The air was hot, and I could feel it against my skin as a scorching embrace. It felt as if I was breathing in flames. My feet were struggling to move though the burning sand. I stop, and I look up. It was difficult to see in the bright light and the air seemed to tremble in the distance.

In this vast, arid place, I see something. I slowly start moving towards it and I distinguish a shape. It was a skeleton of an abandoned tower, and all the walls were missing. I slowly start climbing its stairs. At each floor, I meet people who passively look outwards, to the vast desert. Their eyes are lost and their will gone. My heart cringes with every face I see. I know them all.

I climb all the way to the top floor in hope that I will be able to see signs of life. There was nothing but emptiness, as far as the eye could see.

I carefully approach the edge of the building, I close my eyes, I hold my breath and, I jump.

I hit the icy water surface and, after a few seconds I feel my body came to a stop. I open my eyes and I could see nothing. Everything was pitch black. I could sense there was something lurking in the darkness. Fear creeps like arrows up my spine, numbing my body along with the cold. They have me surrounded.

I am still holding my breath and I have no sense of direction. I float, motionless, for a short while, in this silent abyss. I pause my thoughts and take control of the crippling fear.

I start dancing, with rainbow pois in my hands, spinning and twisting, faster and brighter. I sense the creatures are pulling away.  All the sudden, a whirlpool is created, and it absorbs me inside it.

I take a breath as my face pushes through the water surface. I open my eyes and I see a beautiful sunrise with waves splashing loudly against the rocks and birds flying over me. Close, there is a green seashore, stretching as far as the eye can see.

I exit the water and I walk along the sea line, feeling the bliss of the moment.

My feet are jumping from one rock to another, faster and faster, higher and higher. And then, I take one last leap, spreading my hands and turning them into white wings. I push as hard as I can into the air and my body lifts from the ground and into the morning sky.

The drums rhythm slows down until it becomes silent. Only the sound of the nearby stream gives the impression of passing time. I feel my body standing firmly on the hard ground and the air smells of sage. After a few moments, I open my eyes and I see the candle light flickering in front of me. And I hear a voice: 

What is your spirit animal?

Painting by Alex Grey - Firedancer.