Some time later, Ananda had told Myki about her test, and recovered sufficiently to walk about again. They resumed their perusal of the area, taking it fairly slow, at Myki's insistance, for Ananda's sake.
     The two were chatting away about nothing in particular, when suddenly Ananda stumbled...
     ...and fell to the floor.
     Myki's supportive arm was no longer about her.
     Ananda gasped. "He's gone!"
     
     The drummer heard a familiar voice, chanting...
          You can feel it
          touch it taste it,
          But can you feel it
          love it?
          You can see it
          appearance of beauty
          But is it there to be seen
          appearances can be deceiving?
          What seems to be real
          can be unreal
          trust not to your senses alone.
          What seems to be one thing
          can be the complete reverse
          trust not to the opinion of others
          trust not to a one-sided story.
     The swirling lights faded, leaving a semi-bewildered Myki in the answerless darkness. Wow.. he thought. ..psychadelic! Wonder where I am..? Looking around him provided little clarification, as the darkness was complete - he was unable to see even the hand he waved in front of his face in experiment.
     "Could someone turn on a light, please?" he called out, more for the sake of testing his voice than in expectation of any sort of response.
     Lights came on.
     "Wow. Nice service." He took a quick look around at his surroundings. And whistled low. "..and nice room..!"
     The 'fro-ed one turned around again, more slowly, trying to take in the exquisite opulence of the finery that surrounded him. He was standing in the middle of a somewhat large room, that appeared to be a bedroom of a sort - but one infinitely more..more..he searched for a word, but could find none. It was more "rich-looking" than any that he had ever been in before. The walls were covered in ornate hangings, with Indian designs stitched into or painted upon them, the slightly-higher-than-average ceiling was obscured by gauzy sheets that stretched across it. Large, sumptuous-looking cushions were strewn across the purple shag carpet. A huge canopied bed stood to one side, the intricately- carved framework made of mahogany, the hangings of silk. There were a few other pieces of furniture scattered about, all similarly of carved mahogany. An enormous bay window looked out upon elaborate gardens. The room was lit by dozens of candles, and a lamp that rested on one of the tables. There were a few doors as well, leading to similar rooms, as well as a washroom.
     But what Myki's dark eyes rested upon were the beautiful girls in the room.
     "Oh, wow..."
     There were about ten different girls, lounging about throughout the room, each dressed in a gauzy, harem-girl like outift, and each about Myki's age. Some had long hair, others short, some were tall, some less so...but all could have easily been models back in Myki's world.
     "Hel-lo, there..!" Myki breathed, for once at a loss for what to say. Words, however, did not seem necessary - the girl nearest him, with long, dark hair, and dark, heavily-lashed eyes, approached him. He began to say something, but she put a finger to her lips...then to his. Myki stood, silent, drinking in the sight of the beauty before him...as she leant forward and kissed him.
     "Well, then," Myki said a few minutes later, his arms now around this particularly pleasant-looking person before him. "If that's the way we go about it here..." He kissed her, long and well...
     And then suddenly pulled back, remembering Ananda. "Sorry," he said. "But I'm..I've...I've already kinda got a girlfriend."
     The girl, who had not yet spoken a word, looked hurt.
     "Oh, no, don't...no offense, honest!" Myki cried, dismayed at her sadness...and not wanting her to entirely rule him out as a possibility - she was beautiful... "Look, umm.. what's your name?"
      
     Myki spent what felt like a good long while getting to know the girls, and a lot more about them than just their names. Full details of this time he never completely revealed to anyone, unless to Ananda, and if she knew, she never told, either. But suffice to say he got to know them pretty well...
     Time was primarily spent talking and..well..spending time with the girls. They wandered in and out of the room and the small suite it was a part of seemingly at random, yet when he thought of one in particular, she was always there. When he felt at all hungry, one would appear with the most sumptuous of delicacies for him...or Twinkies or chili dogs or whatever it was he was hungry for. When he was tired, he slept, usually with a girl curled up beside him.
     Every now and then he remembered Ananda and, less often, the rest of the Applebus crew, but each time, one of the girls would come up to him and distract him, with something that needed to be fixed, or some small worry of her own (whether her hair might some day fall out or some such trifle), or a kiss.
     Myki soon began wondering if he might have died without noticing it, and gone to heaven.
     
     One thing nagged in the back of Myki's mind, often worrying his thoughts. He was never allowed outside the small suite of rooms. It wasn't an obvious thing, really, but every time he approached one of the closed doors, one of the girls would pull him away or distract him, and he would forget about it until later. He tried telling himself that it didn't really matter, what could be out there, anyway, a hallway?
     ...and what reason was there to leave?
     
     One day, however, Myki was standing over by a door that was usually closed...but just then it was open, one of the girls having just left (as Myki had said he was in the mood for a Twinkie). Myki glanced about, and saw that no-one seemed to be watching him. He quickly stepped out into the hallway beyond.
     He was rather disappointed - it was a rather ordinary hallway. The walls were wood-paneled, but otherwise very plain. The size was about average, and it turned a corner in either direction about fifteen feet away.
     Then a small movement to the right caught Myki's eye. He turned his head quickly, and saw a small, hunch-backed grey form.
     It was a woman. He could tell as she suddenly looked at him, their eyes locking for an instant. She looked very old, overweight, and sickly. Her skin was wrinkled and discoloured, her nose far too large, her eyes dark but bloodshot, her body most closely resembled a drooping mushroom. What was left of her hair was white and wirey. She had to have been the ugliest person Myki had ever set eyes on.
     "Hey, what're you doing out here?"
     "Huh?" Myki asked, turning around. One of the girls was standing there - what was her name? Milysah, maybe... In any case, if he had to name a favourite, it was her..
     "Why are you out here?" she asked in bewilderment. "There's no reason for you to be out here, nothing out here, it's so dull outside your room." Another girl stepped out from the room, took the tray Milysah was carrying, then disappeared back into the room. Milysah leaned in close to Myki, pressing her slim body againt his. Her hands went up his back, pulling him close...his hands made their way down her back, pulling her close. Her hands on his shoulders, she pulled herself up, so her lips were at his ear. "C'mon back in, Mykibabe," she whispered, then ran her tongue along his ear..
     Myki consented.
     
     Later, Myki tried to get details of the mysterious woman from some of the girls...
     "That old witch? She's a servant, she cleans up outside. But don't talk to her, she's a scary old coot."
     "You saw her? You poor thing...isn't she ugly? But she deserves to be, after what she did...no, I can't tell you, but believe me, you don't want to know..."
     "She tried to kill me when I was little...I don't know why...but one night, I was getting a drink of water, and she came up behind me..."
     "No, don't talk to her...she barely understands English, all she'll do is spit at you if you talk to her - trust me, I've tried."
     After such responses from all the girls, Myki tried to put his mind to rest on the matter - it was obviously no-one he should want to talk to or consort with.
     ...but some small corner of his mind kept nagging at him...
     
     Late one night (was it night? it was dark, and they slept, but time didn't have a whole lot of meaing in this place), Myki awoke. His narrow dark eyes squinted against the blanketing darkness. Did I hear something..?
     "Myki? What is it?" one of the girls asked sleepily from a nearby cushion.
     "I don't know...thought I heard somethin'...maybe not."
     "There are strange noises here sometimes, don't worry about it."
     "I won't. Goodnight."
     "Sleep well."
     Myki waited silently until he could hear nothing but even breaths from her cushion. Then he soundlessly slunk across the shag-carpeted surface. He slowly opened the door, and crept out into the hall.
     I heard her...I know it was her...don't know how, but...
     He wandered through the halls, not consciously deciding where he was going, but with direction nonetheless.
     He rounded another corner, and there, on the floor, lay a dark crumpled mass. Myki crouched down next to it.
     Then jumped back in surprise as a grotesque grimace greeted him.
     "GYAAAAHHHHH!!!!!"
     Silence.
     Oops...that wasn't particularly tactful.. "Um.. are you okay?"
     An unintelligable mumble was the only response.
     Myki, however, was determined to get an answer. I don't care what the girls said...she called me...I have to find out why. ..and she doesn't seem that dangerous...or anything... "Did... this might sound crazy, but... did you call me?"
     Still silence greeted him, but he was just able to discern what seemed to be a nod from the heap of raggedly clothing and crevaced features before him.
     "Why?"
     Simply asked, plain curiousity. No accusation, no demand. Just a simple question. No hatred, no fear, no loathing of the creature being asked. She looked up at him, her face suddenly a little less hideous. She opened her mouth, about to speak--
     "MYKI! What are you doing?!"
     "Huh?" Myki spun around, to see Milysah standing behind him, mouth agape.
     "Myki, what are you doing out here? Don't talk to her! Come on, come back with me, please, Myki!" she begged, taking his hand and pulling him along.
     "But--" His protests were cut off as the girl thrust herself against him, lips hungrily searching for his, and..
     Myki gave in, uncertain as to why she seemed so desperate, but willing to, ah, soothe her fears?
     ...but as the two kissed, and bodies warmed to each other...
     ...the old woman slumped back onto the ground, shaking, moaning in pain.
     Myki turned his head back to look at the old woman, and took in her state in a glance. Milysah continued to pull him away, and he relented...
     ...for the moment.
     
     The next day, Myki was unusually quiet. He had tried to ease his mind with the plentiful pleasures that surrounded him - the girls, the food, the girls, the comfort, the girls... But everything that had given him some joy now only brought to mind the image of the old hag, crumpling to the ground in agony every time he enjoyed himself. Is that it? Is that the catch to this place? ...but how could it be?
     Then Illuminati's advice came back to him: ...appearances can be deceiving...trust not to your senses alone...trust not to a one-sided story. He started, blinking. Illuminati! How could I forg--...ANANDA! Ananda, love, forgive me!
     "Myki? Are you okay?" a beautifully concerned face asked, hovering over his own.
     He didn't answer her directly, but rose up off the floor cushion, and stood tall. He looked about the sumptuous room, and took a deep breath. "Well girls... it's been great, but I've gotta go."
     "WHAT?! Myki, you can't!"
     "Myki, don't leave us, please!"
     "You can't leave us! What'll we do without you?"      "We need you, Myki!"
     "I love you, Myki, stay with me--"
     Myki held up a hand for silence. "Stop. You don't love me. I don't know why you brought me here, or whatever, but I'm not your steppin' stone, girl. I don't know what your plans were for me, or with me, but I've got a woman already, an' I'm gonna go back to her, cos she means an awful lot to me. There's one thing I gotta do first, though..."
     He pushed his way past the girls that stood in his way, ignoring the false tears glittering in their shining eyes. Flinging the door open, he ran down the hallway, searching...
     Until he found her.
     "Hey, are you okay? Will you be alright now?" he asked the old woman, crouching down at her side, placing a hand on her misshapen shoulder. "Here, look, why don't you come with me? Illuminati'd be able to help you..."
     She looked up at him, and Myki gasped. The years had fallen from her face, and she was beautiful...beautiful with a true beauty, far surpassing that of the girls he had spent the last---how long? with.
     "Thank you..." she whispered, her voice melodic as a flute, clear as a bird's call at sunrise. As Myki continued to stare in wonder at the transformation, he heard approaching feet, and shrill calls... He turned to look behind him, expecting to see his harem on his heels...
     ..but they had changed, too. Even as he watched, they aged and grew loathsome, not just with age but with contored features that could only be caused by a hateful, cruel nature. Myki was bewildered, and looked back at the former-old-woman...
     ...and she was again changing. Her features blurred away, and melted into a brightness so strong that he could barely look into it. He was just able to discern a watery figure, when everything whited out.
     When the bright lights again faded, he found himself back on Shinjuku...with one beautiful girl at his side, bent worridly over him. "Mykibabe!" she whispered anxiously. "Are you okay?"
     "Yeah... I'm fine. Ananda...I'm sorry...I love you..."
     "I know," she whispered again, and kissed him.

Chapter Notes

Blake's Test...