| Board : | |
| Author : | |
| Subject : | |
| Date : | |
|
<b> <b> PHOENIX The king smiled grandly as he ushered his guests through the gilded arch of the alcove and into the royal menagerie. His collection of beautiful and exotic animals was a truly wondrous display, boasting creatures from kingdoms far and wide. His most prized capture sat confined in a small, steel cage that had been reinforced with ancient magic to prevent its escape. The legendary bird caused one noble lady to gasp in astonishment. "A phoenix!" Huddled as far back in its prison as it could, the phoenix stared solemnly through the vertical bars trapping it within. Its once vivid red plumage had dulled to a lacklustre hue of brown and its wings remained curled around its body day in and day out. Had there been room to spread its feathers, the bird would not have - the desire to do so had long been suppressed. The king and his guests moved on from one exhibit to another as the phoenix gazed at them with its sad eyes. Each day it endured the open mouths and awed expressions of those who visited the palace menagerie, and each day the will drained from its heart. It was waiting to die. ~ The waning moon rose to reclaim the sky, its pale reflection shimmering in the small teardrops that splashed silently onto the bottom of the cage. The chamber was silent, yet the phoenix could not rest. There, with the moonlight as witness, the bird threw back its head and let out a sweet, melodic call to serenade the other captured animals. Its song continued to echo throughout the room as the body of the phoenix erupted into flame, burning brightly in the darkness. The heat of the fire slashed through the bars of the prison, breaking the large, steel lock on the door and nullifiying the magical charm that had been put in place. It would never again hold another animal. The contained blaze gradually abated to reveal a blanket of ashes covering the floor; the withered old phoenix was no longer. But wait- Something shifted in the ashes. One claw thrust out from the soft, grey shell, then another. The body of a small bird emerged from the death bed of a larger, taking a cautious step out onto the stone floor. The phoenix, reborn from the ashes, spread its trembling, inexperienced wings and took flight. Hovering in the air momentarily, the bird took one final glance around the menagerie before rising to soar out of the window, free at last. Without one being to witness this miracle and pass the story on, so the myth of the phoenix and its rebirth perpetuates. ~ Amyrlin | |