Vulnerability is something we instinctively reject because we are taught from kindergarten on that we must protect ourselves, control our behavior and our lives. But, in becoming man for us, Christ made Himself totally vulnerable for us in Jesus of Nazareth, and it is not possible to be a Christian while refusing to be vulnerable. ~ Madeleine L'Engle, Walking on Water
"Don't be afraid!"
Mako has seen Korra use waterbending to help her swim or even turn water into ice; but this is the first time he's ever seen her walk on water in its liquid form. It isn't still, calm water either; it's the churning water of the sea moving into Yue Bay. Somehow she is able to keep the water firm under her feet, buoying her up even when her weight is concentrated in that small area.
He can't tell whether or not she's doing it to show off. She looks back at him, smiles invitingly, and gestures for him to follow her.
"Come on."
Mako wants to respond, You know I can't. But this is Korra he's with; she's the most powerful bender he knows; and in any case, he trusts her with his life.
He takes one foot off the dock and lowers it experimentally to the surface of the water. Through his thin shoes, he can feel when his foot reaches the surface. He can feel his weight shifting now, as he steps completely off the dock and onto the water. He focuses on Korra, trying to keep himself steady as he walks toward her. He notices the way the wind blows at her ponytails, and then feels the cold air on his skin; and then he realizes how the strong wind makes the waves rough around him. Water. Ever-changing. Always moving. Unstable.
The fear hits him like the wind pushing a wave to crash against a cliff.
Mako can feel the water rising around him as he starts to sink: it's already past his ankles, then his knees. He can't find his footing the way he did just a minute ago; he can't even remember how he did it.
"Korra, help!"
She's done waiting; she isn't going to leave him. Korra extends her hand and comes to him, catching him before his shoulders have gone under the water. Mako leans his weight on her, letting her pull him up, and somehow he is standing on the surface again. He keeps his arms around her shoulders, counting on her to support him.
She looks at him with an emotion he can't quite identify. It might be wonder, or puzzlement, but there is also sadness, like disappointment. "Why were you afraid?"
Mako can't answer. He feels embarrassed, almost ashamed, having doubted Korra. He realizes that it was not she who faltered, but he.
Author's Explanation and Analysis
This scene could be interpreted as a dream of Mako's, or as a real interaction between him and Korra. I know it lacks an intro and an ending, but I wanted to keep it simple that way. I wrote this the day I finished reading Walking on Water: A Study of Faith and Art by Madeleine L'Engle (author of A Wrinkle in Time). It's a wonderful book, especially for people who are artists and/or Christians.
Towards the end of the book, L'Engle talks about vulnerability, how it is scorned, but is essentially what makes us human. She goes on to say that Jesus took on vulnerability through the Incarnation; the invincible was made breakable. It got me thinking about the mythology of the Avatar, and how both Aang and Korra are shown having intense moments of vulnerability.
In the video game Escape from the Spirit World, Aang questions why the Avatar exists as a fallible human. "Wouldn't it be better if the Avatar was an all-powerful spirit that never died?" Yangchen explains that it's in order for the Avatar to experience human emotions, so that he/she can understand them and discern how to help them. In Christianity, this is the doctrine of the Incarnation: Jesus became human so he could share in our lives and emotions, and so we could better understand Him. He took part in our humanity so we could share in His divinity.
Incidentally, this way of thinking is a principle that L'Engle explores in her book: how art (including stories) can glorify God by carrying Christian beliefs, such as the Incarnation. It's different from reincarnation, as seen in the Avatar series, but the Incarnation is similar in its nature of giving a divine being a human form, as a bridge between physical and spiritual worlds. For Christians, those worlds are Heaven and Earth.