The Boy Who Loved the Sun; or, The Curse of the Sea
There was once a boy who fell in love with the sun, for it was the kindest thing is his dreary existence. It provided warmth and light and crop, and the sun loved him, and kissed his cheeks every day with greater fervor than it did the day before. But the villagers mocked him saying the sun couldn't possibly love, for the sun was harsh and cruel. It baked their crops and dried their streams and if they hid not from it, the sun would scorch their skin till it blistered red as fire.
Yet the boy could not accept their accusations. Sometimes the sun's strength was too much for him as well, but it wasn't cruelty; for the sun was mighty, even that the strength of its love could not be withstood by mortal flesh. So day after day they mocked him and cursed the sun when it suited them and praised it when they thought it was deserved.
But the boy would not be disheartened. He thanked the sun for the warmth it provided, and forgave it when it scorched his crops. He thanked the sun for kissing his cheeks each day, and forgave it when the heat stung his back, and thanked them for their affection all the same.
The sun was so moved by this boy's devotion that they wished to give a gift like they never had bestowed before. And yet they could not create their gift alone. So the sun asked the sea to water his seed, and placed a bit of himself within the earth, until it grew into a marvelous plant with the most beautiful fruit ever to be seen by mortal eyes.
But the sun did not know that the sea was jealous of the love the boy and the sun shared. The boy thanked and forgave the sun time after time, but all the sea knew was the fear of ignorant men, who would not bother to learn of them or to thank them for safety or food. The sea let its jealousy ferment within the fruit, knowing that once the boy ate it, he would feel the sea's hatred until the day he died.
And so the sun presented its gift to the boy, and the boy's gratitude watered the earth. When he ate it, he was surprised that it tasted of bitter rage, but ate it without complaint, for the sun had given him such a wonderful gift.
To the boy's astonishment, after he ate the fruit, he sprouted wings, such was his desire to be close to the sun. And so he flew above the peaks. He flew above the clouds. He flew over seas of blue and white, until he could see the sun's beautiful face.
But his wings were not used to flying, and just before he could kiss the sun, he fell. He fell and fell, and the sun begged the sea to catch him, and so the sea did. But the hatred of the sea now flowed in the boy's veins, and try as he might, the weight of the hatred was too much, and the boy sunk into the sea, far from the sun, and died in the cold embrace of the sea. The sun wept bitterly and hid their face in their despair.
But the sun was old and had watched over the earth for eons, and knew that sometimes, friends would return; different, but the same. And so the sun planted more of its fruit, so that when the boy returned, he could taste and feel of their warmth again. The sea watered the sun's fruit and continued to imbue it with its hatred, so if he returned, the boy would feel the sea's anguish. Some of the fruit was carried to distant lands in the sea's rage, and other people stumbled across the garden, eating the fruit and discovering the blessing and curse found within. The sun continued to grow its garden, and the sea continued to curse them.
And so the sun waits for the boy it believed radiated far brighter than itself.