Adversary: A Campfire Story – Episode One

Adversary is a four-part miniseries. This is Episode One. You can hear an audio version read by the author here.

If you enjoy the story, please share it with your friends and family!

Adversary

Episode One

The Humanity

Flames of red and orange licked up the dry logs, leaning on each other like a neat teepee.

Eight-year-old Aidan stared, blinking only when the breeze guided the smoke to his eyeballs. He did not like smoke in his eyeballs, no sir, especially if it made them want to cry.

Babies cry about everything—men cry about important stuff, Aidan’s dad used to say, and Aidan knew for sure smoke in the eyes wasn’t an important thing to cry about. Death and onions, Aidan, his dad liked to remind him. Death and onions, no exceptions.

As the fire radiated, Aidan watched, hoping he’d see when the fuel would finally fall and send crackles to the sky. From teepee to dogpile, entropy at work—also a phrase from Aidan’s dad.

He smiled. Aidan knew his dad went to get the s’mores supplies from their car, which was in the parking lot about thirty yards from their campsite. Five tents ringed the campfire, and Aidan’s friends and fellow scouts milled about, but Aidanbarely noticed them. Something about this fire drew him in…

Timmy’s dad, a mustached man named Frank, called from behind Aidan. “Hey, Travis, keep an eye on your boy. You might have a pyro on your hands.”

Aidan’s dad, Travis, laughed from across camp to Aidan’s right, walking with grocery sacks. Aidan looked at his dad with a smile, spots dancing across his vision from the fire.

“He’s been a scout longer than any of the other kids here. If my boy’s a pyro, you bet he’s a safe one, earning every patch on that Tread Scout uniform.”

Frank grunted and crouched into his tent.

Travis put the bags by the cooler and started to organize supplies on their camping table. “Hey, Band-Aid, you about ready for s’mores?”

He laughed at the nickname. “Born ready.” Aidan turned back to the fire. Good, I didn’t miss the drop.

Someone walked up beside Aidan. He assumed it was his dad, but then a new smell interrupted the smoky scent. He’d smelled his dad’s cologne before, and he didn’t recognize this new aroma; it made him imagine making snow angels in a clearing in the middle of a thick forest.

He’d never pictured such a thing before. How can a smell do all that?

Aidan turned to see that the man beside him was a real-life mountain man. Brown moccasins covered his feet, fringed leather and fur covered his entire body, and his hat might have been a dead raccoon.

“Um, er, hi, mister. What’s your name?”

Aidan’s dad strode up beside Aidan. “Excuse me, sir, may I help you?”

The man spoke in a deep, rough bass. “I beg your pardon. I did not mean to startle or offend. I hoped I could maybe share the warmth from your campfire? My shelter is deep in the woods.”

Frank burst from his tent and sprinted over to Travis, almost knocking him over. He whispered one of the loudest whispers Aidan had ever heard an adult try to keep from a kid.

“It’s him, remember? The surprise guest Pastor B scheduled for the trip. Connie’s husband.”

Travis nodded slowly and approached the mountain man, who was actually shorter than Aidan had realized. The man’s presence commanded the campsite, yet Aidan’s dad’s nose came up higher than the man’s forehead.

Travis grabbed the man’s right hand with his own and shook. “No need to apologize, sir. Of course we will share our fire with you.”

“Thank you,” said the man. “Please share with me your names, and I will share mine.”

Over the course of the conversation, all the scouts and adult volunteers had gathered at the fire. They all introduced themselves and explained to the stranger a little bit about themselves and the Tread Scouts troop based out of their church.

Finally, the man addressed them all. “Thank you all. I am happy to share a fire with such a hospitable, strong, and loving group of individuals. Such character is key to surviving in the wild, as I have over the years.”

He paused for a moment; no breath or bird was heard—only the crackling fire.

The man’s eyes seemed to change color in the light of the shifting fire, and Aidan found a kind of fire in those eyes, though he tried not to stare because he didn’t want to embarrass his dad.

He continued with a warm smile. “You may call me Grizzly, or Mister Grizzly if you like. I live in these woods mostly alone, though I love to share company with those hospitable enough to allow it.”

The scouts asked Mister Grizzly all sorts of questions, and the adults simply listened and kept the fire going. Aidan found himself gazing at the flames again, even after the log teepee fell as expected.

Mister Grizzly talked about life in the wild, and he told stories of some of the animals he’d come across. All the kids were transfixed.

The sun had set, and Mister Grizzly feigned a yawn. “Well, kids, it’s getting late. I suppose I should go to my shelter… unless you’d like me to tell you a story?”

The scouts chanted, “Story! Story! Story!”

“Alright, alright, I’ll stay a little longer. I do have a story in my bones aching to be told. My story is an odd one, and an old one. Either you’ve never heard it before, or you’ve never heard it like this.”

“Tell us!” yelled Timmy.

“Yes, yes, where to begin. It’s not a campfire story, but I suppose the campfire is a place the story can begin. Go on, kids, adults, look at the campfire. What do you see?”

“I see fire,” one said.

“Wood,” said another.

“Right, right,” said Mister Grizzly. “Look closer. How would you describe this fire?”

“Hot,” said one.

“Bright,” said another.

“Beautiful,” said Aidan. His eyes dared anyone to challenge him. He knew words like beautiful and pretty were usually reserved to describe girls, but he knew he’d never seen anyone as beautiful as that fire. Maybe I am a pyro, whatever that is.

“Yes, Aidan,” said Mister Grizzly, “it is beautiful. Comforting, illuminating, entrancing. What’s more powerful?”

Nobody answered.

“Look at this fire. Now imagine the sun, a million times as bright, a billion times as big, a trillion times as beautiful. You must know, Tread Scouts, in the beginning and now and forever, your God who made this world you camp in, the God who made the stars you sleep beneath, your God…He makes our sun look like this campfire. He is ever brighter, ever hotter, ever more beautiful.”

“Wow,” Timmy said under his breath.

Mister Grizzly continued. “Our God is a consuming fire, yes?”

Aidan piped up, “I remember singing that in a song!”

“This truth is in many a song, but first it was in the Bible.”

One of the other scouts quipped, “I thought you were telling a story, Mister Grizzly. You a story-teller or a church-preacher?”

Multiple adults turned to correct the scout’s manners, but Mister Grizzly raised his hands in protest. “The boy is quite right. Where to begin…Ah, yes. Once upon a time…”

***

Once upon a time, there was a fire.

He was the biggest fire anyone had ever seen. All fire came from him, for he was, in fact, the first fire.

No matches could light such a flame, and neither could flint nor steel.

He was old, older than the world.

He wanted to give his fire away. He wanted to warm the world. So that’s what he did!

Fire put little fires all over the world. In the woods, by the oceans, on the mountaintops.

Each little fire he made was hemmed in by stones. They were contained so that many could go around them, and many would be warmed.

One bonfire was in a clearing on a wide hilltop overlooking a gorge.

The bonfire loved that so many could be warmed by his flames, and he loved that Fire had made him.

As time went on, he noticed some things.

First, he noticed that of all the little fires dotting the countryside, and indeed of all the little fires in the world, he, the mighty Bonfire, was the biggest, hottest, and most luminous.

Second, he noticed the ring of stones.

The stones surrounded him, and though his ring was bigger than all the other little fires, he began to wonder if he could be made bigger.

“I’m the biggest, hottest, most luminous of the little fires. But I want to be bigger. I want all to see and feel!”

He figured the notion was simply a silly dream, but a desire began to grow.

You see, the animals around any of the little fires all did the same thing. When they saw the little fires, they inevitably started talking about how big the original fire was, and how “Big Fire” had given the world these little fires.

At the sites of some of the little fires, they would mention how big and bright Bonfire was on the hilltop, but when they visited the hilltop, they spoke less about Bonfire and more about Big Fire, the original fire that had made him.

“I want to be a bigger fire, as big as Big Fire.”

One evening, Bonfire called out to the bear.

“Excuse me, dear bear, could you take that stone and move it a foot or two? I need some breathing room.”

With more room to breathe, Bonfire had more room to grow. He got other bears to move the entire ring of stones just a little wider.

After a week as a newer, bigger fire, Bonfire wanted to grow bigger still. One evening, he called to the monkey.

“Excuse me, dear monkey, could you take that stone and move it a foot or two? I need some breathing room.”

With more room to breathe, Bonfire had more room to grow. He got other monkeys to move the entire ring of stones just a little wider.

After a week as a newer, bigger fire, Bonfire wanted to grow bigger still. He wanted to be as big as Big Fire, and he knew he would never grow that big with these rocks in his way.

One evening, he called to an elk.

“Excuse me, dear elk, could you push that stone with your antlers and roll it down the hill?”

With more room to breathe, Bonfire had more room to grow. He got other elk to push the entire ring of stones to roll down the hill.

The stones were no longer in a ring, and they were no longer in Bonfire’s way.

“I am Bonfire no longer. I am Wildfire. I am the biggest, hottest, and most luminous. I am the Big Fire now!”

Without anything to hold him back or hem him in, Wildfire caught on the hilltop’s grasses, and he grew and spread to the forest. All the bears, the monkeys, the elk, and every other creature suffered under Wildfire’s rule.

Wildfire grew and grew, but still, he was much smaller than Big Fire.

Wildfire raged and roared, and he burned hotter and further than any other fire could.

Surely Big Fire will see my light! My glory!

Another week passed, and Big Fire made a proclamation:

“All fires will see a miracle take place.

Big Fire will give His life, His image, His likeness, and His glory to another.

Creation will shake when one of creation shall wear a crown.”

The cryptic message bothered Wildfire for a moment.

“This can only mean one thing,” Wildfire said. “Big Fire sees my glory! He sees how hot and luminous I am, and he sees that I will one day surpass him. He plans to give me his crown!”

Another week passed, and Wildfire could not contain His joy. Big Fire announced that today He would reveal the one who’d bear His life, His image, His likeness, and His glory.

Big Fire took the eyes of all the other fires and supernaturally brought them to a high cliff that overlooked a valley between two rivers. The valley teemed with animals, and groves of fruit trees held branches aloft, their fragrance wafting along the riverbanks. Not a single fire burned in this valley. Wildfire licked his flaming lips, ready for his crown.

Surely this valley is a gift for me—the One in Big Fire’s likeness! I will consume this place with my glory!

Big Fire drew all the eyes to a particular clearing at the side of the river. Here, the river was shallow, and it had a subtle enough grade that there were a few meters of clay and mud at the bank.

Wildfire and all the other fires watched as Big Fire reached into the clay and started to sculpt.

Wildfire started to laugh. He’s making a monument for me to bake, and the clay will stay for eternity!

Big Fire continued sculpting until Wildfire could make out the shape of a creature.

A new creature.

Bipedal, mammalian, muscular. It was similar to other creatures he’d seen, but Bonfire knew this was also unlike any other creature in existence.

What is this monument? Maybe the clay symbolizes a new creature that will serve as my slave. They will come to me and offer themselves as fuel!

The biggest surprise came with a breath.

Big Fire breathed into the slumped clay, and the clay lived.

“Behold,” Big Fire said. “My new creation, humankind—the one who bears my image.”

Fury filled Wildfire.

As a fire, he really believed he came close to Big Fire’s glory. For Big Fire to turn around and give His glory to humankind, a creature so small and vulnerable…

Disgusting. Unforgivable.

Wildfire shared his disdain with the other fires.

“That human is not made in Big Fire’s image! That human is no better than the trees that fuel us!”

He sought to destroy the man, for in Wildfire’s words: No creature so fragile deserves so much glory!

Wildfire tried to oppose Big Fire with the help of the fires who’d joined him, but Big Fire cast them away from his sight.

Wildfire wanted nothing more than to destroy that valley. He needed to show Big Fire what a terrible mistake He’d made. If the pitiful, vulnerable creatures Big Fire had given His glory to were eliminated, maybe He would see Wildfire’s strength.

Wildfire did everything he could to sabotage those made in Big Fire’s likeness. Wildfire–

***

Timmy interrupted, “That’s the worst story I’ve ever heard!”

The kids giggled.

Aidan raised his hand and started talking. “Mr. Grizzly, sir, I don’t think you got the story right. That’s not how the Bible tells it.”

Mister Grizzly laughed. “I thought we had us a group of scouts, not scholars.”

Aidan said, “We’re both!”

“Okay, okay,” Mr. Grizzly said. “I never said this was equal to a Bible story. Before you kids go around fact-checking me, I would like to remind you that you weren’t there. Give a mountain man some grace.”

Before Aidan could say You weren’t there either, another one of the boys said, “I liked the story, Mister Grizzly! Can you tell another one?”

“Actually, dear Tread Scouts, this story isn’t over. It’s only just begun. You see…”

***

The fires in this story are not mere fires.

In real life, Wildfire is the one we call Satan, or the devil.

Wildfire had called himself Lucifer—the bright morning star. He really thought he was better than Big Fire—God, Yahweh, the Maker of Heaven and Earth.

This Lucifer—oh, how I hate calling him that!—did everything in his power to defy the Lord of Hosts.

He successfully deceived the man and woman in their safe garden. But instead of rejecting his weak image-bearers—instead of destroying them all, and recognizing Wildfire—He did the unthinkable.

The perfect all-consuming fire, the holy Creator God, remained faithful to the people whom He loved.

These imperfect people fell into sin, and Lucifer knew they were doomed to be apart from God. But God did things that didn’t make sense.

He acted as if there was hope for these wretches!

He saw their nakedness and removed them from His presence—but He covered them with animal skins.

He covered the world in a flood to purge evil from the it—but He saved a remnant of eight sinners.

Over the years, Big Fire continued to perplex Wildfire.

The Lord Adonai chose a man and a barren woman to build a nation, a nation to make a covenant with and to establish His law.

Over and over, men and women sinned in the most heinous of ways—and the Lord God reached out to them, comforted them, and gave them hope.

Over the course of millennia, Wildfire’s hatred grew.

He wanted to undermine these so-called image-bearers. He wanted them destroyed! Still, no matter what he attempted, Wildfire always felt that Big Fire had gotten the better of him.

Finally, Wildfire discovered Big Fire’s real plan.

God would send his Son into the world as a human, and this God-man would save his people forever.

As a human! The audacity of such a plan.

For the first time, it seemed that Big Fire was quenching Himself.

In Lucifer’s estimation, humans were weak and fragile. Yet somehow, God would come to earth as a human?

The Creator of the universe would join humanity in their frailty?

What a foolish plan!

The devil thought about humanity’s weakness, and he laughed.

“Big Fire will enter His fragile vessel, and I will break Him.”

God became man. The Word became flesh.

The fire became wood.

The baby was born, and Wildfire tried to take Him out, but even an evil king and his deadly soldiers couldn’t slay the child.

The baby was protected by God and angels, but the Wildfire called Satan waited patiently.

All he needed was one shot. One opportunity, and he would show Big Fire how weak humans truly are. If weak humans bore His image, surely He would see that Wildfire had surpassed His glory.

Thirty years passed, and Wildfire watched and waited.

In that time, the boy’d lost his earthly father. He’d experienced pain, yet He grew in stature and favor.

Now, Wildfire watched as He stepped forward to be baptized by His scruffy cousin.

The clouds parted, and Wildfire yawned.

The Spirit descended upon Him as a dove, and Wildfire shrugged. That same Spirit had come upon Samson, and he was compromised rather easily.

The voice of Big Fire spoke from the clouds.

“Behold. This is My Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Wildfire forced a chuckle. “That was different. Still, He’s weak. This changes nothing.”

It was from his perch, watching all this, that the one called Lucifer decided to follow the Son into the wilderness.

The wilderness was where humans went to be tested.

Here in the wilderness, Big Fire will see His mistake.

“The Fragile One will break, and all will see the true glory.”

With these words, the Adversary devised his test.

***

“The end.”

“Noooo,” groaned the kids.

Aidan said, “You only just started the real story.”

Travis said, “It is getting late. We should be going to our tents.”

“But Daaaad!”

Mister Grizzly said, “I don’t know how long you men are camping here, but if I find your fire again, I will continue the story.”

After more farewells from the dads and protests from the kids, Mister Grizzly hiked into the darkness of the forest.

In his sleeping bag, Aidan fell asleep wondering about this mountain man who seemed to know so much.

He still didn’t know if he was a pyro, but that night Aidan dreamed of fires.

END OF EPISODE ONE