Last year, Basio, Zyndal and I were returning from the kingdom of Karantza, when we happened upon an old, crusty villager that told us of a fascinating place he called, "The Circle of Dreams". Not having heard of this curiosity before, we were naturally interested enough to ask for directions. The journey would take several days, but as we were not in a great hurry to return home, we decided to press on to this new adventure. Those few days were exciting on their own, but those details can be told at a later time.

The directions he gave us were quite clear, but at the crossroads indicated on his homemade map, we couldn't seem to find the stand of trees that sheltered the circle. It had snowed the night before and was quite cold, but we persisted in our search. The cold, combined with the gloomy skies above, had become oppressive and so we decided to warm ourselves with a fire. We set about making camp as the search for the circle continued. Zyndal, off gathering wood, looked to the left and accidentally found what we had been searching for. The circle of poplar trees that the old villager had talked about was in a grove of evergreen trees just down the hill from us.

We remembered his cryptic words, "fear not, if your heart is pure, but, if not, withdraw". Thus he had spoken at our leave taking. As the story was related to us, the circle had been created by a mysterious wizard some two hundred years earlier and was now known as a place of evil enchantment. Only two men had braved the circle in the villager's entire lifetime. One was never seen again, while the other had become a raving lunatic. As we stood there, it seemed like an ordinary grouping of trees. The poplars had been planted in a perfect circle, only about three long strides from side to side. There didn't seem to be anything mysterious about it. The trees were sad and forlorn looking with snow covered bare branches.

Snow once again was falling as we stood there wondering how the enchantment was supposed to work. We began to inspect the perimeter of the circle seeking any kind of clue but nothing was discovered. While speaking to Zyndal about our next move, I suddenly noticed that Basio had entered the circle and was gazing upward. He stood there with his eyes fixed on something above him and a light of great joy suddenly appeared on his face. We were alarmed as we saw him raise his arms and began to turn from side to side, almost as though he was engaged in a dance. He spoke no words but the look on his face spoke volumes.

We were not sure what to do and so we stood there and watched Basio in his joyous ecstasy. He swayed, he laughed, he lifted his hands, and we could only smile. All at once, his hands dropped, his eyes closed as though he would sleep and he started to fall. We quickly caught him and assisting him out of the circle, helped him to lie down on the new fallen snow. Suddenly opening his eyes, he asked us if we had seen his vision. All we had seen is what I have described and we explained this to him.

"Enter the circle", he whispered. We looked at each other in amazement, and again he whispered, "enter the circle". Zyndal suddenly stood, and with determination, stepped into the trees. I helped Basio sit up and together we watched as a light appeared on Zyndal's face. He raised his eyes and begin to smile. Basio turned to me and said, "you must also experience this joy". Zyndal looked as though he could burst for happiness while the radiance on his face made our hearts glad.

Suddenly he stopped and began to slump forward. Basio and I leaped to his assistance. My turn was next. What is it that I would encounter? After helping Zyndal to Basio's side, I turned toward the circle and stepped into it's arms. Lifting my eyes to the highest branches, I noticed that although they were completely barren of foliage, there was a shimmering light that suddenly bathed the branches in gold. The sky that was a leaden grey outside the circle was swiftly turning into the rich blue of a summer afternoon.

I stood there amazed as the bare tree branches swiftly turned from stark barrenness into gently waving branches of green leaves tinged with silver. The oppressive cold was gone, replaced by a warm summer breeze. The leaves began to fall around me and I attempted to catch some of them as they fell. There was an unending supply of these magical leaves as their places were taken by new growth. The golden sun appeared above me and as I felt it's warmth on my face, I laughed for pure joy. Then, as I continued to gaze into the heavens, a mystical vision seemed to emanate from out of the sky. My heart leaped and my joy was almost unbearable.

It was an exhilarating experience- the warmth of the sun, the dazzling blue sky above and the silver tinged leaves falling around me. And there in the middle of this beautiful vision was a dream that I have had for a number of years. I closed my eyes, lost in the beauty of the vision, and when I opened them again, I found myself leaning up against a tree with Basio and Zyndal in attendance. "Unbelievable" was all I could say in response to their anxious looks.

Our experiences in the Circle of Dreams were quite remarkable and our particular dreams were a joy to behold. The music track portrays my feelings of happiness and amazement, standing in the mysterious Circle of Dreams as those beautiful leaves fell around me. Can you even imagine what your mind would encounter if your dreams were of an evil intent?............Davutus