NAGA’OTHOTH

It was in your eyes that I saw my first glimpse of that lofty, shining city: Naga’ othoth. Perched on the outer periphery of the iris, in that azure sea so often dreamed of. The impenetrable columns of onyx entangled my mind; for a heavy second, I misplaced myself. Dancing as one, you held your steps, I mine. Sweat flowed over and between us, brought forth by the fire of rhythm. Yet, in that moment I was lost, not to you, but to that city; its sweeping broadways with herculean arches, its sky piercing towers. The sheer audacity of its construction was unending. This complex ship in a bottle, within the twinkle of my lovers’ eye.

My misstep was matched by yours; that same weighted moment striking your face.

It’s a running joke that I never recovered from my broken neck. You were walking up the stairs to the back row with some very pretty ladies. The sickening noise ricocheting up and down my spine was heard by the everyone in the lecture hall, laughter ensued – that the skinny kid in the front row would dream of getting with those girls was ridiculous. I was glad for the cover they provided. You just smiled.

This was Colorado 1971 after all, and there were still laws against it. A wry smile here and there was our revolution - sitting down to talk to you, the act of utter treason. But that jawline was worth it.

“Do they know?”

“Hey you. What do you mean?”

“The girls, do they know how futile their pursuit is?”

“I think one or two of them still thinks that there’s a chance. They’re hoping that the ‘girl’ back home comes down with polio.”

“Sounds like you’re a bit of a ladies man.”

“It does a bit - I guess it works as a good cover. My nose must be a little bit too big for the books.”

With the connection of mind, body and spirit severing, that memory detaches from my consciousness. Our dance taken up by the bodies, as minds relinquish control. The tethers fall away entirely; eyes crossed with a newly opened third; our aspects linger beyond time and space. The skeleton of reality made plain to us in the nanosecond made visible; with every nanosecond, eternity.

“Were not in Kansas anymore, Toto”

“Ruff, ruff!” That smile was unmistakable. “Looks a lot like Hadrian’s Rome. Wonder if we might find some bread dildos”

Engulfed by a Pantheon of red onyx, we take centre stage – the mirror-eye looming above, throwing light about us; glimmering anew each second; its flash pulling us round the circular temple, endlessly bouncing between marvels – fatally unable to savour even one.

Hours, days or minutes spent waltzing round an amaranthine amphitheatre, fixated by the rock at the centre of your eyes: we, inside perfection behold perfection within us. We gorged ourselves on unfathomed delight, concurrently starving and overfull. Days, hours or minutes passed in this manner, the Pantheon kept resolute.

What                     did               that                                  even                                   mean             ?

A tempo change, flew us into a valley of crystalline pines, the rocky walls painted with the refracted light.

The valley sloped away, the trees spilling out onto a flat plane, a sea of glimmering foliage,

The speed we traveled at seemed to grow with each moment, the trees gave way. Black onyx columns made up the perimeter wall, stretching across the horizon, climbed halfway to the golden heavens; only revealing itself to us as we were upon its threshold.

That crimson Pantheon held us once more – casting the shadow of light no more.

“There’s a knock at the door – and just for a second I thought I remembered you.”

A cat slinked through the statues. I should say a shadow of a cat – the thing had no body to it.

It padded toward us, flat on the floor and perpetually in the periphery of my view, purring as I tried to land my focus upon it.

‘You had fun? You look like you had fun here.’

‘TALKING SHADOW CAT!’

‘Don’t yell. You’ll spook him. He’s been around for a bit. I think he’s here to show us around.

‘And you got to that conclusion how?’

‘Just listen.’

‘He’s right James, your man’s got a good head on him.’ The Cat purred, a vibration pulsed faintly through the room in response. ‘It was unwise to come here without a guide, this world without time may be a wondrous place; but it was extremely presumptuous of you to believe such beings as yourself could find anything but destruction here.’

‘John, did you hear what that thing just said?’

‘Oh he’s being very welcoming love, don’t fret so much.’

‘Yes James, I was just offering my greetings to this the Great City of Timeless Night.’

‘Timeless night? I thought this was the Great City of …’ John trailed off, unable to utter the syllables.

‘Ah yes, this is the way it comes to the minds of those cursed by Chronos to endure the finite. This place can be very confusing for you. In fact, your being here is a rather perplexing event for all those involved. Those with time, and those without were never intended to cross paths.’

‘Chronos? I don’t follow. The ritual stated nothing about him.’

John seemed completely disinterested in questioning the feline apparition; he had taken to chasing after its whipping shadow of a tail; much more like a kitten than a grown man.

James was still unable to focus entirely on the cat, but found that if he did not try, it seemed to simply fall into view, and rather engulfed his paralysed attention.

‘This explains much; you took the trial of iron and blood to reach this place, did you not?

‘That’s true, what of it.’

‘A tough vow to make with forces beyond your comprehension; dear James, I think maybe you may not have understood the cost of this foray.’

‘It is irrelevant, the knowledge that such a place exists is worth any price.’

‘And John agrees with you?’

John was silent, transfixed by an awkward ecstasy that demanded his full attention.

‘He does. We are in this together. His sketches of a world beyond human comprehension with prove to the University that this place truly exists.’

‘Then you shall need to perform the ritual once more; your bodies still exist in the plane of time, you are anchored there, and will always have to contend with limitations in this place as a result. Pledge your blood to the iron talisman, and I will guide you to the wonders you seek.’

The Pantheon seemed to be present, but also far; I had been returned to our apartment, you were there also, but we were still in that city, our consciousness’ straddled the two worlds; in our home reality, ten hours had passed, yet the timeless City stood still, unyielding in its resolution of infinity held in emptiness.

‘John, are you here? Can you see me?’

‘Yeah babe, I’m here, the city is here, and our apartment is here; its beautiful seeing the two realities overlap isn’t it?

‘It’s certainly a sight to behold. I just want to know; do you want to keep going? We can stop now if it’s too much for you.’

‘No babe, I want to see more.’

‘Are you sure? That cat kinda freaks me out.’

‘He’s beautiful, like everything in that city, don’t be so paranoid babe.’

Be a darl and shut that annoying light off on your way out – my personal thanks for the scrummy offering…”

You giggled as the cat brushed against you. Tears cried to spring forth, yet none came; there was something in my eye. My world was upside-down – and gravity had made an avalanche out of me; falling away from your peak. The tremors that shook us adrift took hold of your body. I tried to call for you. I swear it. My voice was taken from me. Tears painfully gathered in their ducts – still blocked.

The spectral cat was consumed by sickening snapping motions, wholly unnatural to its form. No. No longer a spectre – it held form; a spectacle of abomination, wrapping itself around you. It held you down as I fell through the oculus.

No captain at the helm, awash in a maelstrom.

I had sought vindication for my theories of the Great City; in accomplishing this, I delivered you to the gullet of malevolence. Images flash before my visual cortex: Orgy pit, lubricated by blood. Animals of the earth devouring men still alive, unable to die. Women buried in caskets of flame, layer upon layer of flesh burning till the end of time.

The waking light of day broke the stream of nightmares. Hellfire rained down - my brain rattled against its weary cage, longing to return to that awful Pantheon.

An age was in our instant together, you whispered to me: “Naga’ othoth.” So low, only for the moving of your lips against my ear was it real. The dance was done.