text: Mo and Bo lived together in a forest in Northern Ontario. More specifically they lived in a tent on the edge of a cliff by a lake. Mo was always taking good care of the animals who lived in the forest, including Bo, whom Mo humorously considered the most endearing animal of them all (Bo and Mo were both humans). Bo on the other hand was a bit more careless, but because of this Bo was more willing to be put at risk in order to protect Mo and the animals. Despite their differences Mo loved Bo and Bo loved Mo. That is, despite even their different needs for the bonfire they kept outside to warm themselves in the cold winter nights, they found a way to live harmoniously. Mo didn’t need much heat from the bonfire to feel warm, so if too much lumber were added to the fire Mo would feel hot and uncomfortable. Bo felt cold fairly easily, so if not enough lumber were added to the fire Bo would feel cold and uncomfortable. Most nights they would keep the fire at a nice even level. Mo would be okay with keeping the fire a bit warmer than Mo needed, if it meant that Bo would feel a bit more comfortable. Bo would be okay with keeping the fire a bit cooler than Bo needed, if it meant that Mo would feel a bit more comfortable. Sometimes Mo would even add a bit more lumber to the fire to make it warmer, because Mo wanted Bo to be happy. In the same way Bo would sometimes add less lumber to the fire to make it colder, because Bo wanted Mo to be happy. One very cold night however, Bo decided to add more lumber to the fire than usual, Bo thought Mo would not complain, as it was a very cold night after all. But alas, when Mo and Bo sat down by the fire to stargaze Mo started to feel a lot warmer than usual, even though Mo hadn’t added any extra lumber that night. Mo was uncomfortable about this. “Bo did you add more lumber to the fire tonight?” asked Mo, cautiously. “Yeah it was really cold today so I thought you wouldn’t mind if I added some extra lumber.” replied Bo, with a defensive tone. “Well I’m really warm right now” Mo retorted, grabbing the iron stick they kept by the fire and pulling some of the lumber out. “How could Bo not care about how I feel?” Mo thought. Bo was visibly frustrated, Mo was deliberately removing lumber to make Bo more cold! “How could Mo not care about how I feel?” Bo thought. “I’m freezing cold now Mo, what’s the big deal?” Bo furiously inquired. Bo grabbed some of the extra lumber they kept some feet away from the fire and threw it into the flames. This time, Bo added more lumber than the first time, and the fire was even warmer now. “Well I’m really hot with all that lumber, don’t you care?” Mo exclaimed and once again removed some lumber. This time, Mo removed more lumber than the first time, and the fire was even colder now. This back and forth continued, Bo added more lumber, and Mo removed more lumber, each time the temperature of the fire getting more extreme and Bo’s and Mo’s temperaments likewise. Bo and Mo were no longer acting like themselves - Bo wanted Bo to be happy, Mo wanted Mo to be happy. Mo became exhausted of this tug-of-war and to create a stop to this Mo started throwing the lumber they removed down the cliff and into the lake. Bo was not happy at all about this “Why are you doing this? Can’t you see how much I’m shivering?”. In fact at this point the fire was so weak even Mo was shivering, but Mo was so upset that Bo would make the fire so hot it would hurt that Mo preferred to feel cold. The back-and-forth continued, but each time Bo had less and less lumber to feed into the fire. The fire got weaker and weaker, and Bo could no longer sustain a fire warm enough. Noticing Mo was also cold, Bo gave up, hoping that Mo would start adding more lumber themself. Maybe without Bo’s pressure, Mo would feel comfortable with a warmer fire. But what Mo gave Bo was what Bo least wanted, and least expected. “This fire is so weak there’s no point in even keeping it alive, we might as well light it off. We can each just build our own fires and go our separate ways.” Mo said, in a sad, defeated tone. This is not what Bo wanted, Bo didn’t want to lose Mo, and deep down Bo knew Mo didn’t want to lose Bo either. Mo cared for Bo and didn’t want Bo to feel cold. Mo also cared for Mo and didn’t want Mo to feel hot, so even though it hurt, Mo thought this seemed like the best solution. “I don’t want that, you can build the fire and add as much lumber as you want, I’m okay with feeling a bit cold.” Bo finally managed to respond after a long silent pause. “No I care about you I don’t want you to feel cold, you’ll feel warmer somewhere else.” Mo said. Bo knew this wasn’t right, and for very good reason. “There’s nowhere in the world I’ll feel warmer than in your arms.” Bo, with a calm yet poignant demeanor told Mo. Bo’s and Mo’s eyes locked for what felt like minutes, and before moving their gaze away Bo saw Mo’s eyes slightly brighten up. Reluctantly but with a more relaxed tone, without saying anything Mo grabbed a piece of lumber that was still lying around and threw it into the fire.