Ni

• Holly Mckenzie, Grade 7, Lakes Entrance Secondary College
• Short Story
• 2013

Excellence Award in the 'Dream Big 2013' competition

Ni, the dragon God of fire, was angry. Yarsi, the serpent Goddess of nature, had made fun of him again. “I’m sick of it!” Ni yelled to the heavens. “How can she say Earth is better than Fire? How?” Then, blind with rage, he tried to attack Yarsi.
The gods held an emergency council. Once a decision was reached Kar, the father of all gods, exclaimed “Your temper has got the better of you. Learn your lesson, toiling in the rocks below!” Then Ni was hurled into the mountains below.
Grumbling, he made his home in one of the mountains. The Wyrm curled up and fell into a restless sleep. The next morning, he had formulated a plan. Ni would win his way back, by enlisting the trust of humans. He walked to their town, a speech memorised, confidence high. Once he got to the town, instead of welcoming him with open arms as he had imagined, they pelted him with rocks and sent him away. They were scared of him. He tried again, this time in a different town. The same thing happened. He tried again, and again, and again. Every time, the same thing happened. Ni didn’t understand. The last village he went to also had a speech prepared.
“Be gone, you foul monster, and never return! Go not come here, looking for people to terrorise!” Having said that, he was chased out of the last town in the country. And his last hope.
When he arrived back to his mountain home, he was literally howling with rage. Furious, he melted the rocks inside the cave. Molten rock spewed from the fissures in the mountain. Ash and smoke billowed out as the top was blown off. In his rage, Ni did not notice the danger to himself. He was melted and, when the lava cooled, his body was fused with the earth he hated.
The nearest town was covered in lava and blanketed in ash. It later became known as Pompeii .