I am flow, water murmurs, I am life and salt and tides; I fill oceans and seep into cracks, I move through the world and I settle into hollows.

You are weak, earth says. I am strong, I am solid. I am the base for growth, I am foundation.

You may say I am weak, water replies, but give me time and I will wear you down. I will erode canyons into your mountains, I will dissolve your caverns into stalagmites.

You may wear me down, says earth, but though I wear into sand, into dust, I will still hold you.

Air laughs as she blows through. You will not hold me, she says, I am freedom. I am boyuancy and change. I define life as breath, I bend the trees, I make the waters move. I am strong and independent.

You are fuel, crackles fire, you are the food that I consume, you are the wind that pushes my speed. I am energy and drive, I am destruction and rebirth. I am power; I will scorch your soils, I will boil your ponds.

I will extinguish you, bubbles water.

And I may speed you but I can also blow you out, whispers air.

And I can smother you, grates earth, like boulders rolling past each other.

Fire blazes up and then settles into a warm glow.

It seems we need each other, he hisses, not one of us is stronger than the other. We are better together. Water builds beauty into earth and earth guides water into shapes that sustain; wind can push dunes into earth’s sands and earth can guide wind into tunnels that make beautiful music. Wind creates the waves in water’s pools and water billows into air’s heights to shape the clouds. And I burn furrows into earth that allow new growth to sprout and earth fuels me into lava flows that create new land; I heat air into winds and wind pushes me into infernos. Water can tame me and I can vaporize water into new form.

We need each other, they echo. We are nothing alone.