In a land in the Southlands, on a day when the sun was high and the air filled with water, the Fire Demon and the Wild One took it into their heads to wrestle one another.
The Fire Demon and the Wild One shared a Bivouac. Within the Bivouac, all was harmonious, but there was some contention as to the control of the grounds. Although each had a room of his own in the Bivouac, each had a Place in the grounds out of doors, since everyone (and especially those two) needs a bit of space.
Usually, when the Fire Demon desired be confined in his Pit, the Wild One would be away or in his room in the Bivouac. Often, when the Wild One wished to be confined in his Cage, the Fire Demon would be working in the Bivouac, or out disporting himself among the unsuspecting. Sometimes both of them would be happily in their respective Places, ignoring each other or calling greetings across the ground that separated Cage and Pit.
Then one day the Fire Demon, who may have been deranged by the air filled with water, conceived of a desire to confine himself in the Cage of the Wild One. The Wild One, being no more than normally deranged, had no desire to change his place for the smoky Pit of the Fire Demon, and refused. The Fire Demon suggested that the two might share the Cage as they shared the Bivouac, but still the Wild One barred the door to the Cage. With both a roar of fury and a laugh of delight, the Fire Demon grabbed the Wild One by the shoulders (this was in the days of the youth of the Wild One, and his shoulders were not so broad as you will find them now). The Fire Demon attempted to roll his companion out of the way, so that he might enter the Cage and bar the door from the inside.
The Wild One was not to be moved, and he took the hands from his shoulders, twisted their owner around, and caught him in a body hold. The ensuing melee was noisy, but not so destructive as it might have been, had the sun not been high and the air filled with water.
The Girl inside the Bivouac (who is now telling you this tale) heard the fracas, and continued to read her curious tome. She had much experience of both the Wild One and the Fire Demon, and had no thought that there might be serious damage. The noise of their wrestling reached her ears with great grunts and laughter, but because the sun was high and the air was filled with water, she ignored the fighting pair.
Eventually there was a lull in the grunting and an increase in the laughing, and the two strode toward the Bivouac, their disagreement about the Pit and the Cage forgotten. Due to the heat and the exertion, both the Fire Demon and the Wild One had developed a great thirst. They raced to that mystical box of cold called a refrigerator, the Fire Demon beating the Wild One to grab the container of ice water.
The Fire Demon took a long, satisfying pull from the container, his joy and relief detectable with every sense. The Wild One watched in admiration. "There is no one," said the Wild One, "who can enjoy water as much as you." The Fire Demon grinned back at him, holding the container. The Wild One asked, "Now may I have some?"
The Fire Demon, who may have been deranged by the air filled with water, or who may have simply tagged the Wild One as unsuspecting, smiled broadly. Holding the container of ice water with one hand, he reached to embrace his companion, saying with the drawl of the Southlands, "Y'know, Wild, I like you!" And with that the Fire Demon poured the ice water onto his head.
As the Wild One sputtered, the Fire Demon cackled. The Wild One was wily and wise, and he noted that the grip on the container of his laughing companion was no longer secure. The Fire Demon was unsuspecting until with a flourish the Wild One grabbed the container and poured ice water on to his head, saying with the drawl of the Southlands, "I like you too, Fire!"
The Girl (who, you will recall, is now telling you this tale) laughed at the sight of the two fierce creatures soaking and sputtering. When they hear her voice, the pair smiled slyly, and advanced.
"We like you, too, Girl," they said with the drawl of the Southlands, and doused her with the rest of the ice water. They laughed at the sight of her gasping and squealing with the cold. Soon, towels were handed out all round. As they dried their heads, the Fire Demon mused, "Now who else can we do this to? We have many unsuspecting and gullible friends."
And so it was that in the Southland, when the sun is high and the air is filled with water, those who remember the Wild One and the Fire Demon (and sometimes the Girl) act out the Ritual of Liking.
