5
I was both frightened and enthralled by my new visions. At first uncle would go into my mind-castle along with me, arm in arm. And in fact he declared there were...dangers... pitfalls that were spawned by poor judgment.
Upon one night he lead me away from camp to a barren knoll. "Tonight you will travel alone," he said.
"These voyages...my castle...is this all real," I queried?
"Look at the stars," replied Uncle, "are they real?"
"Certainly they are real," I replied.
"How many stars are there?"
I thought for a moment. "The Sages say they are without number."
"Likely true," Uncle agreed, "but how can there be an endlessness?"
"They call it infinity," I whispered.
Uncle smiled slyly. "This word, infinity...it could have never been coined were it not for the fact that something in human perception can go there."
I nodded in pretense that I understood.
Uncle leered wolfishly, turned and hobbled away.
It was at first fun, my initial solitary midnight voyage. I mentally withdrew from the dark landscape around me. I followed my sublime Goddesses into my castle and clambered down into my laboratory. I had added a few ethereal furnishings, for instance a comfortable couch. Part of me was outside shivering under the stars on a chilly night, thus I needed that cozy divan.
I tried to activate the screen on the wall in front of me, but at first could see little but formless patterns. What should I look for? My youthful energies intercepted the thought.
A fortnight before a band of musicians, Egyptian renegades, had visited the shepherds camp. I heard the jangle of bells, the horns and the dulcimers, and stole away for a peek. In the circle of musicians was an exotic Egyptian girl, a dancer...
Her luscious and maddening figure appeared on the screen in front of me (was my vision moving too quickly) the images raced...she beckoned to me, we danced, soon to embrace and kiss. The music swirled to crescendo, shepherds cheered. She grasped my hand and led me towards her tent...
EXPLOSION! FALLING! I hit my head on a stone, I could actually feel the blood oozing down my cheek. Was it an earthquake? I looked around expecting to see the night and my craggy perch and the starry sky. No, I was still in my laboratory! I wanted to leave and tried to shake myself out of trance. But something was pinning me down and fastening me within my internal world. Cocking my head to one side I saw a pale glow. A shaft of light cascaded from the ceiling--from the aperture Uncle had suggested. Tiny orbs fluttered down within the hazy column. The pinlights began coalesce into a figure.
A deep voice thundered, "CHILD, STRIPLING WANDERER, RISE TO GREET ME!"