Edgar Allan Poe's The Legend Of Flame-Tongue

this is the story of how I gained and lost everything. I was raised in the burning forest. only burning trees and flame-tongue grew there. we never knew the cold as the plants kept us warm. flame-tongue was the only thing we ate as it was the only food that grew there. when my family and I ate the flame-tongue it crunched and popped staining our hands and teeth black. I like my family grew to love the burning sensation in my throat. we feared the wind as it would throw the ember nuts around from the burning trees covering us with bruises and burns. out tribe dealt with the pain for as long as I can remember but I always wondered what it was like beneath us. I stood at the center cross roads moving the hard ground with my feet. eventually I

had made a circle in the ground. I then realized I needed to eat as an ember nut landed softly at my feet I then wondered what it would taste like. I tried to eat it however it was like eating a rock. angrily I through the nut down grabbed a rock and threw it at the nut. there was a loud pop and the rock flew straight up and landed in my hand. I picked up the cracked ember nut and pried it open to expose what was inside. there were sacks of a clear liquid. I decided to eat it. the juices took away my words as I felt all my pains melt away. I could not describe the flavor as it did not have one I knew. quickly I ran to the village elders picking up ember nuts as I went. arriving at the elders home
I exclaimed “food new food!”
the elder was startled as if it wasn't possible. I placed an ember nut on the ground and smashed it with a rock making a loud pop. I pried open the ember nut and presented it to the elder. the elder regained his composure. he then took and ate of the ember nut. his eyes opened wide and he sprang up as if he were an excited child. the elder asked for the rock and an ember nut. I complied seeing the curiosity in his eyes. he placed the ember nut as I did and smashed it with the rock. the elder fell backwards as the ember nut let out a loud pop. as I handed him another nut I said
”sorry I should have told you about the recoil.”
we both shared a laugh. he tried again after giving me the ember nut he just opened. this time when the nut popped he didn't fall on his backside. he then told me that I was the first man of my era and as such may build my home where ever I would like. he then asked me to go and get the first boy of twelve or older that I find and tell him to bring an ember nut to him. I went back to the crossroads and started to dig. a boy walked up to me and asked what I was doing. I replied
“I am building my home as the elder told me I could. how old are you?”
the boy said that he was twelve.

I told him to get an ember nut and bring it to the elder. I continued to dig into the ground until the ground started to fall on top of me. I quickly climbed out of the hole confused by the feeling of dirt falling on me. I then dug up the entire crossroads about one hand deep.there was a large mound of dirt next to the hole. I went into the forest and collected as many burning trees as I could and a large amount of flame-tongue. I bought the supplies to the cross roads and started to bind the burning trees together with the flame-tongue and made a platform. I then placed the platform slightly under the edge of the hole in the cross roads. I stabbed a post into a hole in the platform and into the ground. it will help with the tunnel and make the platform stronger. I built a ladder and placed it in the hole in the center of the platform. I had some spare flame-tongue and decided to make a basket to help carry the dirt. I dug until I reached one of the posts and poured the dirt collected over the platform. I then remembered the large mound of dirt I left earlier and smoothed out the crossroads and tested if it could hold me. it felt sturdy as a rock. I continued to dig and made it to two more posts when I noticed a large gathering of people watching me

work.
one spoke ”boy what are you doing?”
“I am digging and making a home.” I spoke aloud for all to hear.
“digging? why do you wish to live under the place we walk” asked another
“digging is simply moving the ground around in a way that makes a hole. why do you want to live where your home burns you and the wind gives only abuse?” I said stunning the crowd.
it was at this time the boy from earlier returned. with a frown he said “i couldn’t open the ember nut” he turned to the one of the larger males to his right and said “get an ember nut and go to the elder”
the male went due to the elder being mentioned. i went back into the tunnel and went back under ground and dug reaching two more posts.
“what is the elder doing with ember nuts?” said someone in the crowd.
“he is separating the boys from the men and the women from the girls by whether they are strong enough and smart enough to open a nut.” added a dramatic pause”I was the first to open the ember nut that the elder and I know of.”
to be continued