The balance: Water vs Mountain part 13

            After about a week, the streams on the mountain side were starting to get stronger but not strong enough to combat fire. The fire tornado had spawned off into a raging fire burning through the forest, destroying animal communities and some human. The black smoke was blocking out the sun and it was hard to tell night from day. Mr. Mountain kept blowing the cold air down but the intense summer heat was clashing with the cold air. Down at the bottom, the fire was out of control and blazing across the land and steadily growing. Mr. River still trying to widen the crack was starting to die; his army could not keep with the harsh conditions and he was becoming more of a stream then a river.

            Mr. River, YOU WILL NOT WIN! Mr. Mountain, if you haven’t noticed, I think we have bigger problems then me trying to conquer you precious land. I have no more power and whatever damage I’m doing to this crack I once had power to break open, is probably failing against damaging a pebble. So you win Mr. Mountain, you did it! You successfully made me surrender. Now, what do you have to show for it? WHAT do you have to show for it!?! The cold air from the top, was combating with the hot air and the heat from the fire that spawned off away from the fire. The winds kicked up at a faster rate as hot and cold fought with each other over the flat land. Both cold and hot are equally strong and wind knows that; so she combines both of them together and creates a tornado. The tornado out of control, swirling back and forth like a drunk person trying to regain balance, was starting to form. It started to form but lost power due to the lack of water or moisture in the environment. 

Mr. River felt the tornado trying to use his moisture to sustain the tornado, maybe even create a rain drop or two but Mr. River fought with wind and kept wind at bay. After about a month of fire raging through the forest, raging the land, Mr. River was finally a puddle. The army had died. The only thing Mr. River could see was the trail that once was water was now dust and the harsh wind was picking up the minerals he once carried and carrying it elsewhere; perhaps to an environment that actually needed it. He laid there and looked at the black smoke that engulfed him and watched as fire just ravaged at Mr. Mountain. Every now and then, he would feel the cold harsh breeze from Mr. Mountain but for the most part, he felt the immense heat from fire. The two at a constant battle and he didn’t care.

            Every now and then, the wind would kick up and carry him. When the wind would carry him, he would use whatever energy he had and he would charge at the mountain. It didn’t do much but he didn’t care, even to the end, Mr. River was going to try; maybe make way for another, hopefully a more powerful winding river. In his last moments, he thought about how he had dreamed of one day maybe growing to become a Lake Michigan or maybe becoming the Dead Sea; as he laid there, he thought about how much he was going to miss his mom. He remembers how it all went down. He remembers the day he was created and how his mom flooded a valley. He remembers her telling him, “You’re going to be strong. One day you may conquer hillsides, marshes, and when you grow stronger, you’ll conquer a mountain; when the day happens, you and I will meet and you will carry all the nutrients from the mountain back to me. 

I remember my mom telling me how much she missed her father but how angry she was with him. She told me she hated him but loved him. She explained whenever she gets a chance, whenever there’s a coastline and my father is present, she lashes out at him and with furry. My father knows I hate him and I know he’s scared of me; I don’t blame him, there’s more of me then him….however she told me she respected her father. She told me the reason why she has so many children. She said he needs his minerals. His rocks sustain certain things important to life. When moisture from my surface evaporates, it goes onto the land and supports life on land; as much as she hates mankind for making her act ugly at times, she still supports man; it’s something she said her father installed in her.

            She told me that sometimes, she doesn’t really get a chance to connect to her father. She said that sometimes, my storms don’t reach land because he doesn’t let it happen; this is usually why I end up spawning off hurricanes to flood low lying lands. Usually this is when most of my children are born; my little rivers, big rivers and streams. She told me my importance and what I was used for. She me told that in times before, people used me for transportation… places she couldn’t reach, she would send rain so that I could spill over and water the land, send nutrients to the plants, that way the plants would be watered for the animals to eat, other animals could eat other animals and man could eat both plants and animals so life could continue. She told me so much and as I laid there as a puddle, my anger for mountain began to boil. I hated that he neglected my mom for trying to stay in compliance with the balance of nature. 

The fire raged hotter then what it had been; I could feel myself starting to evaporate. Here we go, the last of my life until I come back and then as I started to evaporate, I felt some drops. I plummeted back to earth. Confused by what was going on, I thought it was part of the evaporation process..maybe it was a dream. The water from the heavens began to fall fast and hard. The fire that was so bold was still lashing out at Mr. Mountain but realized that the environment was starting to change. The more the fire ravaged, the more the rain began to pound onto the land. As the rain started to pour, I felt myself getting stronger. I saw life come back. My soldiers were starting to gain strength and they were running for the mountain. I sat there waiting for the connection, waiting for the flow and then I saw something else…I saw a flood of water roaring in my direction.

            The water was so aggressive, Mr. River thought it was his mom, Ms. Ocean finally coming onto the land. It was a big wave of water. Mr. River finally crashed down to where he was at and it furiously pushed him forward and he was back. The sudden jolt of energy, the anger, the emotion and the life that engulfed him was surreal. The fire was still trying it’s best to cause damage but as Mr. River crashed into the mountain, it began to drown the fire. Mr. Mountain stopped with the cold air and let the storm take over the mountain. Ms Ocean had a few children lined up and Mr. Mountain was ready to end this rumble. For the next few months, it rained off and on. 

The fire storm had caused much damage to Mr. Mountain. He had server burns and it was going to take some time for him to recover. Mr. River had made a full recovery; as a matter of fact, he was a strong flowing river. The rain poured down consistently. As the summer slowly began to fade and fall began to take its place, the chill in the air began to pick up. The rain over time slowly began to turn into snow. The river never turned in into ice. The snow fell and left a blanket over the land and covered the mountain side were the burn marks from the summer were. Snow fell onto Mr. River however there was a warm current at the deeper part of Mr. River that turned the snow into water. At the very top, Mr. Mountain lay in rest as the clouds covered him, and water lay across him in the form of ice and snow.

            As the seasons changed into spring, Mr. River was stronger than he had ever been. He was so powerful, he began to get his lake back and he made it even bigger. The constant exchange between Mr. Banks and Mr. River were constantly there. Mr. Banks kept challenging Mr. River and he kept taking on the challenge. Mr. Mountain had been quiet for a while. Not a rumble, not a sound. Mr. River had not given up. He was still on his conquest to split through to the other side. The power he had if precipitation continued was tremendous. The crack he had been working on had grown; it was starting to turn into a trail. 

Then on a bright summer day, the Earth began to shake but nothing violent. The momentum of the Earth quake had caused Mr. River to have a little more force than usual. The combined mini earthquake and Mr. River’s force, forced a new crack. Don’t think for one moment this is a truce Mr. River, Mr. Mountain bellowed out. Mr. River rebutted with I never thought for one moment this was a truce. You and I still have a score to settle. I want to see my mom and you want to prove to the world I’m assuming that you can rid me like past rivers. He chuckles to himself, Mr. Mountain, I will get through you.

            Mr. Mountain sighs, I messed up and underestimated you; you’re the only river with so much determination and will that I actually put up with this battle. Mr. River with another new force, a force Mr. Mountain had not seen, crashes into the new crack. He crashes through and the crack and starts to flow through it; through the crack, the sounds of  seagulls are heard and a cool breeze, salty smelling breeze starts to linger across the land. In the far distance, a hill was starting to form and smoke slowly was coming out of the hole followed with sparks of lava….a new kid Mr. Mountain? I told you this fight will never end Mr. River. Yeah, we’ll see about that Mr. Mountain…