As I sit here and try and think of a way to describe in words, the special bond I shared with our "Emcee" and resident storyteller, Mark Lewis...I am flooded with memories of Faerieworlds events all across the country over the last decade... We shared many adventures together, from Eugene to Seattle to Philadelphia to Baltimore...some in old haunted theaters, where only we could see what was otherwise unseen. Together we observed the shifting of time in an old, spirited place... centuries of lost and forgotten ghosts, together we met them, we released them..we shared in a capacity to see what others could only feel. Mark was my constant companion in a place where so often I found myself alone, for he truly was, pure magic. He knew. He knew when I was sad, when I felt haunted, when I was afraid...and was there to aid me, pulling any number of magical tools from his otherworldly healing treasure trove, to assist me when my "gifts" were too much to bear alone. He also, of course, shared in the highest moments of joy and elation...laughing with me like an eternal child, and ushering in enchantment to captivate our many audiences. We lead ceremonies together, we opened magic unseen doors together...he was able to make us invisible when we needed to have a serious talk within a crowd full of reveling people....he really made us invisible! Those who knew him in this way, will believe me when I say this :) One year I was very sick...he saw it before I felt it...that fall I nearly died in a hospital. When I emerged from my brush with death, I had a new spirit name, that came along with my journey. I shared it with him, and he wrote me a story spell, to make sense of the suffering I had endured, and to encourage a rebirth for me. I don't believe this story has ever been shared, but this is what he gave me when I needed him most : When Morgan Rose Arose The Phoenix was ready to burst into flame. The Raven was tethered and shorn. The picture had fallen from within the frame. The blooms were o'er taken by thorns She was ready but didn't know where it would lead Morgan Rose was ready to grow Her kingdom was not as she knew it should be The faeries had fled to the forest below The Lord was unhappy - the world was not right. All she knew was she wanted to know. The raven was weeping from over the door And deep in the darkness she heard, "Nevermore" Morgan Rose was ready to grow. So she called on her spirit - she called on her soul. And her healer appeared at her side When he asked, “Are you certain?" She said, "Show me the way." "Close your eyes. You are ready to grow." Then they opened the wound far too tender to touch. She cried and she bled and she swore. And the anger poured out and splattered her dreams Her body, her face and the floor. A great fire arose and consumed everything - Everything that she thought of as true. She lifted her shears and lopped off the old canes And she screamed as she ran out the door. To the forest she fled to what once was her bed As the flames licked up high in the dark. She wept and she cried as parts of her died. Consumed by the passionate spark. Higher and higher the funeral pyre rose and consumed all her world. Then all there was silent. Like grey snow the ashes lay still while the smoke licked and curled. It seemed time had stopped and for her it was certain She'd ne'er be the same any more. Then a breath stirred the ashes The faeries were coming! They gathered around in a ring And they danced and they sang as the whole forest rang At her rebirth of passion and joy Morgan Rose arose, more certain and strong, Rejoicing at new life begun And she flew, fully fledged with feathers of flame Her heart rejoiced as she flew towards the sun The raven and phoenix combined into one! ~Mark Lewis 2007 In closing I would just like to say how honored I feel to have known this sweet, sad, joyful, truly magical creature in the way that I did. He was one in a billion zillion trillion stars. He will continually be a light in this universe, that can never be extinguished. I will carry his light in my heart, until we meet again. with everlasting love, Kelly Miller-Lopez (Morgen Rose) P.S. the photo I have added was taken at an old opera house in Philadelphia, I am behind the curtain tuning my harp and Mark is in front of the curtain, announcing my band...I love how his silhouette is so perfectly shadowed behind me. This photo perfectly captures the loving spiritual guardianship he offered me through the years, as my dear friend.