Way back, when the world was brand new, people lived on Earth. But oh, they were a bit chilly! They didn't have warm fires to cook their food or light up the dark nights. They shivered a lot and ate their food raw. It wasn't very cozy.

Now, up on a big mountain called Olympus, lived the gods. The boss of all the gods was Zeus. He had a booming voice and could throw lightning bolts! Wow!
There was also a very clever giant named Prometheus. Prometheus liked people. He saw them shivering and thought, "Those poor folks! They need some help."

Prometheus went to Zeus. "King Zeus," he said, "can we give the people fire? It would make them so much happier and warmer."
But Zeus shook his head. "No, Prometheus! Fire is for gods. People are fine without it." Zeus could be a bit grumpy sometimes.

Prometheus felt sad for the people. He thought and thought. Then, he had a super sneaky idea! He found a long, hollow plant stem. Quietly, very quietly, he tiptoed up to where the gods kept their special fire. He touched the end of the stem to the flames, and a little spark jumped inside! He hid the spark carefully and hurried back down to Earth.

He showed the people how to make a fire with the spark. "Look!" he said. Soon, warm, crackling fires were burning. People cooked their food – yummy! They had light at night and could see. They learned to make tools and build cozy homes. They were so happy!

But up on Mount Olympus, Zeus saw the smoke from the fires. He looked down and saw people happy and warm. Zeus was NOT happy. He was furious! "Prometheus!" he boomed. "You disobeyed me!"

Zeus was so angry that he decided to punish Prometheus. He had Prometheus taken to a tall, lonely mountain. There, Prometheus was chained to a big rock. And every single day, a giant eagle would fly down and peck at a part inside him called his liver. Ouch! And every night, he would heal, only for the eagle to come back the next day. It was a very, very sad and long punishment for being kind.

Even though Prometheus was punished, people never forgot what he did. Every time they lit a fire to keep warm, or to cook their dinner, or to tell stories around, they remembered the brave and clever Prometheus who brought them the wonderful gift of fire.

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