All the World’s a Stage (Excerpt)
© 2009 Mike Phillips
The Immortality of Story
In the inky black of an ancient summer night, rows of orange-hued faces flicker in and out of view as a bonfire randomly illuminates them, briefly, into existence, only to wink out again at the next gust of wind. All eyes train silently upon a painted warrior sitting proudly at one end of the circle, and as he imparts story after story of fights, arguments, romantic involvements, and other intrigues, the group itself becomes one organism, living, dying, and breathing upon his every word. They are, in a word, entranced in the magic of his story, and this ritual helps forge a core bond of strength and unity amongst the people he proudly leads. Through these stories, the chief imparts strength, wisdom, customs, history, warnings, and above all, a sense of community and purpose which gives the group its solidarity and strength.