Children of the Cabbage
For#4: Starless
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The gates of the city appeared in the distance. They seemed to smile upon the man pushing his cart in the hot sun. They welcomed him, and he could almost hear their gate-ish voices whispering to him, begging him for cabbages.
The merchant grinned.
He had traveled throughout the whole of the Earth Kingdom. Not in a single city had he found a safe place for his "children." Every city was filled with unruly children wishing to play a prank, drunken men who—at the wee hours of the morning—can't walk worth a copper piece, and the bane of the merchant's existence: the avatar.
Every where in the Earth Kingdom he was praised. "He's returned! He'll save us!" they all cry. So many love the kid, or are just happy to have a new star to idolize. The avatar is looked upon every where within the Earth Kingdom with high regards.
The merchant hates him.
In the merchant's eyes, the avatar is nothing but another unruly kid looking to trample on his precious cabbages. The little friends he brings along don't help either. So many footprints. So much destruction. He shivered at the thought.
Well, no more! The merchant had decided. If the Earth Kingdom condones such behavior from the avatar, then he would go to the one place where the avatar was not welcome. He would go sell in the Fire Nation. One step there and the avatar would be locked away forever.
The merchant laughed maliciously.
Wheeling his cart of cabbages into the Fire Nation city, he smiled in triumph. They were safe. His little cabbages were finally safe from the avatar and his air bending of destruction. He was safe in the city. A tear fell from his eye as he looked up to the heavens. Silently thanking whoever led him to this revelation, he pushed the cart to its new home.
There are no big "stars" in this city! None that would pester a simple cabbage merchant.He thought with glee. Turning his "children" into a safe alleyway he began to call out to passersby. He weaved such eloquent words ensnaring people to buy his merchandise; to give his children a home. "Cabbages! Get your cabbages!" was his cry.
So wrapped up in his euphoria, he failed to notice a group of young fire benders passing behind him. Young fire benders who, naturally, bend fire are always looking for new things to set aflame. Cabbages burn.
The merchant sniffed the air.
Turning around, he barely caught the ends of their shirts before they'd made it out of reach. He would have gone after them, had the sight before him not been so horrifying. In the one place he thought his babies would be safe from all harm, they weren't. Slowly the flames rose as they licked each leaf, burning a strange scent into the air with it. Charred remains of what were once glorious heads fell off the edge of the cart.
The cabbage merchant wept. And wept.
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The ending is a little fudged in my opinion, but it's not bad. It is passable my teacher would say. For MormonMaiden who requested one on the cabbage man. The starless theme may be a stretch, but I hope it's not impossible to get. I was trying to "open my mind to the possibilities."
-mycrazylife