It’s as if my thoughts themselves emerge and swim about like goldfish in the shark tank of the page lying dauntingly before me. As they desperately swim into the deep blue waters, I find myself drifting farther and farther away, helpless to do anything but stare as one by one they are consumed by this monster. Finally, reluctantly, I close my eyes and instantly can begin to block out the images and numbers imprinted in my head. In the dark comfort behind my eyelids, phosphorus and barium are phoenix and banshee, sulphur and fluorine the sirens and fey. Above the world, I stand with bow at the ready, the elegant warrior to vanquish them all. With only so much as a thought, I lose myself in this world. Nothing escapes me, I always defeat the enemy and I emerge from my battles unscathed. In a sudden outburst of power, I push off from the ledge on which I stand perched and I can feel them unfurl with a blinding flash of violet, their tips stretching high to the heavens. My wings. My freedom.


Stretching them out, finding my balance, I quickly learn I can hold my own against the winds, as unpredictable as a pool of hydras. Gliding where the wild gales take me, my wings light up the sky with a wonderfully phosphorescent glow the colour of wild violets. They are accented by a cobalt outline pure enough to put the night sky to shame. Beautiful they are, I think with admiration, and give them a few extra flaps, leaving a faint trail of fading light in my wake…