I lodged with L and friends in a rocky place unknown to me. It was a cave. The cave had a large lake in the center. The lake led to a waterway leading out the back. In the lake a boat was waiting. L left with the others to cross the lake beyond the other opening to the cave, by boat: to go to a magic village, a place of festivities, that few people knew about.

We set up a tent in the rocky earth. This was to be my guardhouse. The others left in their boat. I remained, agreeing to be the watchman at our portal to the secret festive village. A man appeared at the entrance to the cave. He had a badge. He asked for my wallet, ID and credit card. I was worried, but he asserted his prerogative as a law man. He was, it turns out, investigating a murder.

He soon went away with my identification and cards. He was killed in his investigation, so my identity was lost. What was he killed by? I don’t know. I was never informed.

The cave I was staying in, and the lake within it, which grew wide and to vast proportions, was inhabited by a certain beast. A descendent of flying dinosaurs, or perhaps flesh-eating dragons. My fear at every moment was palpable.

L would return with friends at one point, then depart again to the festivities. While they were back I had no shame talking about my horrendous fear. And when it happened that people were killed outside my cave, L and her “friends” agreed to take me with them on the boat, due to the dangers I was facing, without anything to identify me should I be killed or lost. I took the boat with them though the back of the cave, across the cove to the festive village. But the village was “sold out” – it was too crowded, and I had no tickets. The friends agreed to sneak me in.

At the village we disembarked directly into the lower floor of a restaurant. It was an elaborate old house with many floors and hallways, and a lot of fine woodwork in dark teaks and mahagonies. I felt the presence of something in that house – that restaurant. Something was in there, yet I knew I was safe.

When we embarked on the boat again to depart the village, and returned to the cave, I felt good knowing that at least we were all together. For the moment my fear of going back to the tent at the mouth of the cave was calmed.