🧿
You blink but this time the environment doesn’t seem to change a lot. A bright snow blanket rests on the ground, a few spruce trees dot the surroundings. You look around for clues. No sign of the sorceress. Come to think of it you can’t feel her magic in the air either. You glance at the sky, it’s a dark deep blue black, stars faintly twinkling in it.
You sigh in frustration, no idea where to even start.
Just when you are about to give up hope, a familiar owl glides through the air and lands on a silver birch near you. It settles comfortably on the branch, fluffing a few feathers into place.
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‘That was a cryptic clue, I’ll give you that. But don’t worry, we will find him.’
You open your mouth about to respond but the question trails off as the owl interrupts you.
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‘There! Look. Behind you!’
As you turn your head, you are covered by a fine wash of powdery snow as something red rushes past you. You bluster and spit out snow and shaking your whole body to dislodge it off you.
‘Quick! Follow the trail!’ the owl shouts and takes flight after the red figure.
Once your eyes are clear of snow, you watch figure rush ahead, leaving large waves of snow in its wake. Bizarrely as well, the shock waves of flying snow a red line flutters behind it burst aflame. The flame shoots straight up filling the dark sky in bright colourful flames. Greens, reds, oranges. The flames dance where the red trail drew them, staying high up in the sky. It is breathtakingly beautiful.
You point at the sky and shout in enthusiastic elation. ‘Fire! The one that sets the sky on fire.’
The waves in the horizon stop. The flames in the sky stay in their places flickering slowly. The owl glides back to you.
‘Well done. You caught his attention.’ The owl turns his head. You follow his gaze.
A bright red orange fox trots towards you. It’s coat bizarrely still bright orange deep into winter. The fox stops a few steps in front of you, studying you with curiosity.
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Satisfied it takes a seat and curls its tail around its front paws. The white tip of the tail glistens with hints of the flames in the sky.
You greet the fox hesitantly. The fox remains still, waiting.
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The fox flicks its snout up at the sky. He flicks it several times until you look up at the sky.
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Your gaze returns back to the sky. The flames moves and swirl into new shapes forming words.
YOU FOUND ME
​You gasp as you realise this is the fox’s response. You look back at the fox excitedly.
The fox points its snout back at the sky. The flames reform forming new words.
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YOU HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED.
YOU'VE SEEN EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO SEE.
You read the words a few times, making sure you read them correctly.
As you look back at the fox, he’s already disappeared. You look back at the sky. It forms a flaming fox for a moment before turning back into the flames that slowly licked the sky the very first time you saw them.
The owl lands on your shoulder gently.
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‘Hmmm… he is a cryptic one. I’m afraid you’re going to have to piece these clues together for the right word.’
‘Oh look there’s more!’ The owl exclaimed his beak pointing towards the sky.
The flames morph and move, separating into two separate shapes. One morphs into the outline of the fox you just met. It moves as if alive, pouncing around in the sky its tail swishing behind him. It jumps and leaps through the sky. A shape on the right turns into a solitary flame, it flickers in place. The fox takes one last leap and lands in front of the flame shape. It regards the flame before encircling it with its body. You see the shape of a fox swirling around the flame for several long moments.
The flames merge and lick across the sky until a new image appears. Two words keep repeatedly flashing appearing.
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FOX
FIRE
FOX
FIRE
You wait several long minutes hoping for more clues. Nothing else appears.
You are reminded of your feathery friend when he hoots softly on your shoulder.
‘Time to go back’
Feathers are the last thing you see before you arrive back at a familiar place.