The Story of Water and Sun

A short story

                  The Story of Water and Sun     

By Mary Cernyar

February 8th, 2018

Once, all water was still. There were no rivers or creeks, just long thin lakes. The water enjoyed not moving around, it liked to have children jumping into it and fish swimming everywhere in its’ cool, refreshing liquid.

Water was beloved. She waltzed with the moon, and played tag with the wind. She revived the earth. She was a blue of blues, vibrant and radiant. Her eyes were a dewey green. Her flowing, dripping dress cascaded down her slender form. She was the embodiment of peace.

   One day, Sun, the giant of the sky, came down to visit earth. The journey was long and strenuous and Sun’s throat burned with thirst. He began to walk around in search of something to drink. He found a lengthy, still, body of water, and settled himself down on the cool, dewy grass to sip some of the liquid.

 He drank and he drank. The crystal droplets streamed down his throat. The pool began to shallow. And then, all the water was gone. Flopping fish littered the muddy riverbed, and only a few puddles let some minnows survive. But Sun, for his immense size, still thirsted. He walked over to the next watering hole and began to start draining it.

Water started to panic. What would happen to all of her fish? Where would the children go to play? More and more of her liquid was being sucked up into the mouth of Sun, and if she didn’t act fast, there would be nothing left of her. So she rose to her feet, and with a mighty roar, took her first steps. Away from the giant. Startling Sun, she sprinted away. 

 Sun mouth drouped down, his brain electrified. There he was, drinking away, when the Water had begun to move, as fast and as sudden as lightning. Sun was still very thirsty, and he couldn’t let Water defy him like that. After all, he was The Giant, the king of the Sky, and he did not like having his drink running off. So he stood, taking her challenge, and flew after her.

  Water realized that if she ran up toward the mountains, that Sun would surely catch her. So she flew away, down and down to the safety of the ocean. She sprang through valleys, were Sun was too big to follow. But his big, bright head could always be seen. When she came to a cliff, she stopped. She looked down, the bottom was a hundred feet below. Water looked for a way around but found none. Sun’s fire was licking as her dress.

“I got you now!” panted Sun, thundering in the sky above her.

           Water had no choice. She leaped of the cliff, cascading like and bride’s veil down, were she landed softly on a cloud of mist. She looked back up, her hair scorched from his flames. Then she picked herself up and continued running.

   Sun was stunned. He had never seen anything like it. There he was, his hands all most upon her, when she had flung herself off the precipice and had even survived the fall. He shook his head, clearing it of thoughts, and continued the chase.

After some time, the ground leveled, and became dry. Water was losing her lead; her momentum was gone, and her energy was nearly spent. He was nipping at her heels, and she knew he would catch her any minute. Her desperate eyes sought the ground before her, looking for a way of an   escape. It was then that she noticed that the ground was cracked enough that she could squeeze through and hide beneath the dirt.

 Then, summoning the last of her strength, she slipped into the crevice and disappeared. Now, Sun was very confused. 

           “Where did you go? Where are you?” he screamed, searching the ground, but Water was not to be found. Night and earth closed in around her, as she plowed down and through the dirt. When she had no more strength, she stopped and rested.

           Sun, however, was in a frenzy. His mouth was foaming and his throat, parched. His anger burned red. His cracked lips whispered, “Water,” and then were silent. There was nothing to drink, and he would have to wait till Water showed herself again.

           Once Water had rested, she began to work her way back up. Like a worm squirming in the dirt, Water emerged at full force, began the last half of the race. Sun, who had been waiting for this moment leapt up and followed her.

 Through countless valleys, cliffs, swamps, crevices, forests and deserts they raced, over logs and rocks, in caves and ravines, till Water finally tumbled into the the great salt flats, and joined the ocean. Sun, utterly defeated and exhausted, climbed back up into the sky.

And ever since then, when the snow and ice melt, and the Sun grows warm threatens to drink up Water again, the rivers race and roar. The days become longer and warmer as Sun comes close to earth and Water and Sun continue their mad dash.

                                                           The END