A walk, a bridge over a motorway, jammed with cars, people hanging out of their window haranguing each other under the merciless sun. The explorer walks into a wooded area, another bridge over empty wasteland. Halfway across this bridge is a modern steel building adorned with a huge, garish Union Jack. A small outer building (more a wooded shed) is to the right of the larger building as the explorer sees it from the bridge. Two monks appear in rough brown robes walking towards the explorer calling out, “Do you like it?”, over and over again. The explorer gets nervous and retreats the way he came.

Another day with the explorer and he’s back on the third bridge, the two monks appear again, this time silent. A youth passes the explorer and steps off the bridge meeting the first monk who’s advancing towards him. The second monk is nowhere to be seen. The explorer hesitantly follows the monk and the youth some way behind. There is a missing step, or maybe its a hole, at the end of this bridge as though its a test of commitment and bravery.

The explorer is brave, he steps off the last bridge and hurries towards the youth and the monk. He is greeted but the explorer only recognises this through his mind alone. They walk and there is a large space that they either walk into or it opens up before their eyes, no one can be sure. They are on a platform, below them and growing beyond them is a vast circular expanse outlined with large desktops. The explorer can see people at the desks, not well defined but with loud colours not one the same. It looks like the colourful people are working on something but its hard to see what exactly. Nothing is well defined apart from the colours. There seems a shadow of objects on the desks, machine or other cannot be told. Suddenly out of the silence comes a heavy beat and a deep base noise. The beat is regular and it penetrates the explorer’s chest, the youth seems to be dancing.

A large carousel slides silently into view. The remaining monk motions us to the platform so we can take a seat. The youth jumps on, the explorer hesitates then with a nod, climbs into the chariot. It is noticeable that the beat and base slow and it is also noticeable that its origin is not electronic, maybe its a primal beat? The carousel swings smoothly around. We watch the people below moving but what for the explorer cannot tell. Eventually the carousel parks up against another platform equidistant from the departure platform. The explorer and the youth disembark and the music stops.

Two looks one thought: Is this some kind of game? The explorer and the youth do not even realise that they can communicate without talking, just a look will do. Before either of them could answer another vast expanse develops before them, very bright but not white. Slowly a wooden building appears as though it was walking, two monks, a man and a woman, naked, come out of the door beckoning towards the explorer and the youth. In a not before heard voice they say, “Do you like it?” over and over again until a plaque just above the door of the wooden building becomes legible, it says, Know Thyself and onward into infinity the letters reach.

The explorer and the youth walk into the building.

………………

No. 2 to follow.