world of candles

1998


A long time ago there was a world of candles.

In this world there were big candles, little candles, candles with blue flames, candles with red flames and every sort of candle you could imagine.

And this world was full of happy candles for each candle knew itself and was fullfilled. If you had been there you would have heard them happily flickering their songs

"i'm blue, yippee, i'm blue"

or

"i'm red, yippee, i'm red"

and

"i'm big, yippee, i'm big"

there were even candles in love

"we're purple, yippee, we're purple"

and all of the candles were aware of their power for they knew that each and every one had the power to set the world aflame - if any candle ever spluttered out, any candle could happily and easily rekindle that candle. For that is the nature of fire - it does not limit itself to any one type of candle.

One day a darkness that was not night came to the world of candles and spoke to a happy yellow candle saying

"why are you not green - green candles are better - don't you wish that you were green too?"

and the happy little candle was suddenly sad and wanted to be a green candle

"i want to be green, i want to be green"

and soon the darkness had moved to many candles spreading its nastyness so that before long the world was filled with unhappy candles all wanting to be like other candles.

The unhappy candles even created Laws that stated that no candle was allowed to express itself differently to any other candle and that all candles were allowed to be equal to every other candle. So that it was legal for a green candle to be a yellow candle if that's what it wanted to be.

And the darkness now spoke to each of the unhappy candles telling each that to be a different candle it would have to give up being itself - for how could a candle be green if it was yellow?

so slowly, one by one the candles started to go out

now, amongst the candles who were still happy was one who burned with a bright white light and this candle was a wise candle for it had burned for many years and had seen many candles.

The darkness came to this candle and whispered

"are you not unhappy that you are not a big new candle?"

but the bright white candle was not going to listen to this for it knew that it was happy as it was and nothing was ever going to change that and that if it let itself be swayed by the darkness then one by one all the other candles would splutter out and then true darkness would decend upon the world

So it called upon itself to make an enourmous effort and gave a great flare that exposed the darkeness for what it was - and the darkness was gone. But so too was the candle for it had burnt up all that remained of itself to save the world.

and all the other candles that were still alight saw the sudden brilliant flare of the candle passing away and they saw too the darkness banished and they all cried with one voice

"you're white, you're white"

and one by one they realised that they were themselves again

"i'm blue, yippee"

"i'm red, yippee"

"i'm big, yippee"

and then the candles that were spluttered out were re-kindled and all the candles were happy for they knew that as long as there was one wise candle amongst them who was happy to give everything for the others that no darkness could ever conquer the world of candles

and they lived happily ever afterwards