This is one of many original, free children’s stories for kids written and illustrated by Alex Inglewood,
with help from GPT-3 and Stable Diffusion
For ages 6+
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Our Story Begins…
Calum had always been a bit of a loner and loved spending time in the forest, exploring its quiet pathways and hidden corners. He had always been a bit of a skeptic of the stories her friends would tell of their magical powers. But one day, Calum discovered that he had them, too.
The young man found that he could create fire by just thinking about it. One day when he was out in the forest on a cold chilly day, he thought about how nice it would be to warm his hands over a small fire, when suddenly a warm camp fire appeared out of nowhere with a loud poof! At first Calum thought a hidden mage or witch had created the fire, but there was no one else around. Calum quickly put the fire out and headed home.
It was dark when he got back to his house. Thinking he needed to light the candles and lanterns, they lit themselves at the thought. Now he knew for sure he was the one who did it! Calum was excited by his newfound powers and began to use them to help people around the village. He was happy to know that he could help them when they needed it, and that they could always count on him to be there for them. Soon word spread and he started making the rounds of the village each day, keeping the kiln of the blacksmith lit, starting the fire in the baker’s oven and lighting the lanterns that filled the square at night. The village became a pretty beacon of light with Calum’s warm fire.
But some villagers were scared of Calum. Even though he was using his powers for good to help others and make life easier for them, they believed his magic to be a source of evil. They avoided Calum and whispered mean things behind his back. Sometimes he saw them put out the candles and lanterns and fires he lit, and restart them using the old fashioned way with flint.
One day, the baker’s house caught fire. No one was hurt and the baker and his family claimed it was just an accident, but the whisperers spread rumors and lies, blaming the fire on Calum. People began to avoid Calum, thinking he may be a danger after all. Folks started saying that he was unnatural and began to call him names when he walked by. Doors stopped opening for him when he came to light their fires. Callum became very sad and started to walk the forest alone once again. Eventually, he stopped lighting fires around the village.
As Calum was walking through the forest one day, he heard the sound of horses galloping. He returned to the village to find a group of bandits threatening all the villagers. If they didn’t give them all their food when they returned the next morning, the bandits would burn the entire village down. When the bandits left, the villagers were scared and worried. If they gave up all their food, they would starve when winter came.
Some suggested they flee. Others that they fight back. One person looked at Calum though, and asked him if he could help. Calum at first refused, afraid he may hurt someone and that he would be the evil person some folks said he was. But after much chat and reassurance from the villagers, he eventually agreed to help them.
The next morning the bandits came. The villagers had assembled and had some food for them. When the bandits saw how little it was, they started yelling and pushing people, saying they would burn the village down. Suddenly, great sparks of flame and light came towards them with a great woosh. Afraid that the queen’s army had come, the bandits ran away and left the village alone.
The village cheered. When Calum appeared from his hiding spot, the villagers cheered even louder. From that day, Calum and his magic fire were welcome everywhere they went. The village prospered and every evening it glowed bright. Every year they celebrated Calum’s victory by lighting lanterns in the village square, and he never walked alone again.
