ABSTRACT
100Imagine standing outside a house, by the front door. The door is shut and you are looking away from the house. A street runs past the garden gate, and you can see this street stretch to another, older gate that leads into a field. At the far end the ground dips and you know at the bottom of the dip there is a river fringed by trees. The trees get thicker. You can’t see everything from where you stand, but you’ve been told a path runs through the wood. Beyond this is Fire Mountain, which you can just see the tip of, rising hazily in the distance. It was once a volcano. A fire-breathing mountain. Why, as you gaze at it, do you feel its lure pull at you, like some deadly magnet? You know you should turn back to the safety of the house, but something has stirred in you. Something has called you. You need to find out what wants you, and why. A lizard scutters by, heading down the street towards the field. It moves quickly, almost urgently. You feel compelled to follow. You walk through the gate, and begin your journey.
