In a town far-away, in a house far-away, a young boy died. His mother found him, his neck snapped, and she wept. she carried him into a grave and still she wept; such was her weeping that it spread across the face of the earth like a disease of sorrow.
The first to rise were the plants, they were the most compassionate of things and pulled themselves from the weak soil to run and comfort the grieving mother. Trees, mushrooms, vines and flowers surrounded the woman and joined her in their tears.
Next came the metals, Gold, the softest-hearted of the metals, heard the sobs and roused his brothers: Silver, Bronze, Steel and Iron. "Brothers," said Gold "Do you hear that? It is the weeping of an old woman."
"Hah!" said Steel, the coldest and cruelest of them all. "Humans do not"