Volcanoes

Earth, as everyone knows, is called the blue planet. The reason for which is none other than dear old H2O. But, long before the Newtonian fluid came into existence, there was something else. There was a time when the Earth was covered with nothing but volcanoes. Huge mountains, spewing out magma, painting the sky red, made our planet no brighter than the sun itself. This kingdom of volcanoes was ruled by the King and Queen of volcanoes. They were just and kind and the kingdom flourished, making earth the most superior among all planets.

One day, the kingdom was going about its business as usual. The sky was dark but that did not seem to dull the kingdom’s spirit. The volcanoes were good at shrugging off mood dampers(metaphorically). But no one ever thought about a time when metaphors could become….well physical. And as we all know it, surprises, whether good or bad, present themselves at a time when everyone least expects them. In the midst of the normal buzz of population, a kid volcano’s cry brought a large part of the same buzzing population to a standstill.

“Well,” began the kid’s mother, after letting a considerable amount of air settle, “What’s the matter?”

“T-t-there’s s-s-something on m-my cheek,” stuttered the little volcano, between coughs of smoke.

The mother fixed her eyes on the child’s cheek and let out a gasp. There was a large shiny spot of no colour sitting on the child’s cheek, sizzling, as if in reaction. She had never seen anything like it before. Neither had anyone else for that matter. The volcanoes began speculating. Some said it was solidified lava, but the idea was abandoned owing to the orange colour of the lava. In the midst of all the speculation, the child let out another cry, “Mummy! It’s gone!”

“So it is!” said the mother, “How is that even possible?! It was there just now!”

“Maybe we should ask the King and Queen,” suggested a volcano

“Very well,” said the mother and let out three spurts of lava in order to summon the King and Queen of Volcanoes.

In a matter of minutes, the Royals responded by letting out a ring of smoke into the sky.

“Your Majesty,” began the anxious mother, “there was a shiny spot of no colour on my daughter’s cheek. It was sizzling at first but then, it disappeared, just like that.”

“A spot?” asked the Queen, not quite understanding.

“Yes, Your Majesty, a bulging spot,” the mother replied.

“Hmm,” the King began, he then addressed the child, “ My dear, how exactly did the spot feel?”

“It was cold,” began the child, “and slimy.”

“Maybe, the word you’re looking for is ‘wet’!” said a booming voice from the sky.

The King looked up and saw an army of colourless spots, glaring at him.

“Who are you?” asked the King, his voice firm yet calm, “What do you want?”

“We are raindrops, the new rulers of the land!” came the reply, “Surrender or die fighting.”

“We can do this peacefully,” suggested the Queen, trying to ease the situation.

“Surrender or die fighting.” repeated the Raindrop. Thunder rumbled in the distance, as if on cue.

“Very well then,” said the King, “It’s in our lava anyway, Children of Vulcan, it’s time.”

The sky darkened. Thunder rumbled and a jet of magma went up into the sky, signalling the beginning of war. This was followed by a moment of silence, as if to let the air settle. Then, as if on cue, a shower of raindrops came hurtling down and there was a deafening sizzle as the Volcanoes sent up jets of lava to counter the force of Rain. The two forces fought, each giving in their everything in order to possess the land where peaceful co-existence did not seem to be an option. The Raindrops descended ruthlessly while the Volcanoes sent up jets of magma, making the Earth tremble.

But, as the war proceeded, the Rain began to extinguish the weakening magma of the Volcanoes. The Volcanoes continued to fight on but their magma was reduced to ashes. One by one, the mighty volcanoes became extinct, their lava dying inside them for a very long time. Then it rained. Poured, for days on end, flooding the entire land and soaking the mountains that covered it. The Raindrops had won the war.

After 10 days of rain, the sky cleared. Just before the crack of dawn, two godly figures descended on the planet. Jupiter and Vulcan walked up to the foot of the King of Volcanoes and Vulcan let out a sigh.

“My children have made me proud. It’s a pity, the fate they were assigned.”

“They won’t go unrewarded,” began Jupiter, “Watch.”

He touched the rocky surface of the volcano and as soon as he did, a rumbling coming from deep within the Earth made the land tremble. The waves spread to all the volcanoes, some responded immediately, some a little slow and some none at all. All in all, the Volcanoes had risen.

“The two forces will coexist, and there will be a new entity for the ones unrisen, that will be called ‘lightning’: A fusion of the two forces, ” said Jupiter, “After all, everything needs to strike a balance.”

Vulcan nodded in agreement, elated at getting his children back. He gave them one look of pride before ascending with Jupiter.