Pagan

She stepped into the circle, felt the heat from the blazing fire on her skin,
the moist warm air drifting through her hair.  All was silent except the 
soothing pops and cracks of the fire.  She gazed around herself, meeting all 
gazes trained upon her.  She noticed the way everyonen sat along the edge of the 
lighted circle, as if they were acting as a barrier between the darkness of the 
forest and the protective light of the fire.  And here she stood with them, in 
their pagan circle.  Some one had taken her hand and pulled her into the dance. 
The low rythm of the drum broke the silence, becoming a heartbeat. Faster and 
faster it came...others joining in as she swayed in place, their low hums and 
noises in time with the music. Men and women danced past quickly, 'round the 
blazing fire, heads thrown back, eyes closed, mouthes open uttering sharp cries. 
It was if they were experiencing the highest of ecstasies. As everyone stamped 
their feet, she joined them and let herself answer the music within.

--Ana Van Der Rhys