Red Fire — Paula D'Arcy

In the deceptively simple framework of an allegorical tale, Paula D'Arcy tells of her own spiritual journey through the story of a young girl named Anastasia. In the town of Status across the river from Quo, where Anastasia was born, nothing ever changes until the Stranger arrives and awakens a great longing in her heart. Bringing tales of love and of the Great Being, the Stranger captivates the children with his joy and delight in life. They dance, fly kites, and disrupt the way things should be. But the town elders disapprove and force the Stranger to move on. When Anastasia reaches her seventeenth year, she begins to feel discontent, restless, and is filled with a deep longing. Setting out on a journey to find the Stranger whose words had once captured her heart, she encounters a Magician who promises to guide her quest. Red Fire is a book of visionary fiction for all who have ever felt left a place of comforting familiarity in search of the unknown.