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March III

Before the Colours

A rooster in a charcoal overcoat standing before a ceremonial bonfire at dusk, gathered figures in the background

The invitation said bonfire; he understood it to mean something older. He dressed for the cold, and also for the occasion — which are sometimes, he has learned, the same thing. The colours would come with the morning. Until then: the fire, and the company of everyone who has ever stood before one.

3 March 2026