The Soul Circle

After finishing a good day's work, the magician went to speak with the wise woman. They sat together, across a small table. "Good magician, you seem tired. Had a hard day?"

The magician was too happy with the outcome to spend time feeling low. He cast a quick, gentle spell to revitalize his energy. "Do I still seem tired to you, wise woman?"

She watched with amazement as the old man rejuvenated, suddenly appearing younger and full of joy. She let out a short burst of laughter. "Your magic has always amazed me, good magician. Tell me, what spells did you cast today? What magic did you do?"

The magician drew a large circle on the tabletop. "I learned from you the power of the soul circle, wise woman. That within the soul circle, all is love. When a person acts from within the soul circle, impossible miracles become real. Today I cast spells to heal old wounds, and allow the living to commune with the souls of loved ones."

The wise woman recognized her wisdom in his description of the soul circle. "I felt so much joy teaching you as a small boy. You learned so fast. Now I listen to you, and witness what magic you create. I sometimes ask myself if your wisdom has now surpassed mine."

The magician thought about his time with the wise woman in his younger years. Then he had an idea. "Let us now return to those wonderful days, and remember…" He took a powder from the folds of his cloak, and scattered a little on the tabletop between them. He then manifested a small flame, and lit the powder. It smoked, clouding the room. "Can you see us now together, when I was a boy, wise woman?"

She peered into the mist. "Yes, good magician."

Together they reminisced in the mystical vision of their past days together. She watched how she had played with the young boy, teaching him wisdom through games and good example. Wisdom that surpassed her day-to-day memories of her life. She saw herself playing with the invisible dragon. Many times tears rose in her eyes, so precious were the memories.

The powder burnt out, the smoke in the room cleared, and the magician wiped the ashes from the tabletop. "So, do you still think my wisdom has surpassed yours?"

The tears in the old woman's eyes had not yet dissipated. "Perhaps not. But you have certainly become a wonderful magician."

The magician bid her a pleasant evening, and left the house. 

He called to the invisible dragon. "Let us fly together, good dragon."
The dragon swooped down, and the magician climbed onto his enormous shoulders, immediately cloaked by the dragon's invisibility. They flew in silence for a long time before the magician spoke. "Tell me, my excellent son. What did you do? You were not alive when I was a boy. Why in the mystical vision did I see you playing with the wise woman? This was an illusion, while the rest of the vision was completely real…"
The dragon hovered in mid-air, and looked far into the horizon. "I learned so much from you, my good father. But I realized in these past days that through you I am indebted to the wise woman. You taught me what she taught you."
The magician quickly began to understand. "And the first rule is, never leave the soul circle incomplete."
The dragon nodded his enormous, invisible head. "Yes. If I do not repay her, the soul circle will be incomplete.  So I cast a spell, to repay my debt."

The dragon beat his wings, and they flew onward into the night.

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The wise woman is alive and well and living in Australia