Magical Curiosity

• Sofia Valdez, Grade 8
• Short Story
• 2012

Phoenixes are a symbol of life and purity, their feathers glistening with fire dust. But the ancient people soon forgot them and the Phoenixes of the Earth faded into a myth, a myth about a bird aflame flying with ease.

After millions of years, occasionally, was a dart of red, orange and yellow across the dark blue sky of night. Scientists marvel at the sight of this phenomenon always thinking theories of what it was. Maybe it was a sun traveling at lightning speed from Pluto or an asteroid that Martian aliens sent to conquer the Earth. Anything that people do not know they fear, afraid of something new and surprising will change their normal life.

Whoever could capture this creature or thing would be granted a reward. People started looking for it, in the various volcanoes of Hawaii, in Canada hoping it would appear with the aurora lights and in Peru were the ancient civilization of Incans worshipped various gods. But in the end no-one had found out what the mysterious fireball was.

People stopped looking and scientists began to look into other matters. It was a good thing too because the fireball only travelled at night, a few people claiming they saw something dart across the dark blue sky, a streak of fiery red, orange and yellow. Since these streaks of fiery colours can only be seen at night, campers often mistake them for falling stars but if you look carefully enough you will find that these falling stars have wings.

‘Falling stars’ or Phoenix? No-one will ever know.