Exotic girls dance, faster and faster, for the delight of the people.

The Blue God sits in wait by the fire, guarding the portal to the next world.

Concoctions and potions are sold to the highest bidder, promising a chance to leave from
your senses.

I am alone here. People stand in groups around a room and a garden that is foreign to me,
The people are foreign to me. They are not my enemies, but they are not my friends. What
will they think of me, in my lavish attire, so obviously different from all of them? I try to look
at them, to gauge something about who they are simply through their eyes, but it does not
come easily. A thousand nights ago, when I came in a different form to a different dance
floor, they swamped me. They would not give me a moment alone. Now, I stand on the
edge of the crowd, waiting for just one soul to look my way.

​

I have him. I know why he looks at me, I see the desire in his eyes. He doesn’t
know where I will take him...but I take him anyway. We leave the throbbing
pulse of the dance hall and step into the night...

​

One after one I tell them that I am going to send them on a journey. I make them feel
special, as though they are the only one. They are not. They are only one in a line as long
as the Ganges, but for that moment, our moment alone together, they are the only thing
that matters. When I am done, I send them off and look for another to replace them.

​

I need to tell you something. I need to tell you something secret, something
that no one else can know about. Don’t look around you or do anything
suspicious, as far as everyone else here knows we’re just two people, at a
party having a chat ok? The truth is that I was sent here tonight to find you,
to take you somewhere special. I've been watching you and I think you're
ready to see something amazing...something that’s real. I want to take you
on a journey, it might be difficult to understand at times, but I promise you
that the destination will be worth it. Do you want to come with me? Listen
carefully because there are things you need to know. You are going to meet
many strangers on this journey, and no matter how it may seem, they are
here to help you. They will take you to faraway places and give you something
important to help you on your path. This journey will last a lifetime. You might
be scared, you might be enchanted, you WILL be touched ...and you will be
safe.

​

Some smile, taking every word that comes out of my mouth as a joke. Some stare into my
eyes, into my very soul, hanging on to every word that drips from my tongue. Some look
wildly about themselves, the concoctions they have consumed blurring their sense of their
own being, unsure of what is real any more. Some try to bring their companions to join in,