The Little Bird and Fire

7 The Little Bird and Fire At the beginning of time, the earth was warm, and food was every where. People did not need fire. They ate their food raw, and sometimes they used the hot sun to cook it. But slowly, the world grew colder. People huddled together in their cold homes and were freezing. One day, a beautiful bird with a bright orange tail came to speak with them. " You are cold, " said the bird. “ You need to have fire so you can warm your houses and cook your food. I have fire and will give it to you. " But the bird did not give it easily. It wanted the people to appreciate fire. It said, “ I will give fire only to those who deserve it. I will give it only to people who know what it is to help others. Do you agree?" asked the bird. Everyone agreed. So the bird said, “ See this orange on my tail? Bring some dry wood. When you touch my tail with the wood, you will have fire. " The people came eagerly with dry wood. But the bird quickly flew away. Everyone chased after it, trying to touch the orange tail with their sticks. But the bird was fast, and people could not catch it. They fell down mountains and into lakes as they chased the fire bird.

In the end, only two people were left chasing the bird. One got close and just as he tried to touch the bird's tail, the bird flew away, saying, “ You are not kind. You have anger in your heart. You treat people badly. " Then, the last man got close. But the bird said, " You are selfish. You take and do not give back. I will never let you have fire from my tail! " As the fire bird was flying away, it noticed a young woman sitting alone with a very old man. It landed beside them and said, “ Why are you not chasing after fire like all the rest?" The woman said, “ This is my grandfather. He is sick, and I must care for him. That is all. " The bird came close to the woman. " Touch a stick to my orange tail, " said the bird, " for you are the only one among your people worthy of this great gift. " And so, fire came to the people.