Zana

The Guillotine Cavern

The last drop of hot water drips from the tap.

Landing softly and sending tiny concentric circles that wrapped themselves around Velvet's tired body.

He places the Dimensia8 pill on his tongue, swallows it, and slides down deeper into the bath.

It will only take a few minutes for the time travel opiate to work.

Transporting his mind into the near future.

A peek into another world.

Where a reality would play out a week before it actually happpened.

Lucky Lucy walks into the bathroom and sits down on a stool next to the bath.

She rests the dagger with a diamond blade on her knees.

"I'll keep an eye on things while you're gone."

Velvet smiles and closes his eyes.

"See you on the other side", he says.

Before drifting into a dream of uncertainty and unanswered questions.

~

A vision takes shape.

The Guillotine Cavern is standing room only tonight.

Mr. Lamar is doing his magic act on the circular stage, waving his mischievous hands in the air.

Suddenly an explosion of fluttering white doves erupt from a giant pink cake.

Their beating wings cut through the thick curling smoke wafting up from the glow of a hundred burning Gitanne cigarettes.

The crowd goes crazy.

Whistling and applauding.

All eyes locked on Mr. Lamar, as he starts to levitate above the stage.

All the doves fly back toward him and start to hover in front of his body.

Forming a pulsating curtain of flapping white.

A row of blue coloured stage lights frame the surreal spectacle.

From the corner of the room, an old lady with lime green hair and matching lipstick does a drumroll.

Followed by a loud crash of a gold cymbal which cues the doves to break apart.

Mr. Lamar has vanished.

The applause starts up again.

Bouncing off the grey cement walls of the club.

"How did he do that?" Kitty asks.

She is sitting in the VIP booth.

Wearing a black beret, blue striped tee, red pencil skirt and stripper heels.

Velvet leans over to her ear and whispers a reply.

"He never really was on stage the entire act. It's a hypnotic illusion. Mr. Lamar is hooked up to tubes in a hospital bed in Poland. He has mastered astral travel and projects his presence directly into the minds of the audience. A masterstroke of ingenious magic."

"I just love it, love it, love it!" Kitty screams.

Her hand reaching down between her legs.

Lucky Lucy pokes her hard in the ribs.

"Stop that, you little whore!"

Kitty laughs. "I can't help myself, it's just so sexy."

Velvet reaches into the pocket of his scarlet tuxedo and pulls out a small copper pill box.

He flips the lid open and offers it to Lucky Lucy.

"What are these?" She asks staring at the tiny clear crystals inside.

"Whizz Candy. Same rush as cocaine but zero addiction. Just place one on the inside of your nostril and it instantly vaporises."

Lucky Lucy reaches over and takes a crystal.

Velvet does the same.

Their bodies shiver and shake as the rush from the Whizz Candy does its thing.

"Me, me, me, me..." Kitty's fingers scramble for the pill box.

Velvet laughs.

"Here you go, help yourself. No, no, no, just take one!"

Kitty does as she's told.

Placing a crystal inside her left nostril.

"Wow! This is fucking amazing!" She yells.

Her body spinning around in circles.

'Whip It' by Devo starts booming out of the club speakers.

Kitty stops spinning.

The smile quickly fades from her lips.

Tears run down her flushed cheeks.

"You okay?", Lucky Lucy asks.

"It was one of her favourite songs", says Kitty sobbing uncontrollably.

Velvet gets up and puts his arms around her.

"I know. I miss her terribly too. I'm sure somewhere, Sophia is dancing, shimmying across the clouds."

"Maybe this is not a good time."

They all turn and see Mr. Lamar standing in the booth behind them.

Velvet beckons him to take a seat with a wave of his hand.

"No perfect timing and thank you, James, for coming."

Kitty and Lucky Lucy sit down.

Their eyes locked onto the master magician.

Mr. Lamar goes through the motion of lighting a phantom cigarette.

He speaks in a slow Southern drawl.

"I found her. Your friend is holed up in a hotel in Amsterdam. And she isn't alone."

Velvet tries to steady his voice.

The Whizz Candy is racing through his nervous system.

"What do you mean, not alone, who else is there with her?"

Mr. Lamar smiles gently.

Blowing a cloud of ghost smoke into the air.

"Sophia."

Velvet's eyes light up.

Twin headlights on full beam.

"So tell me", Mr. Lamar says sucking deep on his cigarette, "Why did this Bela woman do it?"

Kitty leans over and whispers, "You cannot understand the story of Bela without first explaining the tale of Zana."

Velvet takes a deep breath and tells more of the story.