Short Story: The Husband Who Drank The Sea

Once upon a time on these islands there was a man who loved his wife. Just like today, these islands were small, but there was one main island that the man and his wife lived on.

But one day the wife got lost and found herself on a seperate island. She did not know how she came to be on that other island, so she did not know how to get back to her husband, and in her heart she missed him.

Now you may think that she could have decided to swim back to the main island. Or you may think that if she was strong she could have cut down trees and built a boat. But she could not do either of those things, because in that age the sea was not made only of water but also of fire.

The sea had always burned with bright orange flames that would burn any boat foolish enough to set sail on it. The water was cool and smooth underneath but bright and hot on the surface. The fire kept all of the islands apart.

Despite the fire and distance, the husband could see his wife on the other island, for he was a strong man. He knew what he would do because he loved his wife.

The husband went  down to the beach of the main island. Then he waded into the sea until the water was up to his neck. The flames were burning all around his head.

Then he put his mouth in the water and began to drink the flames that were on top of the sea. He drank and he drank, and his throat became so hot but the flames from all of the sea began to shrink.

Eventually there was only a small amount of sea flame left. The strong man drank this last part of the flame, and then he died with the fire in his belly.

The sea was now cool and blue like it is today, so that the woman was free to swim back to the main island. But she was not sure if she wanted to swim back to the main island because she had seen her husband die in the water and had mourned him.

But the strong man had both died and not really died. He appeared again, full of life, at the center of the main island. He was whole and healthy, but his lips were now as red as fire.

The woman saw her husband alive on the shore of the main island and was full of joy. She went into the sea and swam back to him, and thanked him for drinking the fire for her sake, and their love was strong.

Now, think of this; if I told you that you are the woman in this story, do you know who the man is?