Fifth Insight

But as the days passed, there grew an urgency within her and around her pressing for change in the world she
knew. The time came when the moon was in her full-blown glory and Aurora sat crouched in front of the furnace, fingering her figurine. “Why can’t our town be full of song and joy, like those other worlds in the universe?” she asked the figure as she traced his fine lines with her finger.

As if in response, the bird became suddenly hot in her hands, too hot to handle. She dropped it, and to her horror it landed just at the edge of the furnace.

The furnace began to spit and lash out its hungry tongues of flame towards the bird. “No,” cried Aurora, “you’ll melt.”

“Have faith,” the flames flickered at her, “look what we made together a month ago. Do you really want to carry on living just with your dreams of a possible new world?

Dare to push your friend towards us and be prepared to be amazed.” As if in a trance, Aurora did as she was bid and shoved the bird into the heart of the furnace.

As she did so a prayer escaped from her heart via her lips, a prayer for a world of joy and harmony. Instantly, in front of her, the furnace burst into life and she leapt back to safety. Hot wings of flame were fanning her and then the furnace reached up and towered over her, reaching for the heavens. She crouched in awe at what was happening, yet strangely felt no fear. She could not tear her eyes away from the furnace.

She was intrigued at what she was witnessing. The wings took solid form, a proud neck craned towards her; a fearsome beak was reaching out to inspect her. When all at once the phoenix, for that’s what it was, let out a deafening roar and rose majestically out of the flames. Aurora flung herself out of the way of the great bird, landed on her back, and found herself looking up at the most awesome spectacle. Perched on a broken wagon, the regal bird was checking out his brand new life body.

“Oh Ah Oooooh that’s better,” a distinguished voice crowed. “Free at last, at long last freedom.” The Voice heralded as the wings were stretched and the neck was flexed. “Oh it’s been a long time this time round,” he declared, hopping from one foot to the other, “freedom, freedom, freedom.” He had bviously not hopped for a very long time, and on the last freedom he lost his balance and went crashing to the floor.

“Oh my wings – too slow, too slow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow.”

Aurora, who’d been watching the transformation with utter amazement, suddenly began to laugh out loud at the spectacle of an exceedingly distinguished bird with such a regal head, hopping clumsily from one foot to the other before landing spread-eagled beside her.

The phoenix, with his dented pride, was not slow to rebuke her, “Laugh, laugh, you may do so, loud as you like, but imagine how you would feel if you’d been trapped underground for several hundred years in a lump of ore. Oh the freedom to be free, it’s delicious!” and he stretched out each claw on his feet and hopped from one to the other in sheer delight, this time maintaining his balance till the end.

Aurora felt rather humbled when she heard this. “Oh I’m so sorry,” she began, “I didn’t mean to offend you…”

“Oh please don’t apologise. Indeed I’m forgetting my manners. Goodness me, it’s been so long since I spoke to anyone or felt my wings stretch. Beloved child, thank you for releasing me, thank you, thank you.”

“Please, I don’t feel I’ve done anything special,” protested Aurora, “I am sure that it’s the fire that is really responsible.”

“Yes indeed to be sure,” rejoined the phoenix, “but you brought me to the fire remember, on two occasions.”

“I did?”

“Yes, yes surely you must remember.” The phoenix reasoned with Aurora, “First you brought the lump of ore to the fire to create the image of me, then you threw me into the fire to bring me to life. It is you I need to thank, if it wasn’t for you I would still be imprisoned in that lump of ore in the heart of Mount Doomid.”

“Well I’m sure it was just a coincidence really, anybody could have found that boulder.”

“Coincidence? Coincidence?” The phoenix looked as though he was going to take off he became so impassioned over the word.

“Yes,” Aurora replied perplexed; she could not understand what had inflamed the phoenix so.

“Oh my young friend, coincidence, there is no such thing in the world as coincidence. No, no sweet one, you brought this about yourself. Of that there is no doubt.” The phoenix leant towards Aurora to drive home his message. “Your thoughts and your dreams led you to me. And for that I am truly grateful. In fact, I would like to repay you in some way one day, if I may.”