Tales from Saltaire

A Dance of Lakes

Our land was born flat and dry. The blazing sun that shone daily on the cracked earth and broken stone forced the water below where any roots could hope to reach it. At night the vast expanse of the galaxy looked down on the empty land with pity. In the south, crystal clear waves crashed against the jagged shore. An eternal struggle to reach land. As far as any eye could've seen, there was nothing but a clean slate.

Pearl white clouds gathered in the distance, sucked together as if by a deep breath from the heavens. The strong wind created a wave big enough to touch the clouds, but even it couldn't tear down the cliff's defence. The sky darkened as the clouds rolled in like an avalanche, blocking the clear, blue sky to nothing but a memory. Once they reached land, they were dark as nightmares. Yet still, they gathered closer, forming a torrent that hurled waves through both sea and sky.

A pinprick of light turned into a flash and Calux, a deity of heat and light, came crashing down like a comet. An earthquake shook the fragile ground, their impact sending dust and sand flying for miles. They rose and reached a glowing, scaled hand towards the swirling clouds. Out of it stepped Euritus, a deity of wind and movement. They reached out a translucent hand to take Calux's and stepped down through thin air as if walking on soft stairs. Each movement created a gust of wind that made their long, reflective hair flow like a mantle over their shoulders.

Euritus led Calux further inland, glowing with delight at Calux's concealed anticipation. Wind and waves set the rhythm as they moved over the continent to dance to their spirits' desires. The eye of the storm followed the two lovers, drawn to Calux like mist to a summer sky and dispersed by the whirlwind of Euritus's swirls.

Wherever they stepped, an imprint was left in the ground. Footsteps the size of valleys. They danced until the storm had dispersed, until the sun had set, and until they simply couldn't stand. Exhausted, they sat down on the cliffs overlooking the water to rest their feet in the cool sea. Steam rose from Calux's touch and Euritus huddled close. The waves were calm and still, reflecting the night sky like a living mirror. As they sat on the cliff, their weight pressed it down, allowing the waves to finally create a soft beach.

At dawn, Calux and Euritus had regained their strength and walked hand in hand into the sea. They took a last look at the land and swam back home to the horizon without end.

Without Calux's heat to keep the water aloft, rain began to pour. It filled the valleys left by the deities' steps, creating a myriad of lakes. Rivers carved their way between them to reach the sea so that the water might one day join the deities.

With water came life. Reeds and grasses spouted, welcoming insects, fish, reptiles, and birds. The wind would stroke the patchy carpets of green while the sun played in the ripples of the fish. Saltaire, the land created by dance, was born.

In the northern mountains, people would look south over the transformed land in wonder. Those willing to leave their homes would find a place of buzzing abundance where the lakes provided anything a community could dream to want.

And though millennia of water have flowed through the land in the valleys and rifts created by the deities, their magical presence can still be felt by those willing to dance in their footsteps.

It is said that if the dance ever were to be reenacted, by either deity or mortal, Calux and Euritus would return to grace the world with their presence. Many have studied the steps hidden in the lakes, hoping to decode the dance. But for every passing century, the steps will be harder to read. Maybe it is for the best though. We wouldn't want them to dance again.