Stone In Heat

Prologue

dear father,

it has been weeks since we last heard from you. although she is trying to hide her feelings, mother is beginning to grow worried. this is the longest we have gone without an update. the whole family misses you. this past year has been hard without you helping out with the farm. please write back soon.

i love you,

Luli

-

It has been five years since the end of the Hundred Year War. Only five years since the Avatar appeared once again. Growing up my Nai nai would always tell my little sister Haun and I tales of past Avatars. To her, learning about the past Avatars was just as important as learning about the history of the Earth Kingdom, if not more important. She would always lecture us about always looking towards our past idols for our future success. As a child, I never believed that. Why would I look at my past to determine my future?

I remember the night that Nai nai told us about when the Avatar first disappeared. The sun had just set after a long summer day. Moonlight shone brightly through the panels of my window. The lantern dimly lighting the room. I was only ten years old, Haun was eight. That morning, Mother showed us how to harvest rice for the first time.

"You two are beginning to grow older. You need to be able to help out around the farm more."

Huan pouted and crossed her arms in defiance. "Ma ma. Luli never helped when she was my age. Why can't I go out and play?"

Mother chuckled softly to herself and bent down so she was level with Huan. "Because my little dumpling..." she said and leaned in closer to Huan's ear. "You are so much stronger than Luli when she was your age. She would have never been able to carry this sack to the paddies. Let alone help with the farm" Mother said, handing her a burlap sack to store the rice inside.

Huan's eyes lit up as she took the bag out of Mother's hands. "Ha, ha! I am stronger than you" she laughed in my face. Mother looked at me with a sympathetic smile and nudged us outside to begin learning the family trade.

By bedtime, Huan and I were exhausted. We could have fallen asleep anywhere. But Nai nai insisted on telling us a bedtime story. It was one that could not wait.

We all cuddled up together on Huan's bed, the three of us barely fit comfortably. I was squished against the wall, Haun was falling off the bed. But it was worth it. Nai nai's stories were always the best. That night, Nai nai told us about the day she found out that the Avatar disappeared.

She was only my age when she heard the news. Late afternoon, a messenger came into the village frantically declaring the Avatar to be missing. Everyone was shocked. How could the Avatar just disappear? Was he dead? Will there be a new Avatar? What happened? But Nai nai was not shocked at all. Maybe it was her immaturity. Or maybe it was her wisdom.

"I don't blame Avatar Aang. I never blamed him. The poor thing was expected to do so much. End a war, start peace. And at such a young age. He was barely older than me at the time. Only a few years older than you two, my little beans,"  she said with a faint smile planted on her face. She ran her hands through our matching long black hair, making us even sleepier than we did before. "Avatar Aang is only be a few years older than me."

"Strange..." Haun yawned, looking up to Nai nai with droopy eyes.

"Is there a new Avatar, Nai nai?" I asked softly, feeling my eyes grow heavy.

"The water tribes have not reported signs of a new Avatar. Avatar Aang must still be out in the world somewhere." Nai Nai paused. Tension resonated in the air. I felt Nai nai squirm from beneath me. There was something that she was not telling us. But I couldn't put my finger on it.

"Okay little ones, it is time for bed." But at that point, we were already asleep.

-

When the Avatar returned, the entire village did not know how to feel. Everyone was so confused. Confused about whether they are allowed to be happy or upset. Happy that the nations finally has the chance to take back our land from the fire nation. Or upset that he disappeared for 100 years, leaving us to fend for ourselves and struggle to survive.

"An iceberg?! Who would have thought he was frozen in an iceberg this entire time?!" Nai nai exclaimed between sips of her oolong tea. "If I would have known, I would have swum to him myself." I held in a laugh as I refilled her cup. It has been nearly six years since she has told Huan and I the story of the Avatar's disappearance. I still remember the sense of unease from that night. There was a lack of balance throughout the room that couldn't be explained. But at that moment, everything finally felt balanced again.

"I am sure you would, mother," Father said gently before dismissing the conversation.

-

Now, the war has been over for over five years. According to Nai nai, most things are back to normal. Back to how it was like before the war. Half of the village disappeared, heading back to the fire colonies where they originally lived before they were sent to my village to keep us in check. They have lived with us for so long that I almost forgot that they are not Earth kingdom residents.

Ever since the fire nation left our village, our farm's supply began to dwindle down to barely enough to feed everyone, let alone enough to sell for other supplies. Without as many workers maintaining proper keep of the land, the farms are dying. Last year, Father volunteered to travel to the Fire nation in hope to convince some of our old neighbors to come back and rekindle their past life in the Earth kingdom.

At first, he would send the town a letter each week, keeping everyone up to date on where he is at. Some of the updates were boring, talking about how he found himself lost. But others were exciting, telling us about all the fun people he has met on his journeys. The whole village would come together to read about his adventures. Over time, a few new people would show up in town, looking for residence and employment. But not enough to make a great impact.

However, ever since he has made it to the heart of the Fire nation, Capital City, we received no letters updating us on his status. There has been no sign of life in over a month. The whole village has been growing worried, even the newcomers.

From that moment on, so much has changed within the village. Half the village's crops died, forcing us to ration our food supplies. We have been cut off from future trade with all the surrounding villages due to the lack of food we can supply.

But worse of all, Nai nai died. A week after Father's last letter, Nai nai passed away in her sleep. It was exactly like she would have wanted. Silently and peacefully. The whole village mourned for days. Her presence within the town was deeply missed.

But then something weird happened. Something that I hid to myself.

I began Earth Bending.