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Story of Water on Earth

Because the Earth now had the Moon, the planet that was entirely made of lava had now cooled down, and had developed a thick crust of land for the Guardian and the elements to live on. The Guardian realized that it would take a long time before the elements could use their powers to create more life. However, she also knew that Thea had said her sacrifice would allow for Earth to have life without the elements’ powers. The Guardian had an idea, though it was a risky one.

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Some of the other planets were furious with Earth for stealing their chance at having life. Though they did not bully Earth like they did Thea, it was obvious they would snap at Earth if given the opportunity. The Guardian decided to give them that opportunity.

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She told Air, who could travel at the speed of sound, to taunt the other planets and mock them. “Why would I want to do that?” Air asked.

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“You will find out. Trust me,” the Guardian replied. And, not knowing any better, Air decided to trust the Guardian. They circled around the other planets and boasted about how amazing life on Earth would be.

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“It will be even better than life on Thea,” Air claimed, “and none of you will ever get to experience it for yourselves! It will be centuries before we can use our powers again, and by that time, nothing you have will ever surpass life on Earth.”

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It was Venus who snapped first. “Let us see how superior life on Earth will be when there is no Earth for it to live on!”

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In their efforts to damage the Earth, Venus and the other planets pelted the planet with meteors for millions of years, never giving the Guardian or the elements a chance to rest. Fortunately, Jupiter was there to protect Earth from any major destruction, but the meteors were still a constant terror, and were constantly changing the shape of the land.

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However, the Guardian knew that they came with a gift of their own. Each meteor contained thousands of salt crystals, and within those crystals were very tiny droplets of water. And as the shower of meteors continued, water started to form on Earth’s surface.

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The Guardian’s plan had worked; not only did she have Earth’s clay to create the bodies with, but now she had water to fill them with. Two of the basic conditions for creating life had been met.

Unfortunately, there was more water on Earth than expected. Because Earth spun quickly and the Moon was kept close, the planet became engulfed in storms and massive tides that made it impossible for life to be created. Once again, the Guardian had to think of a solution.

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She tried asking Earth to not keep the Moon as close, but the Earth refused to listen to reason. “If it means I cannot keep my friend close to me,” Earth said, “then I do not want whatever it is you are planning.”

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“But then Thea’s sacrifice will have been for nothing,” the Guardian reasoned. The Earth glared at the Guardian.

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“Thea is dead now and this is all I have left of them,” they retorted. “It does not matter to me what they died for.”

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Exasperated, the Guardian tried a different tactic. “You want to be closer then, right?”

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“Yes.”

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“I can show you how to be closer to the Moon.”

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Earth’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “How?”

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The Guardian held up two of her fists. “Right now, all sides of your planet are the same distance away from the Moon.” She tilted her left fist sideways. “But if you tilted Earth just a little, one side would be closer to the Moon.” The Guardian left out how the other side would be farther from the Moon as well.

 

Fortunately, Earth did not realize this, but they asked the Guardian, “Why are you telling me this? You said you wanted me to be farther away from Thea.”

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“I miss Thea too,” the Guardian admitted. “I did want you two to be farther away, but if you refuse to do so, then I would like us on Earth to all be closer to Thea.”

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Earth was satisfied with her answer. Using their powers, Earth made their planet tilt slightly, so that one side was closer to the Moon. Just as the Guardian planned, Earth used their force to pull on the Moon, trying to bring their deceased friend even closer to them. But though the Guardian knew what would happen, the Earth did not expect the Moon to pull back with a force of their own, which actually made the Earth spin slower.

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“What are you doing?” Earth asked. “Thea, I just want to be closer to you.”

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The Moon replied, “I am not Thea.”  

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Earth tried pulling harder, but the Moon only resisted more. The tides on Earth’s surface became so erratic that energy was being transferred from them to the Moon’s orbit, which made the orbit bigger and actually caused the Moon to get further away. As the Moon got farther, Earth pulled harder, and the cycle repeated itself.

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Eventually, the storms on Earth fade out and the tides become calm. Earth spins slower than before, exhausted from all of the energy expended trying to bring the Moon closer. Even now, Earth still desperately pulls on the Moon, terrified to see that their deceased friend only kept getting farther away.

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“Thea, please,” the Earth begged, holding back tears. “I only want to be close to you again!”

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The Moon replied, “I am not Thea.”

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Earth screamed in frustration. They turned on the Guardian and shouted, “This is your fault! You lied to me! You said I could be closer to Thea, and they just keep getting farther away!”

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The Guardian looked at the Earth with sympathy. “I never said it would make you closer to Thea, only that you could be closer to the Moon.” Her voice softened as she said, “Thea is gone, but the Moon is here now. You could try being close to them too.”

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Earth looked at the Guardian with hatred in their eyes. “I will never let my friend be replaced by the Moon. I thought you could understand that, but I was wrong. After all,” Earth snarled, “you never cared about Thea. You only care about being a Guardian, no matter who it is for.”

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“That is not—“

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But Earth was done talking. Before they left, Earth said, “Enjoy your precious life on my planet. I will not be a part of it.”