The Wild is Born: Tom Blaze

One day, in the orchards of North Carolina, a loving couple was hacking away at the tallest tree in the grove. They just had a baby; a boy with eyes as bright as the moon and lips as red as their apples. His features seemed to shine in the darkness as perfect as the trees. They wanted the best for their little boy, so they called for the best woodworker in town to craft a basket using his most modern tools and with the finest wood. Now, this was a huge deal! By law, you were only allowed to cut down a tree if you really needed it. It was forbidden, with so little trees left in the world. Although the couple was aware of this law, they still cut and cut until the tree thumped on the ground.Little did they know, that the tree they cut down was one of the few Sacred Earth Trees, with the powers of the Earth stored safely inside. Once the baby was placed inside, the basket, the tree crafted inside granted earthly powers to the youngling. The powers mingled secretly with his cells. Without further notice, the earth found a savior.

With the powers of the earth, Tom grew quickly to be 200 meters tall and 20 meters wide! Soon he realized he could do many things with his new strengths.. First, he caught a rainbow and traveled to the north pole. To him, all the whiteness was just an empty canvas. So, he painted the northern lights in the sky to brighten up the coldness. Stroke by stroke, he created a natural masterpiece in the sky. Once he was done, a blizzard accidentally flew into his mouth and he sneezed! Mucus flew out of his mouth onto his just-finished paintings.The germs that got onto the northern lights blew and pushed them until the paint gradually moved and shuffled. The colors got free of the air’s grasp. Today, we know the work of art as aurora borealis, or the northern lights.

Tom Blaze was in his early thirties, looking for a bride to call his own. On that very night, luck struck. Tom met the beautiful Demena Soario. She lit up his world as he lit up hers. Soon, wedding arrangements were planned and put into action. The moment they were bound for life, the earth accepted Demena and she gained the same strengths her husband had. Unfortunately, two days later, they didn’t have enough time for their honeymoon! There was so much to do with so little time! Tom Blaze accidentally shot a piece of cheese he just was about to eat into the sky with great force. It got stuck in place and shined with energy. The moon now hides in the light of day, for he is afraid of the sun. He comes out when it leaves, and glimmers with the energy he saved for the night.

A whole year had passed since Tom and Demena’s anniversary. Tom didn’t have a gift for her so he went to his favorite cliff and cried. He wept so much that a small river of his tears was formed. The river flowed over the cliff, creating the world’s first waterfall. Tom stared at the sight of beauty, and it reminded him of his wife. So he placed the waterfall gently into a magical box and gave it to Demena on the day of their anniversary. All the birds in the continent guided them to a remote island. Once they set foot on land, Demena tripped! The delicate box shattered, and waterfalls flew on the winds of the south to travel to different places in the world.

Tom and Demena had a baby, granted with the strength of his dad and the kindness of his mom. Grown in a burst of maple leaves, Sean Blaze parted from his parents to follow the route of his dad. To this day, Tom Blaze travels silently around the world, disguised with his son’s help in the sky. He spreads his magic of growth every spring, to places all around the world. Gardens and beautiful landscapes everywhere rely on Tom’s powers to help them grow tall and strong. If you see the beauty of the wild, remember that it was Tom Blaze that allowed all that potential to blossom.