Ella.

“Ella!”

Ella.

“Come in from the cold.”

But Ella wasn’t cold. “I’m not cold.”

Ma breathed deeply. It wasn’t easy for her. They said she and Pa should never have adopted a human. They said lava monsters could not provide a good and stable home for a girl like Ella. But what did they know? Ella was fine. Ella was happy. She had so many friends. All of them made of lava. So what if they never touched? So what if a kiss or a hug would cause her to catch fire and die?

It was sometimes difficult for Ma and Pa to remember that Ella wouldn’t solidify into hard rock if she stayed out too long on a summer’s day. It was 105 in the shade.

And Ella was grateful, of course. To be adopted. By lava monsters.