock colored multiple shades of brown swirled together who was the most memorable to her. Every step he took caused the ground to shake a bit and he left indents in the ground where he stepped. He looked as if he was carved by hand, and his name was Petras. When Pyra got hurt partway through the week while playing games, Petras helped her get to a couple of places during the rest of the week. His kindness towards her was burned into Pyra's memory, for actions can speak louder than words.

The next year, Petras and Pyra saw each other again at the gathering place. There was at least one occasion where Petras tried to get Pyra to the water, which she made her feel terrified because water and fire do not mix. Still though, she had a fun week and returned the following year. To her surprise though, she did not see Petras this time around. It was strange to her that he was not there. Petras had gone to the gathering place at a different time, and he didn't see Pyra. He visited the gathering place more often than her and was therefore more used to seeing different beings from year to year. Beings came and went from year to year; some were there consistently until they became too old while others only went once or twice.

When they returned to the gathering place the following year, this time they arrived at the same time. Petras and Pyra were happy to see each other again. Only then did they find out that they went to the gathering place at different times the previous year. Like the years before, they greatly enjoyed their time and the same was true the next year when they met again. As time passed they grew in wisdom and stature and could no longer be considered to be a boy of rock and a girl of flame, but a young man of rock and a young lady of flame.

Normally they never saw each other outside of the special gathering place, but one day that all changed. They saw each other at a place that they did not expect to find each other; to be exact it was at a restaurant that Pyra began to work at only a few days earlier. Meanwhile, Petras and a couple of his relatives were there as customers. That was the day the whole world seemed to shrink a bit. Then they saw each other more times at the restaurant, her as a worker and him as a customer. From there though, the two of them met up at other places and intentionally invited each other into their lives.

Petras had some adventures with a very brave companion, who he followed along an edge of a ravine. But one day, Petras tripped on something and took a long, rough tumble down a steep ravine and ended up in a dark cave. The fall injured him; there were many cracks on him and even a few places where he had pieces of him chipped away. Meanwhile, his companion traveled on without him. When Petras was in the dark cave, no one noticed his absence. Or at least that is what he thought.

Pyra passed by the area later the same day, when she noticed a piece of stone that fit the palm of her hand and looked familiar on the ground. She picked it up and examined the multiple shades of brown swirled together on this stone and the sharp edge. Nearby she noticed a hole in the ground. This hole was large enough that if someone didn't watch their step they could easily stumble and get hurt. She looked down at the ravine and noticed a trail of rocks that looked similar to the one she held in her hand. Carefully she followed the trail down the ravine and eventually entered the cave. Her natural light allowed her to see what was in front of her. Eventually she was so far into the cave that she could no longer see the light from where she entered. However, she found Petras and even though the cave was dark, she saw on the stone the chips and cracks that were not there before. “You're hurt,” she murmured, concerned as she sat next to him.

Petras gave a sad nod, not wanting to talk much.

“Where is your traveling companion you told me about?” Pyra asked, for she noticed it was just the two of them in the cave.

“She left me,” he answered plainly and somberly.

“Your companion left you and then you got hurt without someone to get you help?! How dare she!” Pyra stated, her flames rising since she was mad that someone would abandon him. After they were out of the cave she planned to find that unfaithful companion and have a heated chat with them.

“Don't... what's done is done,” Petras shook his head and sighed. He had an idea of what Pyra intended but he didn't want any harm to come to his former companion either.

“But I don't like that someone abandoned you and then you got hurt. You deserve better than that,” Pyra noted. Perhaps she didn't have permission to find who caused him to be hurt, but she still wanted to do something to help him. She looked at her flames and at the the cave wall in front of them, then got an idea. “Look at the cave wall in front of you,” she whispered.

When Petras looked forward, he saw a shadow puppet show formed by flames. At first he smiled lightly, then it got bigger as the show progressed and before he knew it he laughed. His sadness was eased by laughter and being with someone.

Once he laughed, Pyra smiled because her plan worked. So she continued her shadow puppet show and got Petras to laugh more and more. All of the stories she told with the puppet show were funny just to get him to laugh.

Eventually, after she got Petras in higher spirits, Pyra asked, “So shall we leave the cave?”

“I'll probably slow you down,” Petras murmured.

“That's okay; I'm not leaving you behind,” Pyra said as she helped Petras up.

Together they slowly and carefully left the cave. By the time they got out, the sunset greeted their exit.

After that day, they went on more adventures together, from an amusement park, to long trips, to even the special gathering place. Yet this time Pyra went into the lake without going out, to her surprise, and Petras was the first to help her get out. As always, they had a great time at the special gathering place.

As their lives became more connected to each other, not everyone they knew fully supported them. Some did not understand how the young man of stone and young lady of flame got along so well. What they did not understand nor asked questions to gain knowledge they came to resent. In spite of the opposition, the bond between Petras and Pyra continued to flourish. They did not get to see each other often. However, the two of them found a way to stay in touch and make do with the time they did share no matter how long or short it lasted. Their bond became so strong that he saw her as a sister and she saw him as a brother.

Time passed, and the young man of stone fell in love with the noble lady of the lake. Meanwhile, the young lady of flame traveled to a swamp for she saw there was no light there but she could share some of her own flames to give light. Before Pyra left, she let Petras know of her destination and saw how happy he was with the noble lady of the lake. While she was in the swamp, rain fell. At first, she paid it no mind for she was not as young as she once was; a little fall of rain couldn't hurt her. Eventually though, she reached a point where she could go no further for there was water ahead of her, to her right, and to her left. The water was so wide that Pyra couldn't take a step without stepping into the water itself. She was about to turn around when a flood came right behind her. Then Pyra knew she was truly stuck and the rain still poured. So she screamed, but no one could hear her. Or at least that is what she thought.

Far beyond the swamp, Petras was with the noble lady of the lake at the palace. The pair were spending an evening together when he heard the scream. His face became etched with concern.

“What's wrong?” The noble lady of the lake asked.

“Somehow I recognize the scream in the night,” Petras answered. The truth was though he never heard Pyra before, yet in his heart he knew the scream was hers.

“Well then if you know the scream, go see if they are okay,” the noble lady of the lake stated. “I assure you that the palace and I will not fall apart while you are away.”

Then Petras set off from the palace to the swamp. When he got there, Petras felt the rain but saw no scorched footprints on the ground and grew worried. So he ran in the rain-filled swamp with an umbrella in hand, almost getting stuck a time or two in the swamp, until in the distance he saw a small light. The moment he saw the light, he sprinted towards it. To his shock, the young woman of flame had shrunk to be about a quarter of his height and was marooned on a very small island surrounded by water. Slowly and carefully he found an area of water with a weak current and walked over to Pyra.

“How long have you been here? How long has it been raining?” Petras asked as he held the umbrella over Pyra to keep her from getting wet.

Surprised to not be alone, Pyra turned towards Petras. “I don't know... I lost track of time,” she admitted.

Gently Petras picked her up with one hand while he held the umbrella over both of them with the other. “I'll get you to a dry place,” he assured her. He walked until he found an abandoned hut that was dry inside. After he set Pyra on the ground, Petras sat down and had his back to the hut's entrance just in case the wind changed direction and tried to move the rain inside. Next to him was a pile of dry wood, so he handed a small piece to Pyra since burning dry wood would help her grow.

As soon as she took the wood it caught fire. “You came for me... Why?” Pyra asked softly. She did not understand why Petras would take time he could have spent with the noble lady of the lake just to get to her. Between the facts that the noble lady of the lake outranked her and was the love of the Petras's life, the young woman of flame did not comprehend the reason for his actions.

“Because you needed me,” Petras answered. Rank did not matter to him. Although it was true the noble lady of the lake was the love of his life, Pyra was important to him too. Based on the expression on her face, he could tell that Pyra wanted to cry but she could not for fire and water do not mix. That and she had been out in the rain for too long. So Petras continued to hand her dry pieces of wood for Pyra to get her strength back, for actions can speak louder than words.

Eventually the rain stopped and both of them went outside to see a beautiful rainbow stretch across the sky. Petras helped Pyra out of the swamp by finding dry spots for her to step on.

One night, Petras and Pyra were outside watching the brilliant star-filled night sky. “Will you still be there even if sometimes I lose my tongue and temper or get lost?” Pyra asked softly.

“Of course I will,” Petras answered as he turned to face her. “Will you still support me even if sometimes I'm too stubborn and bull-headed for my own good or get stuck?”

“Absolutely,” she smiled at him before they turned to watch the stars again.

And their adventures continue...