the_phoenix Sonya One day Sarah walked into the tiny book store. She ignored the clothing stores and gave disdain to the trendy cosmetic shops along the way. She walked triumphantly through the old fashioned doors of the Phoenix. It was a rather antique building but the store was famous for having rare editions of various books. There were a couple of velvet lounge chairs and warm reading lamps for those who wanted to try before they buy. Sarah pulled her fleece-lined black coat around her to stave off the chill that she carried in on her petite shoulders. She pulled her black hair behind her head and rubbed her fatigued eyes. The brown irises glimmered only momentarily as she glanced up at others in the store. She walked carefully among the narrow aisles laden with novels and informative texts. That morning Sarah had resolved to buy her own copy of the sacred Kama Sutra. She figured she might get a few extended glances but she didn't care. She had decided long ago that she would form her own collection of sacred texts and that this time she would walk out of the Phoenix's doors, or rather, wings, with the treasure under her arm. She was quite the romantic, often to the point of self torture. She was also hungry for knowledge, and the art of love was something she wanted to master some day. Some would say she's pathetic but she never cared. Her small olive fingertips traced their way horizontally along the titles in the romantic text section. It was a special aisle that had been set up just for Valentine's Day. She came across books that would help you to romance your lover or find your special someone. Sarah let out a faint sigh and realized that she had no Valentine. She had no dashing young man to sweep her off her feet or even take her out for bowling and hamburgers. She had no one to love, and she had no one to heal. Soon her eyes gleamed. There nestled between the self help books and adulterated fairy tales rested the Kama Sutra. It was a special edition featuring a burgundy velour cover with gold edges. It also had a satin ribbon for marking special pages. Sarah gently pulled the hefty volume from the shelf and leafed through it. Her eyes glowed as she beheld the beauty of the ancient Indian paintings. She became flooded with envy as she pondered whether she would ever experience intimate love as shown in the treasure that rested humbly in her hands. She began to wonder if Fate would pity her enough to give her a break from the horrible game she was caught up in. She closed it and carried it at her side. She decided to explore the store awhile more. She immediately went to the fantasy section and skimmed across numerous novel titles. She stopped and looked closer at the informative texts. She reached out to pull a large illustrated book that was about medieval lore. It was said to discuss various creatures such as dragons, phoenixes, unicorns, and griffins. As the book came sliding off the shelf it soon started to fall off the edge. Sarah tried to keep it from falling off but it soon tipped mercilessly over and immediately a third hand came to the rescue. She look up at her right to see a young man smiling at her. "Having trouble?" he said rather cheerfully. He carried the book in both hands and read the title to himself quietly. He leafed through it briefly. Sarah could only help but stare at him. She noticed his short brown hair and his hands. They seemed worn but she couldn't figure out what had caused their wear. She thought he was quite handsome. It then occurred to her that he would soon notice what she was carrying under her left arm. She became engulfed by a sense of embarassment but thought it didn't matter much anyway. Just then he glanced up at her. She smiled. "Thank you so much for helping me. I'm such a klutz," she said, trying to keep from blushing. "It's no problem. A gentleman always assists a lady," he replied rather seriously. She could see that he was beaming. "My name is Sarah," she said confidently. She reached out her hand to shake his. "I'm Andrew," he replied, smiling. He took her hand gently and shook it carefully. They released hands. He noticed what was under her left arm. "I always wanted to read that. Is it really as good as they say it is?" he asked. He couldn't help but smirk. "Oh, well um, it's informative. It has exquisite paintings. Here..." she replied, opening the Kama Sutra. She stood next to him and slowly leafed through some of the pages. She desperately tried to keep from giggling as he commented on how some of the images depicted body positions that to him seemed impossible to accomplish. As Sarah stood there next to him, amid the luxurious realm of books, he could smell her perfume. It was as if he was transported into a field of fragrant blossoms, but he could not trace what kind they were. As she was leafing through he glanced at her and noticed her lips. They were rather pouty and he could smell the berry lipgloss. He realized that when he touched her hand something had been exchanged, but he could not place what it was. "So, are you having a Happy Valentine's Day so far?" she asked timidly. She was still turning the pages even though she could feel him staring at her. "Not really. I don't have a girlfriend, let alone a Valentine," he replied rather sadly. "How about you?" he asked. "My day has been okay I guess. I don't have a Valentine either. This has got to be one of the worst holidays in existence. Only in our world would we have such a holiday that would exclude so many people," she replied bitterly. Andrew couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was so used to girls and women gushing and fussing over this holiday he dreaded. He was startled to hear Sarah's cynicism flowing forth like a stampeding river. To him it seemed wrong for someone as gentle as her to be so bitter. She closed the book then and turned to face him. They stared at each other for a brief moment. "So what are you looking for here today?" she asked, looking to see if he was carrying any books of his own. She saw none. "I don't know actually. I just felt like going in here and looking around. I've actually never been in here before but the store intrigued me from the outside. I'm a big fan of fantasy though. I'm lucky I came when I did huh? You would have had a disaster here," he said grinning. Sarah blushed and nodded, averting her eyes for a second. "So you know a lot about mythological creatures? I was wondering if you could tell me more about the phoenix. It's just that I've always been coming to this store and I don't know that much about the bird," she said pointing to the mascot that was hanging from the ceiling. As she glanced back toward him, she noticed his hazel eyes. They seemed to sparkle under the lights. "Yeah I've got plenty of time. Let's go over there and I can explain some things to you from this book," he said pointing to the reading area. He took the lore volume from her hands to assist her and let her walk over there first. He followed closely. It was not every day that he met someone with such interest in something he knew very well. They sat in two of the "comfort chairs" as Sarah called them. Many days after class she would stop by and read. The store manager never threw her out because she had been a faithful customer, even after the monster book stores began popping up all over town. Sarah had always found comfort in this cozy shop. Soon she started leafing through the medieval lore text and began asking questions. At first they were simple questions but they soon became more complex. Andrew explained to her everything he knew. There was not a single question that he could not and would not answer for her. Soon the minutes grew into an hour which then blossomed into 2, then 3. Sarah finally looked at her watch and realized what the time was. "I'm sorry, I have to go. I have so much to get done today," she said frantically to him. She could see in his eyes that he didn't want her to leave. She didn't want to go either, but knew she had to. As she got up he also rose at the same time. She noticed that and smiled inwardly. He handed the book back to her. "Hey, I know you don't have that much more time left to spare, but how about we get a smoothie? You know, a smoothie just to give ourselves energy. I'm sure it would help you later today with whatever you have to do," he suggested. She wanted to hug him then, but thought that would have been strange since she had just met him. She was taken aback by his suggestion though. Sarah had always felt that smoothies were one of her most favorite things in existence. She did not know what this meant. "I love smoothies! I always have time for one of those. Sure, let's go after I pay for these," she said. They walked over to the cashier who smiled at them both, but more knowingly at Sarah. The cashier noticed that Sarah was looking different today. Her usual somber look had faded and was now replaced by one of warmth and comfort. As they walked out the doors of the Phoenix, Andrew looked back up at the giant golden motif of the bird. Sarah noticed him staring at it questioningly, as if it could reply to him. She did not say a word though. As they walked down the sidewalk Andrew could only glance at her. She was the only thing he saw amid the cars and tall buildings. He was mystified and a bit fearful at the same time. She turned to him and smiled as they walked. "Thanks again for answering all those questions. I know I'm quite annoying when it comes to questions," she said matter of factly. As cars roared by and people passed Andrew simply listened to the tones of her light voice. "Really it's no trouble at all. I can't really get into that stuff with anyone I know. They always get bored by it," he replied. They walked over to the local Juice Jazz, a juice bar that Andrew frequented often. He immediately opened the door for her. Again, Sarah smiled inwardly to herself. Inside he ordered a berry mix and she ordered a pina colada. They sat at a small table and sipped the fruity, frothy goodness. The talked some more. They asked each other about their lives, their favorite foods, their favorite songs. After a few moments Andrew conjured up some boldness and asked, "I was wondering if I could call you some time. I'd really like to hang out with you again. No expectations, no obligations. We can just look through books if you want," he said rather nervously. Immediately he thought to himself that he was making a fool of himself in front of this intelligent young woman. He prepared himself for the impending blow she could wield. "I'd like that a lot," she replied quietly. She reached down and opened her black bookbag. She pulled out a Hello Kitty notepad and wrote down her name and phone number underneath. Then she wrote "The Phoenix" in cursive and dated it as "V-Day, the day of bitterness". She slided it across the table to him. He put his hand down to grasp it and it landed right on top of hers. Sarah felt the warmth emanating from his fingers and wanted to tell him not to let go but he immediately pulled his hand back and apologized. She lifted her hand and he took the little piece of paper. He looked it over, seeing the big white kitty face amid a rainbow, and smiled then placed it in the inner pocket of his olive green jacket. Sarah glanced at her watch again and remembered all the errands she had to run. It was now nearly midafternoon. She got up and he did immediately as well. She picked up her things and together they walked outside. Just then the wind began to pick up and as they stood out in front of the juice bar he watched as her raven black hair swept across her face. A strand landed on her lips. He reached up and swept it away. "I never do this," Andrew thought to himself. Somehow his behavior pattern broke in her presence. They were inches apart now. Without further hesitation Sarah leaned in gently and kissed his lips slowly. As she pulled away she murmured, "I'm glad you found me. I always knew the Phoenix would comfort me, but I never thought it would help me like this. Today was the best Valentine's Day I've ever had." He stared into her eyes without fear now. "It's the best one I've ever had too," he said softly. "I'm sorry but I really have to go now. Call me okay?" she said. He simply nodded. She turned and started walking down the street towards the residential areas. Andrew stood there and watched her go. He immediately searched his inner jacket pocket for her number. Once he felt it he was relieved. Sarah turned back briefly to see him watching her go and she waved. As she disappeared from sight Andrew pulled out a talisman from his jean pocket. It was a golden phoenix with wings flared wide. He realized that the talisman had brought him to the store...to her. "The Phoenix lives forever," he thought to himself. It lives to guide those who need the shimmer of its wings to find their way through darkness. Later that night he called her and they talked for hours as she was folding laundry. She had been so busy lately with classes that she decided Valentine's Day was the day of laundry. Sarah would always come to remember the day she went to the Phoenix and was rescued by a nobleman disguised as a man her age. The Phoenix would always be her guide. She was not aware that it was Andrew's guide as well. The Phoenix lives for all who possess a faithful heart. 020214 ... birdmad Like the heat from a thousand suns that burns on Rising ever higher A Phoenix from a pyre My eternal desire I'm on fire Like a Kiss from the lips of Ra That burns on Pleasures getting wilder Circling ever higher Servant of desire I'm on ----fire I'm on ----fire I'm on ----fire (1984, Astbury, Duffy) 020214 ... guitar_freak sonya, that was beautiful 041003 what's it to you? who go blather from