I’ve realised recently that fire has been a character in my whole life. Not in a dramatic way, more in a quietly persistent, always-there kind of way. A constant witness. One of my earliest memories is my mum making me throw my dummy into the fire. Proper ceremony. No bargaining, no gentle transition. I remember being deeply outraged and, if I’m honest, also slightly impressed. It was a symbolic act of letting go before I had any idea what symbolism was. Fire marked the mome