Candles and Darkness - by Chevalier

==========================================================================


                       " Candles and Darkness "

                                                        For Tehanu

==========================================================================



Sometimes, the little one is afraid. Alone. Scared. Darkness engulfs
her, engulfs her life and her thoughts. Ghosts seem to creep around,
just out of the corners of her eyes, out of reach.



Quickly, she reaches for a match to            *
light a candle. Scriitch...tiny squeek         (
of the match as it scratches the box...         )
-- explosion of light for half a second       ((
-- then the tiny little light starts to      )) ))
   die already on the piece of wood.        ( (   )
Darkness suddenly aggresses - angry - who    ))  ((
dares to push away the heavy, scary          .____.
darkness of the souls?  - Meee... says a    (|::::|(-------------------.
sofffft little voice, almost inaudible      )|::::|)___________________|
in the distance.  It's the dying light.     (`----'
Even dying, it defies darkness.              ~    ~ -Lee Thompson-Herbert-

Quick quick -- where is that candle? no
no! don't die little flame...  don't...

And the flame flickers.


But another soft voice answers - here, here I am,
little one. Aren't you always carrying your                /\
candle with you to light your paths?                      /  \
I am here... The voice is soft.                           \/\/
The heart beats more slowly, the little one                ~|
carefully asks the dying light                            !~~-!
to marry the candle's tip..                               |` ,!
                                                          |'` |
                                                          |   |
The flame flickers and dies... The tiny                   |   |
blue flame extinguishes -ghosts again                     |   |
all around - but what? The candle slowly                  |   |
awakens out of the flame death.  As the                   |   |
match dies, the tiny light, desperately,           _______|___|_______
even blue, grapples the candle - slowly            \                 /
the light grows up again and the candle             \_______________/
pushes away the darkness.                            -Clinton James-

Darkness tries to fight - attack!
confusion, despair, abandon ---NO!  The
little light, so tiny, is like a shield.
...Yet so tiny it can barely light
itself.  Shadows dance all around now.
                                                           /\
                                                          /  \
-- Please don't go out!                                   \/\/
                                                           ~|
-- I won't. I am tiny but i am here.                      !~~-!
                                                          |` ,!
                                                          |'` |
                                                   _______|___|_______
                                                   \                 /
                                                    \_______________/



-- But what will I do when you are spent?  Who will light my life?


-- It will be morning and the sun will shine in your life by the
   time I am spent, answers the strange voice.


-- Why do you bring light, candle, if you also bring shadows?


-- How could you enjoy my light, little one, if i did not bring the
   shadows with it?


                                                   . . ...
                                                .:::'.`:::::.
The wax slowly burns. From time to time        ::::::  '::::::
- pouf - tiny sound of a heavy wax drop       :::::: J6  ::::::
falling, crashing as softly as velvet on      :::::  HMw  :::::
the ground, disappearing already in the       :::::  WNM  :::::
darkness below. No! No! Don't go, little      :::::: MAM ::::::
drop of wax. But it's too late - the wax       :::::.`;'.:::::
is already lost in the darkness, cold            ::Mmmmmmm;:
and hard. --Don't cry little one, says             KKKRRMMA
the soft voice again. I am made of                 KPPPP9NM
hundred of tiny little drops of wax. -             K7IIYINN
small tears of blood run aimlessly down            Klll1lNJ
the candle, drip slowly, irregularly...            Klll1lNR
- pouf - and run away in the darness...            Kl::1lJl
                                                   L:::1:J -Jacob Roseose-
                                                   L:::!:J
--Does the light extinguish                        L:::::l
because I cry, my little                           l:..::l    dWn.
one? --Why do you cry?  --I                  ,nnnnml:...:lmncJP',
cry my blood to make light.       :::::::;mCCCc'pdPl:...:l9bqPyj'jm;:::::::
My soul burns as i comfort        ::::::OPCCcc.9b::;.....;::dP ,JCC9O::::::
yours - nothing else              ::::' 98CCccc.9MkmmnnnmmJMP.JacOB8P '::::
matters, little one, says         :::    `9qmCcccc""YAAAY""roseCmpP'    :::
the soft voice. The voice is      :::.     ``9mm,...     ...,mmP''     .::.
like a murmur.  Thank you         :::::..       "YTl995PPPT77"      ..:::::
says the little one...  but       :::::::::...                 ...:::::::::
the candle doesn't answer...      ::::::::::::::::.........::::::::::::::::
its light seems like a warm smile,
enveloping the little one like a cloak of care...

Soon the little one slowly falls asleep in the silence, inside the
circle of space shielded by the candle... inside the light.

When she awakens, the light is gone
   -- the candle has died during the night
   -- but the sun shines high in the sky again.

In her bag, she finds another candle, all new and clean,
  that waits for the next night.


                        Nico    15/09/93
                          (Chevalier)


===========================================================================