[Monastery bells] [Ancient choir] [Warm strings and harp] Verse 1 [solo storytelling] The river lay behind me now. The Ministry still searched. I wasn't quite convinced I'd fled, Or merely been dispersed. Along the roadside stood a sign: Monastery of Mirra-Imarge Refuge for Travellers Quiet Reflection And after all the files and secrets, The forms and hidden clues, A quiet place for contemplation Seemed exactly what to choose. Verse 2 [solo vocal only] [Strings swell] Beyond the valley stood a monastery Of polished brass and stone, Where every window caught the morning light And cast it shining home. The Brothers of Mirra-Imarge Believed the self ran deep. So deep in fact they spent their lives Looking for it underneath. Their gate proclaimed: KNOW THY-SELF In letters twelve feet high. The brothers bowed most reverently Each time they passed it by. Choral Response [Gregorian-style chant] Mirra-Imarge... Reflect on me... Mirra-Imarge... Reveal to me... The deeper me... Beneath the me... I thought was me... Verse 3 [solo vocals] [Operatic strings] A brother led me through the cloisters. Everything reflected back. Polished walls and polished floors, And rows of gleaming candlesticks. One monk carried three mirrors For unexpected self-discovery. Brother Potential welcomed me. Brother Alignment stood serene. Brother Authenticus had rewritten His life's purpose twice that week. And Brother Naval Gazer, The order's most revered thinker, Had spent nine years considering A single thought... Himself. Verse 4 [solo vocal] [Light pizzicato strings] The Reflectory stood magnificent. A hall of silver, brass and chrome. A single table traced the walls. No seats faced one another. Every brother faced a mirror Whilst eating evening stew. The order called this: Communal Contemplation Which seemed a curious thing to do. Brother Potential sat beside Brother Radical Alignment. Yet neither seemed to notice quite The other sat beside him. Chorus [Full choir] Mirror, mirror above! Mirror, mirror below! Mirror, mirror on every wall! Reflect on me and all I know! Oh Mirra-Imarge! Reflect on me! Reflect on me! Reflect on me! (On meeeee...) Verse 5 [solo vocal] [Backing choir] Each evening came Adulation. The brothers gathered in a ring. One brother stood upon a platform. The others praised him while he grinned. "Remarkable growth!" "Inspiring journey!" "Exceptional authenticity!" "Outstanding self-awareness!" The honoured brother bowed quite humbly. Tomorrow someone else would stand. Everyone knew the compliments. Everyone loved them as planned. Choral Response [Layered choir] Mirra-Imarge... Reflect on me... Show me me... Reveal in me... The truest me... The deepest me... The hidden me... Verse 6 [Choir softens] The brothers knew their inner landscapes. Their strengths. Their wounds. Their fears. They traced the contours of their souls For many faithful years. Brother Authenticus had written Fourteen volumes on his soul. Brother Purpose knew the very day His life had become whole. They could all describe their inner journeys In astonishing detail. Yet nobody seemed to know Who maintained the garden. [musical Transition Piece] [Choir fades] [Solo violin] [Birdsong] Verse 7 For beyond the Reflectory stood a garden Nobody seemed to claim. No plaque recalled who planted it. No brother sought the fame. The roses climbed where roses wished. The stream ignored the rules. No mirrors stood among the flowers. And standing there I found myself Forgetting me a while. Choral Response [Layered choir] Mirra-Imarge... Reflect on me... Show me me... Reveal in me... The truest me... The deepest me... The hidden me... Verse 8 [spoken emotionally] [solo with backing] [Harp and cello] And there among the apple trees An old gardener worked alone. Turning soil. Trimming branches. Comfortable on his own. I said: "Oh... you must be the gardener." He smiled. "I am." "I don't remember seeing you inside." "Not quite." [narrator]"Did you plant all this?" The gardener shrugged. [gardener] "I help." And past the garden, in the distance, Beyond the orchards and the pines, A mountain rose above the valley Catching evening's golden light. I turned towards the gardener. "What do I do now?" He simply raised a weathered hand And pointed to the height. The mountain stood in silence, Rising... Rising... Into light. [ad lib: Wordless heavenly choir] [Choir soars] [Strings swell] [Distant bells]
