The dormant machine

Somewhere, out of sight, left undisturbed for many days, a machine lays. No one really knew what made it work, and when its cogs grinded to a halt, no one knew how to fix it. It has been months since it stopped moving, and now it seems as if it was completely abandoned there to rust. Slowly, it is becoming a part of the scenery, a mere reminder that once new things were created there.

But some of those who watched over the machinery knew better than the rest. They knew it wasn't the first time it fell asleep, standing perfectly still - on the surface.

Deep in the bowels of the dormant machine, ambers from a fire gone out were still glowing. They were almost gone, but they remained. And as winter came, they felt the wind pick up, blowing through the maze of pipes and conducts, bringing new energy to the remains of the fire.

And slowly, but steadily, a new fire was born. On the outside, nothing was happening, but in the innermost parts of the metal beast, life was brought back. Wheels were turning, pistons were set into motion, gears were spinning. The machine was awakening from its slumber.

Soon enough, faint clicks would be heard in the most silent hours of nights, then a steady low humming noise, and little by little all the parts of the machine would start functioning again. And some were aware of that. They had seen it happen before, and although they didn't know why it was that way, they knew that, this year again, the big machine would come back to life.

They were right.

Deep in the bowels of the dormant machine, cogs were already turning.