Grace of the Serpent River
In a quiet, little town named Velvia, far from the hustle and bustle of a city, lives a humble fisherman named Henry. Heny is much adored by his fellow villagers but more importantly, by the river that flowed across the town. Their bond was not just of a fisherman and a river; it was indeed, much more profound.
Henry was born on a rainy afternoon to a poor farming couple in Velvia. The first time he saw the river, he was but an infant. His mother, Martha, would often put him to sleep by the river, with the gushing waters humming a soothing lullaby.
Many decades whittled by and Henry became adept at fishing, and he always exhibited a respect for the river which others found peculiar. 'She gives us life, we owe her ours,' Henry would softly say to his peers who usually dismissed his philosophies, uninterested. But the river listened, felt, and reciprocated Henry's reverence.
As he waded to the heart of the river one dreadful day, he found a dazzling crimson and azure stone embedded in the riverbed. He was instantly captivated. After pulling it out, he marveled at its unusual formation. The very instant he touched it, the world around him changed. He was neither in water nor on land, but standing in an endless blue and green realm. A magnificent serpent stood before him with scales shimmering like a thousand jewels. The serpent, as ancient as time itself, unveiled herself as the spirit of the river.
'Son of Velvia, why do you think I chose you to come here?' The river spirit asked. Puzzled, Henry looked at the stone in his hands, then at the spirit. 'Because of my love for you, the river,' he said, his voice echoing in the vast void. The spirit nodded and revealed the town’s destined doom - a massive flood approaching them and it would wash away everything in its path. The spirit granted one power to him, a power that was vested in the stone. Henry was chosen to wield it to save his people; the offer was the testament of the spirit’s faith in his affection.
With a heavy heart, he returned to his world, as the river murmured secrets under his boat. Remaining days were a tumult of preparation. He worked tirelessly, rallying the town. The stone glowed whenever a disaster was imminent; it was their warning. Everyone worked with an unspoken hum of fear, although they trusted Henry, a man who was deemed peculiar turned out to be their savior.
The day of the disaster arrived when the stone pulsated vigorously as if it had a heart of its own. The crimson and azure veins formed a serpent that slithered around the stone, echoing the Serpent River’s wrath. An enormous wall of water was seen from afar, and panic ensued. The villagers saw their impending doom approach.
Henry held the stone high into the sky, and the stone echoed his courage. All the love he held for the river reflected in the glow of the stone. He recited the ancient chants the spirit taught him, hoping it would work. As the flood neared, the stone released an intense light that formed a vibrant shield around the village. The flood pounded against the shield, the battle between nature and mankind had begun.
Dark clouds loomed over for days, but the shield of love did not falter. Eventually, nature's wrath quieted, and the water level slowly receded, flowing harmlessly around the edges of the shield. When the storm cleared, Velvia stood unscathed, its inhabitants safe and profoundly humbled by the power of nature.
As they restored normalcy, Henry was hailed as a hero. However, he remained the humble fisherman. He returned the stone to the river, as the spirit had instructed, never to see it again. The river continued to hum, and Henry continued to fish, their companionship unchanged.
From then on, whenever a child was born, the elders of the town would take them to the river and whisper, 'She gives us life, we owe her ours', thus continuing the story of the humble fisherman and the river who saved them all, a tale of respect, love, and understanding.