A parable about sex and relationships

The Tale of the Fading Fire

In a small American town nestled between rolling hills, there lived a blacksmith named Mike, famous for his sturdy horseshoes and sharp tools. His forge was always alive with the roar of flames and the rhythmic clang of his hammer, earning him admiration from the townsfolk. But one day, Mike grew complacent. The coal ran low, and he thought, "Why bother stoking the fire today? It can wait until tomorrow."

Days turned into weeks, and the once blazing forge grew cold. Mike noticed his hammer strikes lacked their usual power, but he shrugged it off.

One afternoon, his neighbor Laura, a spirited single mom, stopped by to pick up a new horseshoe.

"Mike, what's happened to your fire? It's gone out?" she asked, her eyes scanning the darkened forge.

"Eh, I’ll light it tomorrow," Mike replied with a lazy wave of his hand.

"Tomorrow?" Laura raised an eyebrow. "Mike, fire is like passion. If you don’t tend to it every day, it dies."

Mike chuckled nervously but didn’t act. Days passed, and the forge stayed lifeless. Customers dwindled, and Mike found himself alone more often than not. Finally, he decided to reignite his fire. He grabbed the flint and struck it over and over, but the spark wasn’t enough to bring back the flames. Frustrated, he sat down, feeling defeated.

Just then, Laura appeared, holding a small pot filled with glowing embers.

"Need a hand?" she teased, her smile warm but knowing.

"I brought you fire, Mike. But remember: if you don’t keep it burning every day, I won’t bring it again."

Grateful, Mike took the embers and stoked his forge back to life. The flames roared, and his business flourished once more. But something gnawed at him. He decided to visit Laura to thank her properly.

When he reached her house, he saw her carrying another pot of embers… into the garage of the new mechanic in town.

"Laura, what’s going on?" Mike asked, frozen in place.

She turned, her smile as sharp as ever. "Mike, I told you. Fire is like passion. If you can’t tend to it, someone else will."

Mike stood there, watching her walk away. From that day on, his forge never grew cold again. But the warmth in his heart… well, that was a different story.