- 13 -

"The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of... We know the truth not only by the reason, but by the heart." ~ Blaise Pascal"

M A R C O

Three days had passed since I pulled Aurora out of the cage. But it seemed that I had put myself in one. I confined my thoughts to every nuance of her being—her strength, her weakness, her fears, her defiance. Every little thing about her affected me in ways I couldn't have imagined. My mind wandered to all possibilities of life I could have introduced to her if only she would be wise enough to learn and evolve.

Aurora was a compound of wildflowers, raw flames, and a flowing river. Each component was fierce, untamed, and beautiful, and you have to appreciate the indigenousness in its natural form. Like these natural elements, she has a mind of her own, and the complexities were still mysterious.

A month ago, I wouldn't have imagined putting myself through these great lengths to be the man of influence in her life. But now, I couldn't even