A towering figure came into view, casting a shadow across the bed of ice that had spread beneath the girl as she slept. The girl bristled, and small thorns rose upon the icy vines that were her soul. Then the figure squatted down with a fleeting flash of red.

A round, freckled face peered at the girl, breaking into a friendly smile. The icy spikes around her melted, tentatively, into leaves.

"Hey," said the redheaded man. "What are you still doing here, little one?"

The girl stared at him, but did not answer. She had been taught not to talk to strangers.

Another figure stepped into view, gazing all around the cage.

"So this is where they lived, eh?" said the man, who had a raggedy mustache. "Bit cramped, innit?"

Still squatting, the redheaded man slowly reached out a hand towards the girl, palm facing upwards.

"You don't have to be scared," he said. "You're free now."

The girl stared at him blankly, unmoving. She did not know what "free" meant.

"You don't have to work for them anymore," said the redheaded man.

The girl blinked slowly, like a cat.

"You can do whatever you want!"

The words meant nothing to her, although she liked the tone of his voice. The ice around her melted, fading back into brown dust.

"Aye, give it up, man," said the man with the mustache. He was strolling along the length of the cage now, bending occasionally to examine the debris in the corners. "Might be she can't speak. Some of them can't, you know."

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"You never know until you try," said the redheaded man. He turned his attention to the girl once more. "Look, would you like to come with us?" He pursed his lips. "There's nothing left for you here. If you stay you'll starve."

The girl perked up. Starve, she understood. She had missed evening and breakfast mealtime already. It was cold, and maybe they were finally going to feed her now if she did her tricks. Tentatively, she leaned in towards the outstretched hand, the vines breaking off from her body into small clouds of light green mist, but found no delicious morsel there, and cocked her head in confusion. Then she perked up. Perhaps they wanted her to do her favorite trick!

The girl's soul whirred about her in a light yellow sparkle of happiness. She loved this trick, because everyone around her was always so happy when she did it. She and only she could do it, and every time she did they gave her the most delicious meal.

The dusty ground beneath her began to harden and smooth out into clear marble. She cast about for some small object to hold - in this mood, it turned to gold.

"What in the - ?" said the mustached man. He stepped closer towards where the two were, one sitting, one squatting, and the girl decided on his coattail. They always loved it when she did it to something of theirs. She reached out and grabbed a fistful, intending to rip it off -

"AAAUGH!" cried the mustached man, and stumbled backwards, right into her nest, which had been forming itself into a delicate tower of cheerful origami. The whole thing ripped and came crashing down on the cotton that was her bed, flying everywhere, her nest, her space, something which had never been touched in all the years the girl had spent in the cage.

The girl let out a soundless shriek and flaming white exploded from her, dissolving all that was in her path. She did not see the horrified face of the redheaded man before his arm and face disintegrated into a thousand little tiny white particles and mixed with the wind, she did not see her very own nest and the dull grey bars of the cage disappearing into nothing, she did not see how far and wide the white flame spread, further than any transformations had gone before, she knew only that the last vestiges of all she had known was destroyed. The girl clasped to her head and passed out.

When she awoke, her soul was gone.