Winding: Chapter 2


I awoke in my own familiar bed, from a sound, dreamless sleep. The memories of recent events were fresh and clear as if part of me were still there. My head felt clear, and there was no mystery music playing. Thinking this, I noticed the whirring ambience of a fan left on, which my ears translated in ways I hadn't conceived before. It sounded like a song with intricate polyrhythmic beats and whispering voices, perhaps in answer to my thought.

Pulling myself fully awake, I glanced over at the clock, whose digital luminescence shone 1:23. The sun glimmered in a window through the trees, showering the room in shifting shadows. Feeling rested, I pulled my naked self out of bed to quickly scan my belongings. Whoever had abducted me had been kind enough to return my clothing, folded neatly at the foot of the bed. I immediately checked my satchel for the renderings of the script. They were still there! The contents of my satchel were intact, including the broken binding on my notebook.

Everything seemed placidly normal. It was a relatively warm April afternoon. I heard my cat slip through the rubber through-way I'd made for her in the front door. She scampered up the stairs to my bedroom loft, rubbing her chin against me with fervor as though she hadn't seen me in a while. 'Hey Artemis,' I said, rubbing her short grey hair.

Artemis followed me downstairs to the main floor, which was a large, open space with two-story windows looking out the front of the house. Artemis mounted her monolithic carpeted exercise structure with tubes and platforms on one side of the windows, and I turned to my human entertainment area on the other. There is a satellite hookup through the computer, running into an immense wide flat-screen on the wall. Navigating the plush violet couch, I deposited the satchel on the oak coffee table. Grabbing the portable laser mouse and queuing up Sun Ra, speakers came to life and uttered age-old tones of spaced-out jazz.

I took out the renderings and spread them out on the coffee table. My mind flashed back to the hall with the fountain, but my body stayed where it was this time. I breathed a silent sigh of relief. With these drawings, I felt confident that I could explain it to someone in a way that they could understand. Doubts filled me as to whether anyone would take it seriously. The knotwork was something; a tangible clue that indicated something did happen, even if it was just me being on a lot of psychedelics. But who would I tell?

Mouse in hand and tummy rumbling, I followed my gastric urge around the bar to the kitchen. Strewn about the floor was Artemis' food, which she had managed to pull from under the sink and rip open in feast. Checking the fridge, I found a few left-overs a bit too old to be edible and the milk slightly turned. Maneuvering the mouse on the counter, it showed the date as Saturday April 23rd; nearly seven days had passed. Somewhat befouled by the contents of the fridge, I defrosted some salmon and fried it up with onions and jasmine rice while I swept up the cat debacle and filled her bowl, along with a treat.

As I enjoyed my breakfast and Artemis chowed happily, I contemplated. It had been a couple of years since I'd done any hard drugs. I stuck to marijuana and an occasional light mushroom trip, and nothing that I'd ever done in my days of full-blown debauchery compared to the experience I had just witnessed. Even if it was just a mind alterant, who is responsible? My head ached with overload, and I needed to clear it. Finishing breakfast, I poured myself a captain and coke, then relaxed into my ergonomic recliner and pulled the keyboard into my lap.

Greeted by a number of frantic emails, I contemplated writing up a stock reply to inquiries about where I'd been. 'Sorry I wasn't able to finish your site, I was abducted by some unknown force and made to ingest psychedelics.' For some reason, I doubt that would go over well. Maybe an excuse that my internet access was temporarily disabled would elicit sympathy.

One email was from a friend back east; a rave promoter who hadn't contacted in a while. He was always to the point. It read:

Hey Dev, long time, it's Dan. I heard you were out near San Fran, and found out about an event you're gonna want to attend. I know one of the DJs, and sent him your address for a flier. It's invite only. I know it's kinda short notice, but trust me on this one.

My mind flashed back to scenes from the past and the good times we had. Smoke-filled house parties and warehouses, DJs spinning the latest vinyl, a sense of community. Exploring unknown territories together and finding the most beautiful and terrible truths.

After finishing my excuses, I packed up a pipe and headed outdoors. Exiting the house, I was escorted by Artemis, who proudly strutted, presenting her kill on the porch. Five birds and three mice sat mostly eaten before me. I pet her head, then walked up the path to the road, toking lazily on my glass piece.

A pleasant walk in familiar territory did my estranged mind some good. A cool breeze swept through the trees which elicited white-noise ambience. I had calmed down a lot in the past couple of years. Enjoying the outdoors more than the bustling city is a wonderful ideal.

Among bills and junk mail, I found a curious envelope that read only "Vierkant", with no return address. Inside, a multi-colored fractal image revealed itself. In bright letters, it read "Awakening". I hadn't been to a rave in a couple of years. The date on the flier was tonight.

On the back, there was a phone number written in pen, and typed below:

This is a free party. This flier is your invitation. Do not tell anyone of this event, and do not give this to anyone. Call the number for directions to the map point. Instructions will follow. Enjoy. :)

I meandered back to the house, picked up the cel-phone from its charger and dialed.

After a couple of rings, ominous sounds came; music through the wire, as if the person answering it was listening to loud music and distracted. 'Yo,' came the response after a couple of seconds.

'Hey, this is Devon. The flyer said to call this number. Dan from Pittsburgh told me about the party,' I told him.

'Oh yeah, he said you wouldn't want to miss this one. I'm the map point man. The catch is we don't want too many vehicles approaching the site, so I'll find you a ride. Meet me at the end of the east tram asap.'

'It'll take me about an hour. How will I know you?'

'Tek step, black Mercedes. The name is Johnny, or DJ Ramification. Oh yeah, bring a flashlight.'

I got cleaned up and donned some durable black jeans, a black, collarless shirt, and my trusty boots. A small flashlight change enough for the tram, and three twenty dollar bills accompanied the regular contents of my satchel. It was around 5:30 pm when I headed out into the world.

I hopped in my black truck, cranked the ignition and queued up some trance-beat to prepare for the evening festivities. I drove around the city until I found the track I needed and parked near a friend's house. I left my ID in the truck to avoid being identified in case of trouble with the law.

The weather outside was absolutely gorgeous. I walked a couple of pleasant blocks to the tram station. Having no idea what this night would bring me was better than brewing over the unexplained events I had just been through. At least this was the real world. I knew the basic laws of physics here.

As I approached the station, I could hear someone shouting, 'You cannot run from your own legs! What would you run from them with? If you used them to run from them with, what would you be running from?' The ranter was dressed in an old duster and stained jeans. He had grey hair and a long, scruffy beard. 'You have learned to falsely interpret your senses because your words are a controlled substance!'

He stared me in the eyes as I drew nearer. He had a look of maddening glee, eyes wide as saucers. 'You have been playing beyond the veil of illusion! I can see it in your eyes! You have been infected with the curse of knowledge!'

'If knowledge is a curse,' I replied, 'I'd rather be damned than ignorant. What do you know about that place?'

'A place, is it?' he mocked, 'It's all around you. It permeates you and you know it not.'

'But what is it?'

'When something is bigger than can be fit into the box, it just won't fit. But if the box can exist within the object, only part of the object fills the box.'

'Maybe the space in the box is greater than it appears,' I postulated.

'The inside is the outside and the outside is inside!'

'As above, so below,' I quoted.

I lit up a clove, amused but unsurprised by the man's words. As if on cue, the tram approached and came to a grinding halt. Stubbing out my clove, I boarded the tram and paid my fee. I heard the crazed man call behind me, 'You cannot swallow your own throat!' Evening passengers were heavy, and I had to squeeze onboard. The whirring ambience of the engine was soon joined by a chorus of clanks. The tempo of this tribal beat blurred into a droning as the acceleration of the tram threatened to push me into someone.

After a brief spurt, inertia pulled at my stomach as the tram decelerated. The droning slowed, then ceased like a break in the song. The ambience of the engine and the shuffling of feet kept the vibe going. I glanced about and met only the blank stares of lost souls. As the tram left the station, the beat once again increased to a drone. The song of public transportation continued its cycle, stopping only to switch zombies. Eventually, I found a seat for myself. As we got out of town, the population of the bus dwindled until there were only a half-dozen people. Three of them looked obviously like they were going to a rave, dressed in baggy pants with colored beads and pacifiers.

As we approached the final stop, the remaining passengers stood up. I stepped off the tram following everyone else. The ravers made a bee-line straight for a black Mercedes. The tram departed, leaving me in its wake, its droning fading into the distance. I could hear Tek-step echoing out of the Mercedes in crisp, pure tones.

Farther in the lot were other party-goers, huddled about various cars, giving hugs and smiles, dancing to whatever tune was nearest. I looked somewhat out of place compared to them, but I wasn't about to dress up to pander to someone else's cultural norms. It never stopped me from being a part of the scene. That's all in the heart.

I stepped over to the Mercedes when the three ravers ran off to meet up with friends.

A guy with short, spiked hair and a visor sat in the car on the phone, listening to dark, ominous beats. He hung up the phone and looked up at me. 'Yeah?' he asked.

'I'm Devon. I called you earlier,' I told him.

'Oh yeah, diggit. Go talk to the dude with the dreads with the old bronco. We call him Jah. He's pretty out there, but he's legit. I talked with him, says it's irie.'

He stuck out his fist, and I hit it on top with mine. He came down with his fist on mine, then we punched fists together. 'I'll see you there. I have another half-hour or so to wait on folks.'

I spotted the red bronco amongst the other cars. The back windows had been spray-painted black. As I approached, the music from the cars mingled with each other in an odd cacophony. I made my way to the bronco and entered into little Jamaica. Some deep dub vibrated from the bronco, and rattled the frame unattractively. The window was open and wafts of smoke bellowed out. He peered out, somehow spotting me in the side mirror through the smoke. His long, thick dreads remained partially in the car.

'You da one dey call Devon?'

'Yeah, I'm the one,' I said. It felt weird that I said that, and the words rang true in my head on a level that reminded me of the jeweled entities.

'Op in mon,' he said, distracting me from my thoughts, 'I and I take you where you need to be. Dis is gonna be one for da records.'

I hopped in the passenger side of the truck. Fortunately the bass sounded better inside. The blacked out back of the bronco had a stack of 8 12" subwoofers in the far end, a bed on the floor, a small dresser bolted to the side, posters of Bob Marley and Haley Selassie on the walls, and a Jamaican flag covering the ceiling. Multi-colored Christmas lights were strung around the interior roof. Strapped to the side with bungee cord was a large African drum with wood-burnings of intricate symbols I didn't recognize.

Before pulling out, he took a couple of puffs on a large joint and handed it to me. As soon as it was in my hands, he jammed the truck in gear and took off slowly, driving around the lot once to give the peace sign to the other people in the lot before hopping out on the road out of town.

'I hope you like da reggae, mon,' he said.

'Yeah, I dig it. How far are we going?'

'To da edge of Cali by da mountains,' he said, 'long drive.'

'You know anything about the venue?'

'No, mon. It's a secret. No need no intervention by loose lips. Once a year, on a different day, dey pick a new place.'

'Yeah, I got the invite because I know a promoter from back east,' I said.

'Good to know people. You got a vibe around you, mon. Take you places you need to be. Jah feels safe with you.'

We headed out on the highway towards Tahoe. He seemed to pull an endless supply of joints from a secret compartment on the inside of his door, and was constantly smoking and offering it to me. It was really amazing bud and I got lost in the dub reggae he played the entire trip.

My mind kept wandering back to the cave with the jeweled entities. What were they, and why did they put me through such an initiation? Were they angels? Extra-terrestrials?

'You look deep in thought, mon. You want to be sharing? I's good people and know a few things of da vodou.'

Vodou is derived from an ancient African animistic religion. They believe in a single god, but also in other entities beneath God, called Lwa or Ifa, which interplay with humanity. The religion was fairly easy to syncratize with Christianity because Santaria incorporates these entities as the saints. Vodou decidedly denies most of these Christian correlations, and occasionally delves into darker realms, where we hear tales of zombis and bad mojo.

'I kinda pegged you for a Rastafarian,' I said.

'You don't exactly seem like a church-goin reverend, yourself, mon. I need da help of da Ifa as much as Jah. I and I be a Rastaman who has expanded his mind. Dey call me Jah because dey can't pronounce my name. I don't mind it because in a sense, we all a part of Jah. You follow da ways of Jah?'

'I wouldn't call myself a Christian, if that's what you mean. I definitely believe in a single God. Until the other day, I thought that other entities were just thought-forms.'

'Some of them be that, yes. There's definitely many a thing we cannot fathom.'

'I follow my own path. I believe that every individual has a different perception of God, just as if a man had a number of children around the world, they would all see him differently. Most religions seem sterile to me. Full of questionable dogma.'

'It's not what is followed that's stale, it's da individual's intention. Ignore the dogma and see the wisdom. But ain't no book got all de answers.'

'What would you think if some unknown force took you to a place where physics don't work and gave you a bunch of psychedelics?'

'I'd think somebody laced my ganja.'

'Except I smoked some before I left tonight and it didn't do anything unusual.'

'You get whisked away by da fairies, mon?'

'I don't think so. It seemed too serious for fae magick. I went to sleep, then woke up in this other place that seemed like a normal room. There was music, but no speakers. They left my own clothes out and prepared food for me while I bathed, but I never saw anyone. When I left the room I seemed to be teleported to someplace completely different.'

'You sure your food wasn't drugged?'

'I thought of that, and I can't discount the possibility, but I still don't know who brought me there or why, or where the music was coming from. I ended up literally walking through a wall into some sort of temple, where I saw some sort of angelic being. Then I appeared back in the second room and transcribed some knotwork on a fountain. When I drank from the fountain, I definitely felt drugged, and I evaporated into the sky and rained down onto a mesa and became myself again, then went into a cave and smoked a curious substance and had the most intense hallucinations of my life. They seemed so real. When it was all over, there was a flash of light and I woke up in my bed as if I had been sleeping for a while. Seven days passed while I was out.'

'Sounds like you entered something like the aboriginal dreamtime, mon.'

'I have physical evidence that something happened, but I guess its nothing that couldn't be explained away by an intense drug trip. I found out about the party shortly after getting up. Seemed a fitting thing to do after such an experience.'

'Sounds like the vibe is callin on you to do some work tonight. You on a holy quest. We make magic tonight. You're good mojo.'

It was dark by the time we got to the mountains. We stopped at an old full-service gas station before getting off the main road. The patron looked at us funny and said as few words to us as he could. There were a number of other cars carrying travelers with the same obvious destination getting the last possible fill-up.

We drove a few miles down the highway, then pulled off an exit to a poorly maintained road that wound through a wooded area, and down into a canyon following a river. The road twisted and turned around wild terrain and eventually came out to an area large enough to park a couple of dozen cars. There were about a dozen there now, parked in a line.

A man approached the car and Jah rolled down the window. A billow of smoke wafted out.

'Hey Jah!'

'Ey mon,' Jah said while passing a joint to the man, as if in lieu of a handshake.

'Who ya got with you?'

'Dis is my luck charm. He be known as Devon. He's a holy man on a quest.'

'Two holy men in one car. You kill me, Jah. Hey Devon, I'm Martin. You guys both got your invites?'

We flashed him the invites and he nodded. 'Alright, we only get one chance at this, so we gotta do it right. I just need you to line up with the rest of the cars and follow us in. Keep your headlights on low and your music way down. When we stop, turn off your car and keep it down. Wait for us to move, then follow as close as you can. When we stop, park a car-length apart. You have at least 1/4 tank of gas?'

'Jah, mon. This beast got a huge tank and we just gassed her up.'

'Alright, let's do this. Just be cool and we'll get there. I'll see you inside.'

Jah turned his music down for the first time since I'd gotten in the car. When we got in line, Martin gave a signal, and the line of cars took off down a bumpy road.

We stopped in a wooded area in a valley just before it opened out. An old sign on the edge of the road read in large, imposing letters: No Trespassing Beyond This Point. Violators Will Be Shot On Sight. Order of the US Government.' I felt somewhat nervous. Jah turned off the car and kept the music at a barely audible level. He continued to smoke joints and didn't seem phased by any of this.

We waited for half an hour in silence. Occasionally, more cars would join the line behind us and shut off. I meditated and tried to remain calm. I was feeling more than a little paranoid. I did my best to project energies of stealthiness and shadow.

There was a knock on Jah's window, which startled me. He rolled it down to let the smoke out and see who it was.

'Hey Dave, mon. What can I do for you?'

'Can I get a bag from you, man? This shit is makin me paranoid and I gotta chill.'

'Jah, mon. Hop in quietly.'

Jah moved to the back of the bronco and Dave followed him.

'This is nuts, right? You know where we're going?' Dave asked.

'No, mon. I trust dem to throw da party.'

'I hitched a ride with one of the dudes who scoped the place out. We're heading into the back-roads of a military installation. I hear there are mine fields on either side of the road. I guess they run a patrol that far back once an hour, but the road itself isn't used anymore. Once we're past the base perimeter, we should be fine. I hear the party is gonna be in a huge old tunnel. I'll bet the military would still use it to escape if the base was taken over.'

'You definitely need to chill and smoke da ganja, mon.' Jah pulled out a bag from the dresser and passed it to Dave. Dave handed him some cash, then pulled out a small glass pipe, and proceeded to pack it. They smoked and handed it to me a couple of times, then there was another knock on the door. A man was there, dressed in a striped shirt with colored beads around his neck. He smiled at me and said 'Sup?' then peeped his head into the bronco and said, 'Hey Jah, quit smokin. We're about to head out.'

'I guess you with us Dave. We be safe.' He hopped into the driver's seat, and a couple of minutes later, the cars started up in a domino effect. We headed out onto the old paved road. The terrain opened up into a hilly valley with lots of trees. I couldn't see the end of the row of cars. We wound around for a few miles and encountered no one. We came to a Y in the road and took the left branch. This way was even more disused and bumpy. I couldn't imagine anyone using this to escape on quickly. Must've been long out of service. Maybe they had entirely underground escape passages now.

We came upon an old tunnel bored out of a mountainside. It was rectangular in shape and big enough to move a tank through easily. It was pitch dark except for the low headlights of the string of cars we were a part of. Small patches of cement had fallen from the ceiling here and there, but the structure itself seemed perfectly sound, and the road was smooth except for occasional rubble.

'This is the baddest ass shit ever!' Dave exclaimed, peering between the seats, his fears turned to excitation.

The tunnel went on for a couple of miles into the rock. One could almost feel the burden of the thousands of tons of earth above us. We emerged from the tunnel and wound through a forested valley down the lost highway. The full moon shone bright overhead, and I smiled. It was gonna be a good night.

We drove into another tunnel, similar to the last. There was someone at the end filming us with a camcorder as we drove past. This tunnel seemed longer than the last. Finally, the cars began to slow down and stop. I could feel a low thumping like a heartbeat. People shut off their cars and we were immersed in darkness. Down the tunnel, I could see flashing lights from around a slight bend ahead a hundred yards or so. People started pulling out flashlights and countless spots of light began to meander from ahead and behind.

Jah pulled out a few joints and handed them to me. I stuck them in my pack of cloves. 'I be up in a minute, mon. Gotta wait for a few more customers.'

I hopped out of the bronco, lit up a clove and headed up the tunnel. There was a cool breeze flowing consistently by, and it took a few tries to get it lit. Dave went back down the tunnel to look for his friends. The music seeped into me slowly as I walked up, gaining definition. I was greeted by a string of christmas lights about 100 ft long on either side of the tunnel, forming a runway leading up to the party, where people had already started to get down and boogie. On either side of the tunnel, there was a stack of speakers and a pair of intelligent lights on high stands. The acoustics were amazing.

The DJ was spinning some deep, vocal house beats, urging me to love, shine and get my groove on. I knew the games of perception well - the path of sensory-overload with full awareness; heightening the ability of the mind to perceive the subtle flows rather than drowning out all cognition. I jumped onto a thumping bass line, riding the vibe as I flowed up to higher frequencies of sound, constructing an audial landscape within me and around me, ultimately bringing down the ethereal ambience to fully encompass me. This whole process took but a few seconds; less, even, than the time necessary for my eyes to adjust to the deep, auric colors of the intelligent lighting. The lights danced along with the music as it flowed through me and I swam in, riding the winds blowing up from behind me. I jumped from sound to sound, surfing on sine waves in the tunnel of noise.

A couple of hundred youths, dressed mostly in striped shirts and baggy pants, wandered around this section of the tunnel. Some huddled in small packs on the floor, ingesting drugs and playing with incandescent glow sticks and pacifiers. Lone dancers contorted their bodies as the music warranted, flowing with it in ecstatic trance. The fluid clarity they struggled to maintain came natural to me.

I strolled about, grooving with the music and observing. There was plenty of room for everyone to move at their leisure and dance as they willed. I was confronted numerous times asking if I wanted or knew where to get drugs; herb, lsd, coke, ecstasy. I declined on all counts, although since I knew this was a safe underground party, I pointed the users in the right directions. The last rave I had been to had been in Pittsburgh, so I recognized no one in particular. Somehow, I knew that my purpose here would be made evident soon.

The music faded down, and a girl picked up a microphone. She had short, dark hair and was wearing a black tank-top, bell-bottom jeans, and some sort of backpack with a tube linked to the right strap on her shoulder. She seemed familiar in the way the temple did, like out of a lost memory I couldn't place.

'Welcome to Awakening,' she said, 'we made it, and we shouldn't have any problems while we're here. As some of you know, this tunnel was built by the military about a hundred years ago and has been out of use for about 40 years. We have commandeered it in the name of fun and evolution through community. Thank you all for coming. There's free water, and about 50 yards behind the DJ, you can step out and get some fresh air as long as you mind the cables. The great outdoors is also the restroom, au naturale. All dealers here are sanctioned and trustworthy, the way it should be. Welcome to the true underground. Enjoy!'

The crowd yelled and whistled in jubilation and the music came back online. I watched the girl as she walked back from behind the tables. She joined a group of people who all gave her hugs and she started dancing in a fluid, graceful way. She seemed to flit around like a butterfly, talking to everyone.

The DJ started spinning some funky house, which really got people moving. I felt the urge and made my way to the dance floor. I etched runes in the air with my hands, and moved my body to the beat, allowing the energy to take control. I translated the myriad of sounds into motion.

The music shifted, and I paused to realize she was looking directly at me. She started grooving around me, creating intricate patterns with her fluid motion. She was playing with the energy of the vibe flowing through her body. It was addictive, that crazy power to immerse yourself in experience, knowing your place in the universe, filling that empty space that is you dancing. She mimed throwing an energy ball at me, and I caught it, moving it around with my hands and flowing arms, serpent-like. We turned to one another and it was like looking in a mirror, our hands seemingly connected by invisible strings of energy; not touching physically. Staring down the tunnel into one another's eyes, riding the same waves in the music. We moved our bodies in frantic pace, locked in a pocket of vibe together, just us and the music.

Our eyes locked as our bodies writhed around one another in harmonic fluidity. It was as if our gaze were bound in place and the rest of reality swam around it. There was a flash of recognition between us that I couldn't place. It was as if time stopped and I knew her from somewhere, but certainly not in this lifetime. This moment was fated and I could feel the clicking together of two interlocking pieces. Her face seemed to shift, as though different guises were being projected on it. Subtle changes in style of hair, but maintaining a tale-telling essence, triggering intense deja-vu.

Within the experience, speaking through the music, phased in the words, repeating, 'We are connected.' We harmonized our motions in such a way that our arms came within inches of one another without touching, sliding with precision around each other. We flowed together naturally, as if our dance was one movement with two bodies.

The music built itself up for what seemed an eternity as we danced in greater intricacy, slipping into its deeper folds. I could practically see the energy building up like a bubble around us. I could see her chakras flaring up and radiating out, linking to my own. I felt my own power centers flowing with the music, growing with the intensity of our stare we managed to maintain throughout the motion.

The music thumped, and we danced with sweat pouring down our faces, bodies merged in syncopation. I paused and wiped the sweat from my face with my already drenched sleeve as it ran into my eyes and stung. I watched her continue to move, blending martial arts katas with eurhythmy in blissful focused abandon.

I noticed then that we had attracted a circle of people to watch us dance. Someone handed me water and said, 'Omigawd, I can't believe you were keeping up with her.' How I admired her water pack. She'd traveled the scene enough to extend the reaches of how long the body can continue to exert itself in a state of ecstasy. Evolution.

She smiled at me, and went on dancing while I caught my breath. She winked at me, then slid off the dance floor gracefully to the turntables. She spoke a couple of words with the DJ, who bowed out and let her take control. She flawlessly mixed the music to a new vinyl of her choice. It was trip hop with funky breaks. The beats and polyrhythms were much more intricate than the last DJ, and the breaks made changes more abrupt. It was as if she were challenging me to prove my skills.

I caught a hook and flowed with it, jumped when the breaks hit, and connected with her vibe. My body flowed in ways I didn't know it was able to, guided by her will like I was a marionette. She bobbed her head as she queued up another record. She spun in some tech-house with intelligent beats and I pushed myself to keep up with the flow. She threw in some abrupt but appropriate breaks and I proved my connection was true.

She shifted the breaks into more accessible garage house and the party went nuts. She pumped her fist into the air and was all smiles. She winked at me, then bent down to pick another record. I walked behind her and picked up a bottle of water from a cooler set a few yards behind the stacks. She followed me with her eyes as I walked past, then bent her head down to focus on the music and queue up the next track.

As I walked back from behind the stacks, I spotted Johnny puffing on a blunt and chatting with a couple of girls. 'Yo Devon, nice moves. You on something?'

'Nah. If I was, I probably wouldn't have had to stop except for water.'

He handed me the blunt and asked, 'Want some E? 10 bucks a piece since you're friends with Dan.'

I puffed on the cigar and said through the exhalation of smoke, 'Sure, why not. I'll take a pair.' I handed him a 20 and he handed me a couple of light blue pills with a Mercedes stamp on them. I swallowed one with some water and put the other in the cellophane from my smokes. It had a bitter aftertaste.

'They're clean and pretty strong. Enjoy.'

'Who's that girl spinning?' I asked.

'Oh, that's Alaura. She knows everybody. She seems to have a personal mission to make sure everyone has a good time. She's done a lot for the scene. When someone needs a venue, she always digs something up for real cheap and she always spins for free. And damn, that girl got some moves. I'm surprised you could keep up like that.'

'You spinning tonight?'

'Yeah, man, but not until the end of the party. I'll be playing intelligent drum and bass.'

'Right on. I love that style.' I could feel the pull of Alaura's music calling me back to the dance floor. The music sang, 'Beyond space and time, you've been on my mind. Come and dance with me.'

'I'll check you later, man. The music is calling.'

He nodded and I slipped back onto the floor as the music seemed to build. As I got in place, it broke into a slammin beat and I was whisked away with the music on a body journey. She was spinning some sort of psychedelic trance-house. I rode the vibrations of sound and it reverberated in me, and touched something deep inside. It was as if she were caressing me with the music itself. At that moment, I looked up at her. She smiled at me, and without changing a beat, she merged in a vocal track that sang, 'When I look in your eyes, in not too much time, I knew that we'd fall in love,' then a few beats later, 'I know you're thinking about me.' Her skills at mixing were apparently equal to her dancing abilities. I was suitably impressed and drawn to her.

She finished off her set with psy-trance and I walked over to her as she passed the headphones to another DJ.

She was about the same height as me, a little shy of 6ft. She giggled a little bit, then said, 'Hi, I'm Alaura. I haven't seen you around before. Under normal circumstances, this would be a flippant point, but I did send out the invitations. You must be Dan's friend from Pittsburgh, yes?'

'Your keen deductive skills astound me as much as your dancing and DJ abilities,' I said, 'Devon, at your service.'

'I'm glad you could make it. You on anything tonight?'

'Yeah, I had just popped a roll before heading back to the dance floor.'

'You don't say? I just took a roll a couple of minutes back toward the end of my set, when I got you to come dance again. A man of mystery and synchronicity,' she said, 'I'll be sure to catch up with you in a bit. I have to make my rounds. I'm sure we'll meet up again when we start rolling.'

She pranced off with a smile to receive praise from her peers and check up on things. I decided to have a look outside before my roll kicked in. The tunnel opened out into a valley, with some trees to either side meeting up with steep slopes. The weather was incredible and the full moon bathed me in its light. The music from the tunnel was just audible enough to follow. It wasn't loud enough to compromise our position from anywhere but a direct approach.

The road continued on into the darkness. Who knew where this lost highway led. Some secret military retreat, perhaps. A few people were out admiring the stars and urinating. I breathed in the crisp, unpolluted air. It was very refreshing and I felt relaxed for the first time since I returned from my visionary experiences. I walked a bit further down the path and pulled out a joint. I lit it, inhaled the soothing earthy smoke and exhaled a shimmering cloud that glistened in the moonlight and drifted on the winds billowing out of the tunnel. I took a few more puffs as I walked nonchalantly along for a couple of hundred feet.

Taking a step off the path, I relieved myself. As I finished, I looked up and saw a light above the hills in the sky. It was of an amber color and moved in strange patterns that indicated it wasn't a jet or helicopter. After a moment, it vanished. I was somewhat taken aback and shorted the joint halfway through and put it in my cigarette pack. I took a drink of water and stood there for a minute, staring into the sky, wondering if it would return.

A part of me hoped they were aliens that would land and explain what was happening to me. Maybe it was an experimental military craft. Perhaps the military has reverse-engineered alien technology or is working with them. Did they know about me? Was my invitation here somehow cleverly managed by someone? My paranoia got the better of me and I made my way back to the tunnel at a brisk pace.

Fortunately, my roll was starting to kick in, and I was all smiles by the time I got back to the tunnel. There was some Goa trance spinning, and a few people had pulled out some African drums to play along. The tone had shifted entirely to a tribal setting. The natural beats revived ancient memories of dancing around a fire. People appeared lost in the intricate beats, suspended in animation. I made my way past the DJ and saw Jah beating on a Djimbe in a fervent state of trance. His hands shifted so fast I couldn't follow their blurring movement.

The drumbeats echoed hauntingly throughout the tunnel and I was whisked along with them. I felt my jaw tighten from the ecstasy and waves of energy pulsed through me. It felt as though the music was undulating inside of me and I began to sway with the hypnotic patterns.

I spotted Alaura drifting among the crowd like a radiant goddess, bringing smiles to the faces of all she passed. A name entered my mind, perhaps from the DJ, that echoed through me in a soul-stirring way. 'Erzulie.' I knew only a little of this name. It belongs to a Lwa that joys in seeing the ecstasy of her followers. As though she were aware of me looking at her, she turned and smiled at me in a soft, caring way from across the tunnel. She glided effortlessly through the maze of dancers between us.

As she came closer, she began to sway in unison with me. I was entranced like a snake to a charmer. She moved into my personal space, and I felt a tingly interaction between our energies without touching. She moved her face within a centimeter of mine, and spoke in my ear just loud enough to hear, 'come with me and dance, let us be one in our joy.'

She moved away and I was drawn to her, as if I was under her spell, connected through invisible bands of energy. She smiled and brushed her hand against my chest. The touch brought a warm emotion, which grew from that spot to fill me. I moved to follow her, and the feeling increased. Ancient polyrhythms echoed in my soul and called to me from nameless depths. I began to dance and the joy washed over me. My smile ached.

The DJ faded out the record and the drums continued. Jah began to chant in a language I was not familiar with. A couple of drummers appeared to know what he was into and responded with 'Ase' at the end of each line he recited. I felt the pace of the drummers increase, and was pulled deeper into the dance. Alaura spiraled around me, lost in a state of ecstasy. I was drawn further into it with her, until I became lost in the rhythms and the chanting. Time seemed to lose meaning and I danced with it, beyond the point of exhaustion.

The rhythm became more uniform and driving, and the Jah began to repeat, 'Erzulie' until everyone not participating in the dance was joining in. The drums, the chanting, the dance and the ecstasy of it all overwhelmed my senses and I was locked in the flow of the moment. Alaura appeared to be radiating light through her dance, and a crowd including me flocked around her in a dancing circle, arms outstretched to her. The energy from us went into her and it radiated back from her in amplified waves, which bathed us in unutterable ecstasy.

Finally, the drums broke and ceased. Alaura collapsed to the floor, and we were drawn down with her, released from the trance in a state of physical exhaustion. An ambient drone was released from the speakers, the next DJ filling the beatless air with sound once again. The ambience was soon joined by a thumping bass-line. We rose from the floor and I helped Alaura to her feet. She seemed somewhat dazed, and we moved from the dance floor so those more rested individuals could dance in our stead to the psychedelic trance which filled the tunnel.

'Wow, I need some fresh air,' she said, 'that was intense!'

We passed Jah and I gave him a high five. Alaura hugged him, then excused us and pulled me along with her out of the tunnel.

'It's sooooo beautiful out here,' she said in a child-like way. She was still radiating with addictive joy, which seemed to fuel my drug experience even further. We took a seat on the side of the path on some large stones. I still felt the undulating of the drug's rushing effects and it was difficult to form coherent thought patterns.

'This is like... wow, man, yeah... such an awesome party, I'm SO glad I came,' I said with feverish enthusiasm.

'Mmmmmm yes.... everything is perfect. I feel so wonderful and I'm glad you're having a good time.'

She was so beautiful, and there was a presence about her that men would die for. She was looking at me with a euphoric smile and a child-like glint in her eye.

We looked deep into one another's eyes for a long time, reading one another. I felt from her an intense curiosity, but at the same time a knowing recognition that could not be placed. I felt again the nagging familiarity, like into my own eyes in a mirror. I felt her energies probing me as I extended my senses to meet and explore her. There was no resistance on either part, just an intense, uncontrollable attraction between us. I know that she knew what was happening between us. The burning curiosity I felt in her consumed me, as well. We were both being led by feelings we didn't yet understand. Something had brought us together.

Following the feelings, we leaned into one another and met lips. With the kiss, I was suddenly flooded with a surge of emotions. We kissed deeply, as lovers joined after a long parting of ways. She caressed my face, tracing my features. I moved to embrace her, not a thought of why in my mind. How long we kissed and caressed in each other's arms, I know not, for time seemed to lose sway entirely. It wasn't sexual play; we were sharing precious moments of pure affection and the magnification of one another's joy. We smiled as we kissed and the euphoria overwhelmed my senses. We basked in each other's simple touch and kisses for what could have been hours.

She began to pull away, lingered for a few more kisses, then moved away, smiling and gazing into my eyes. 'There's something extremely unique about you,' she said, 'I don't know how to put it into words.'

'I've been finding myself at a loss for explanation of what's been happening to me, but meeting you has certainly been a highlight.'

'I know this might sound weird,' she said to me, pausing for a moment, then, 'I don't know what it is about you, but ever since I saw you, I've been having the most intense feeling of deja vu. I feel like it's important that we met.'

'I've had similar feelings that I've met you before and I believe you're a key to a mystery I have been propelled into.'

'Would you like to try an experiment?' she asked.

'I'd say that I'm open to just about anything at this point,' I said.

'Have you ever smoked DMT before?'

'I do not believe I'm familiar with it,' I said.

'It has been used by shaman in various parts of the world, although it is generally ingested orally with an MAOI. Since rolling and MAOIs don't mix, we can sprinkle it on some pot and take one hit each. It'll last about 10 minutes, and about 30 minutes for the effect to wear off entirely. It's more intense than LSD. Generally you take turns doing it, but I want to try it with us both there.'

'That certainly sounds interesting,' I said. I felt willing to try anything with her.

She pulled out a glass pipe and put some marijuana in the bottom of it. From another bag, she sprinkled a white powder over it and handed it to me. I was shocked as I made the connection that I had smoked this identical substance in my journey. I was visibly shaken and almost dropped the pipe.

She grabbed the pipe from my hand and touched my shoulder with her free hand to calm me down. 'Are you ok?' she asked concernedly.

'I smoked this last night. This is so weird.'

'Did you have a bad experience?' she asked.

'It's not that. It was just a shock, because I didn't know what I was smoking last time.'

'How is that possible?'

'I had a number of experiences that I cannot explain. It was like an astral vision quest, but it was so real. Real things happened, including writing in my notebook that is still there and smoking DMT.'

'Freaky.'

'This is obviously important. Let's smoke this and see what happens.'

She nodded and took a pull on the pipe, lighting it only on one side. She handed it to me and I lit the other side, inhaling deeply. As I finished my inhale, I spotted the amber light dancing over her shoulder. My vision went into the kaleidoscopic crawling patterns, and everything seemed connected by bands of energy, particularly between Alaura and myself. It appeared as though the space between us was filled with a dizzyingly complex energy pattern cycling between us. Her face seemed to be crawling with the three-dimensional writing I saw in the temple.

Looking into one another's eyes, we drifted closer to one another, and it was like our bodies merged, melting into one another. It felt as though our cells were fused together. There was a flash of light and we were in a domed room, sitting closely together. It felt different than the place with the jeweled entities, and we hadn't smoked as much as I had in the cave. This was different. Alaura was gazing about and looked at me somewhat concernedly. There were two entities there. Very thin and tall with upside-down pear shaped heads and almond shaped black eyes. I was still hallucinating vividly and didn't know if this was really happening or if it was part of the drug trip.

I didn't have time to think about the ramifications of what was going on, for the DMT pulled me further into the drug experience, and I felt my consciousness slipping into that other world. In the place of the aliens, I saw the jeweled entities telling me they loved me while bouncing in and out of my chest. They emoted 'welcome home chosen one.' Alaura was there with me, and we touched hands. It was electric and the jeweled entities reciprocated great joy. It was like a celebration and they were very glad we had met and were here with them.

There was another flash of light, and Alaura and I were back on the path, hallucinations wildly superimposed on everything. She had somewhat of a shocked look on her face. I ran the back of my hand across her cheek and she smiled. We embraced fervently, bonded somehow by this bizarre experience.

My roll was still somewhat in effect, and with the remaining DMT, conversation was out of the question. I saw the amber light in the sky dance around. I pointed it out to Alaura, and as if it were waiting for her to see it, it danced even more wildly for a minute, then vanished into the night sky.

'Getting abducted in the middle of a DMT trip is my idea of a party!'

'Has this happened to you before?' I struggled to say.

'I haven't had an abduction experience since I was very young,' she said, 'I wonder if the jeweled entities and the Greys have something in common.'

'You sure do take things in stride,' I said.

'Partially the E, I think,' she said, 'about time to re-up.' She put the pipe back into its velvet wrapping and pulled a pill out of her pocket. She took a sip from the tube at her shoulder and swallowed the pill. I decided that I was already along for the ride, so I got out my other pill. She shared her water tube with me to wash it down.

'That's the spirit!' she said. I pulled out a joint. 'Now you're talking, brother!' she said.

We smoked the joint and listened to the music emanating from the tunnel. The DMT hallucinations were fading, but still lingered with the other drugs in my system. I felt relaxed in her presence and I had a feeling like I was in the clear to just have a good time the rest of the night. The ordeal for the evening was over, at least for now. We held hands and looked into one another's eyes. I felt so connected with her and even with all the crazy events, everything felt so right. Releasing myself to the mystery appeared to be the way to go.

The rest of the night passed in euphoria and dancing. Before we knew it, the dim light of morning began to pour in through the tunnel's end. DJ Ramification's set faded to a close and Alaura stepped up to the mic.

'Thanks so much for coming out. I hope everyone had a wonderful time and trust if you're not sober enough to drive, you'll stick around until we're done cleaning up and head out with the second wave of departees. Pick up whatever trash you can on the way out, turn your cars around and line up behind the front car, who will lead you out when everyone's ready to go. Have a great day and have a safe trip home!'

Alaura approached me and invited to drive me to her place for an after-party after things were cleaned up. 'I want to hear more about your vision,' she said, 'I hope you'll join me.'

I accepted graciously and we helped pack the equipment into a small moving truck as another group of people swept up. The first wave of cars was gone by the time we finished. The remaining folks took their time and chatted, eating fresh fruit. Alaura introduced me to a few people, and we ate some delicious kiwi and dragon fruit. She made sure everything was taken care of, then said her goodbyes and led me to her vehicle.

Alaura had a huge Suburban with an incredibly nice sound system. We hopped in and she threw on some really amazing psy-trance. 'Shpongle,' she explained, 'Simon Posford and the flutist Raja Ram.' The organic beats and polyrhythms kept my mind busy as we drove out of the tunnel.

'Shouldn't we wait for the rest of the crew in the tunnel to leave? Aren't you worried about getting caught?' I asked.

She chuckled and said, 'We have permission from the base commendant. Its more fun for the kids to think they're doing something shady.'

I laughed at her ruse.

'Could you do me a favor and pack up my pipe?' she asked as we drove down the abandoned road.

We talked about music for a while, from modern electronic artists to progressive 70s and jazz. Although I'm an avid music collector, she had me beat on some obscure music and intricate connections between various artists.

After a time, she asked me to pack up another pipe. I pulled out one of my remaining joints instead, lit it, took a couple of puffs and passed it to her. We were listening to some really amazing progressive 70s rock. It was rather tempting to get lost in, but she pulled me out with questions.

'So what's up with this vision quest of yours? I gotta hear about this one.'

I told her the tale in as much detail as I could.

'That sounds so intense. I've had a lot of intense drug experiences. It sounds like you were on peyote and DMT. I've heard of people having dreams about smoking DMT, but only after they'd smoked it. That doesn't really explain the times in your vision quest when you didn't feel drugged. Do you think our DMT experience somehow ties into your vision quest?'

'They were the same sort of entities. I wonder what they are, and I wonder how the aliens tie into them.'

'Those are the DMT elves. They usually show up with a sufficient DMT dose. Strange little fellas, eh? They told me they were happy to see that we'd finally met. Something very important but they couldn't say what. The elves are so different from the Greys. The Greys kinda creep me out.'

'I had seen that little dot of light while I was outside earlier, before the drumming. I wonder if anyone else was abducted. If they were waiting for us to both be out there together, smoking DMT, that would indicate that they know more about what's going on than we do.'

'Well, assuming your tale was more than just a drug trip, which seems to be the case, its not too far of a stretch to believe they somehow are related and know us better than we know ourselves. They'd have to have some serious control over the vibe or something to bring these experiences to fruition for us to meet.'

'Angels working for the divine?' I postulated.

'I've heard that speculation before, but most accounts of aliens seem to put them more into the category of scientists,' she said.

'God is a scientist, some say.'

'Well, it is possible that we were seeded on this planet by extra-terrestrials, and they're just observing us,' she said.

'Possible, but the aliens had to come from somewhere, and eventually you have to admit that something started this universe so that rational beings could observe it,' I said, 'Only a divine force could fit the bill. Eventually, it would have to be there beyond time so it could make time happen.'

'Time travelling aliens?' she grinned.

'The Pleiadians are reportedly blonde-haired, blue-eyed time travelers from our distant future, making sure history happens correctly, so they can exist.'

'Sounds like Nazi propaganda to me,' she said skeptically, 'you'd get along famously with my father.'

'Well, the Nazis did occult research. Maybe they knew and got the wrong idea from it.'

'I won't deny the possibility, but what about the Greys? They play a role in the vast majority of abduction scenarios, including ours.'

'Could be grunts for the Pleiadians; genetically altered humans, which would explain abductions involving females who are impregnated, then the child is taken within a few months and grown in a vat.'

'Creepy stuff,' she commented, 'but I don't understand why they wouldn't just grow them in vats from human eggs and sperm they've gathered.'

'Possibly something to do with the interaction of tissue between the child and the host during the first trimester.'

'Or there could be multiple factions of extra-terrestrials. I've heard rumors that the Greys are from Zeta Reticuli,' she said.

'A lot of speculation with no hard facts.'

'Similar to the argument for the existence of God,' she stated.

'I can't logically prove the existence of a divine entity, but I've had experiences which can only be explained by some external force which is capable of manipulating events to some incomprehensible end.'

'I call that the Vibe. We're like intricate beats and rhythms flowing with one another, creating the song of life.'

'Namaste,' I intoned.

'When you're in your place and I'm in mine, we are one.'

We matched eyes and felt the powerful connection between us.

With much speculation and few answers, we drove back to the city and parked on Ashbury, in front of a townhouse up the street from the Grateful Dead's house back in the 60s. Entering the house seemed like a fusion of 60s and modern-day. Apparently an after-party had formed in our absence, and at 10:30am, the music was still thumpin, although the energy level was more on the chill-tone. To the left of the entryway was a large hardwood floored area with a DJ set up in front of a bay window with plants hanging around his head. People had maneuvered chairs into a ring around the room and there were about a half dozen people taking in the beats and the sunshine coming through the window. I could see a few people in the kitchen beyond that. There were about a dozen people in the living room to the right of the doorway, passing around a bong. Every ceiling had tie-dyes and the walls were covered in hand-painted psychedelic art.

Everyone's mood seemed to brighten a little when Alaura entered. She motioned her index finger into the living room, implying that she'd be just a minute. 'Sunshine!' a feminine voice called from the kitchen, 'I have a present for you, girlfriend!'

'Be there in a minute, Divine,' Alaura shouted in gleeful response.

We entered into the dining room, and Alaura hugged everyone and gave introductions amongst smiles all around.

The DJ was immersed in spinning and gave the rock gesture to Alaura and went back to his work.

We entered the kitchen to find a trio of people chattering away. Two glammed out flaming transvestites stood like goddesses, not looking worse for wear having been at a party all night. The other was a girl in pigtails bent over the counter with a straw and a finger covering her other nostril. She inhaled deeply and lifted her head. Her eyes glowed when she saw Alaura and ran across the kitchen to give her a hug.

'Dierdre, this is Devon,' Alaura introduced, then said to me, 'she's one of my two roommates.'

Dierdre jumped into my arms and gave me a big hug, then bounced back and said, 'I saw you two last night. That was aaaaaaaaaawesome!'

'Oh, sweet thing, you have yourself a prize the way that boy can move,' one of the men said.

'Oh, Divine, you sexy thang, gimmie a kiss,' Alaura said. They hugged quaintly and kissed each other on the cheeks in debutante fashion.

'Break yourself off a line, girl, the party's not over yet!' Divine said.

'I'm gonna need it if I'm gonna stay up any longer,' she said.

'Devon, honey, you can help yourself when she's through. We got it covered,' Divine said to me.

Alaura asked me, 'Would you like one, Devon?'

'Sure, I could use a little pick-me-up. It's been a long, strange night,' I said.

Alaura broke off a couple of generous lines for us, and took half of her line in each nostril. She came up from the table sniffing. I followed in turn and inhaled the white powder through each nostril and spent the next few moments sniffing like I had a slight cold. My senses became more acute and I felt awake and invigorated. They chatted at a dizzying pace for a couple of minutes. The DJ put on some jazzy beat-laden music. They all giggled like schoolgirls and rushed out to dance in the converted dining room.

A door at the end of the kitchen opened, and a guy in a visor came out of the bathroom. 'Hey, man,' he greeted.

'Hey, I'm Devon. I'm here with Alaura,' I said.

'Oh, cool, man, I'm with Dierdre,' he said, 'I spin. DJ Exotiquette. Want a beer?' he asked, reaching into the fridge.

'Sure, thanks,' I said, 'Cut the edge on the C.'

'Oh, you partake? Want another line? I got bank in some of this, and we're at the end of the party going for broke, know what I mean?'

'Why not,' I said.

He handed me a Hiney and broke off a couple of lines. We did them, and sniffed for a while. I felt the drainage into my throat and was feeling a generous rush. I sipped on my beer and followed him out into the dining room where some relaxed dancing was going on to some ambient jazz with smooth grooves.

DJ Exotiquette danced with Dierdre for a minute, then went behind the table to switch places with the DJ. He slipped on some deep house and people started to get a bit funkier.

Alaura slid herself off the dance floor in an elegant flow into my arms. 'Having a good time?' she asked.

'Yeah, this is a nice scene. I dig the decor.'

'Lets go say hi to the living room,' she suggested, and led me across the entry-way into a spacious room, where the bong continued to be passed. A couple of kids were playing a console fighting game on the wide-screen flat digital television hanging on the wall. The rest were sitting in a ring around them. There were 2 large couches and a love-seat. 3 people sat on each couch, 2 on the love seat. The couple on the love seat rose and came over to us. Alaura introduced her other roommate and her boyfriend.

'We're headed to bed. Looks like you can take our place,' she said, 'thanks for the party. As always, you rule. I'll clean this place up when I wake up. Love ya, babe.'

We sat on the couch and took a few bong hits from a tall glass water pipe. There was a table between the couches that had a large pile of crystalline buds people packed from when the bong was empty. It was a pleasant way to wind down after such an intense night.

We hung out for a couple of hours, danced a bit, did a couple more lines and chatted it up with the dwindling guests. Eventually, we said our goodbyes and went upstairs to Alaura's bedroom.

She flipped a switch on the wall, which illuminated the room with blue christmas lights strung around the ceiling and a pair of lamps on either side of the bed. A king sized waterbed with black sheets and numerous pillows was flush against the far wall but didn't come close to filling it. A sleek stereo was implanted into the wall behind the bed, complete with multi-disk changer, flanked by shelves in the wall which were filled with hundreds of CDs. On the left wall was a pair of double doors and on the right was a smaller door, which was open, revealing a spacious bathroom. Rave fliers littered the walls along with various psychedelic posters. There was a desk against the left wall upon which stood a computer with a flat-screen 21" monitor. A pair of huge bookshelves were contained within the right wall on either side of an ornate fireplace, which held books both ancient and new. In each corner of the room were immense speakers and I looked about the ceiling and spotted smaller speakers in the walls and ceiling above.

She closed the door behind us. 'Make yourself at home,' she said, hugging me, then walked over to the bed to put on some music. I took the opportunity to relieve myself, noting both the jacuzzi and stand in shower contained in the bathroom.

When I came out, I spotted her undressing in the huge walk-in closet behind the double doors on the far wall. A light ambient-trance CD played on the stereo. She saw me watching her and said, 'I don't mind if you watch me undress. In fact, I don't mind revealing anything of myself to you,' she said as she unstrapped her bra and bared her breasts to me.

She donned an oriental silk robe, smiled slyly, and grabbed a mirror off the wall.

'I was hoping that you might stay up with me a little while longer. I have a little supply of my own,' she said.

'When in Rome,' I said, 'It's the only way you're gonna keep me up right now.'

'I'm not sure I'd bet on that,' she said seductively. She opened a small drawer on one of the end tables, and pulled out a razor, a pair of small bags and a straw. She withdrew a white chunk from one bag and cut off a sizeable amount. From the other bag, she took out a couple of E pills with a star on each. She used the razor to cut them up, smash them into finer parts and split the result into lines. We sat on the edge of the bed and passed the mirror back and forth.

The blend really intensified the rush. After a few lines, she put the mirror on the end table and we both collapsed backwards onto the waterbed in giggles. We faced one another, our feet still dangling over the edge. Our lips met in a kiss, and I slid my hand into her robe and caressed her side softly. Everything was tingly, and it intensified the feelings of her caresses as she slid off my shirt to reveal my thin form.

We shifted properly onto the bed facing one another and began to kiss as lovers who finally find time alone. I cupped her petite breast in my hand and toyed with the nipple until it became hard. She pressed her body into mine, and we kissed deeply, tongues entwined.

I slid my hand between her legs, which she opened willingly. She had a smooth Brazilian wax, with a small tuft of soft fur in a line at the top. I ran my fingers lightly over her lips, teasingly, and lightly caressed her inner thighs. I moved my hand back to her flower and slid my finger from the base to the top, parting the lips and sliding my finger against the moist flesh beneath. As I began to stimulate her, she moved her hand to find my erect form inside my pants.

We made love through the afternoon in various positions, always slowing and shifting before reaching ultimate climax. We occasionally paused to do another line and dove back into our intercourse. We found ourselves wrapped in tantric embrace, both sitting up facing one another with sweat glistening on our bodies, riding the combined high of passion and amphetamines. I was erect inside her and she coaxed my wand within her chalice with internal muscles. We pressed our bodies close together and kissed, moving only enough to maintain the state of ecstasy we had reached. The waterbed shifted slightly beneath us, adding an additional level of experience, floating.

The energy of our merging seemed to rise up my spine to my heart, and I could feel it beating in time with hers. The energy continued to rise to my third eye, and as we looked into one another's eyes, it seemed as though her forehead were glowing. We were suspended alone together, as though the rest of the world had disappeared. There was only she and I, sustained in union as waves of ecstasy washed over us.

Reflected in her eyes, I could see flashes of other lifetimes with her. Always, I have loved her so dearly, not commonly a happy ending. I saw her as an aspiring student at a time when only males were accepted. Another flash, and I saw her as a wealthy lady in waiting, and I a poor urchin who her parents refused to allow her to marry. Then, I saw her as a young maiden, whom I was bound to through a promise to her late mother, who had been burned at the stake for occult books I had supplied her. Her as a nun, and I a monk, secretly in love. I saw both of us as peasants, pledged to be married before the Vikings raped and killed her. I envisioned her as Gwenevire, and I as Lancelot. The energy surged and increased. She was Isolde, and I, Tristan. Dido and Aeneas. Mary Magdalene and Jesus. Sita and Rama. She was my Kali, and I her Shiva. Nuit and Hadit, making love with the universe. 'Come unto me!' she cried out. The shout reverberated through every fiber of my being, and together, the building ecstasy broke in a flashing white glow of orgasm.

We collapsed to the bed, pouring with sweat, kissing and caressing one another. The sky outside was dark, and our bodies glistened in the dim blue light.


I woke up to a warm, moist stimulation. I opened my eyes to find Alaura kneeling between my legs, dressed in her silk robe. Sunlight poured through the window. I sleepily ran my fingers through her hair. She smiled up at me when she realized I was awake. She gave me head for a while, then shifted on top of me, slid me inside her, and rode me to orgasm.

'A pleasant way to be awoken,' I said after some cuddling and kissing.

'I have plans for us today, if you're feeling adventurous,' she said, caressing my back.

'Sure, I'm game,' I replied.

'Great, I've packed you a small pack with a water pack and some supplies. We can swing by your place to get you cleaned up and grab an extra set of clothes and anything else you need, we'll stop for a bite to eat, and then we're dropping acid and flying in a helicopter to the middle of nowhere for the day.'

'Sounds like you've got it all planned out,' I said.

She smiled and kissed me, and we set out to prepare our journey.


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