The flames crackled in the fire, and a few latecomers were beginning to say their good-byes. But Brida wasn't listening to anything that was going on around her.
"Brida!" she heard a distant voice call.
"Here's looking at you, kid," said the Magus. It was a line from an old film he had seen once. He felt happy because he had turned another important page in the Tradition of the Sun. He felt the presence of his Teacher, who had chosen that night for his new Initiation.
"I will always remember you, and you will remember me, just as we will remember the evening, the rain on the windows, and all the things we'll always have because we cannot possess them."
"Brida!" Lorens called again.
"Go in peace," said the Magus. "And dry those tears, or tell him that the smoke from the fire got in your eyes. Never forget me."
He knew he didn't need to say this, but he said it anyway.
Wicca noticed that some people had left a few of their belongings behind. She would have to phone them and tell them to come and fetch them.
"The fire will have burned down soon," she said.
He remained silent. There were still a few flames, and he still had his eyes fixed on them.
"I don't regret that I once fell in love with you," Wicca went on.
"Nor do I," replied the Magus.
She felt an enormous desire to talk about Brida, but she said nothing. The eyes of the man beside her inspired respect and wisdom.
"It's a shame I'm not your Soul Mate," she added. "We would have made a good couple."
But the Magus wasn't listening to what Wicca was saying. There was a vast world before him and many things to do. He had to help plant God's garden, he had to teach people to teach themselves. He would meet other women, fall in love, and live this incarnation as intensely as he could. That night completed one stage of his existence, and a new Dark Night lay ahead, but the next stage would be much more enjoyable and joyful, much closer to what he had dreamed. He knew this because of the flowers and the forests and because of young women who arrive one day led by God's hand, not knowing that they are there in order for destiny to be fulfilled. He knew this because of the Tradition of the Moon and the Tradition of the Sun.