Read Bohemians of Sesqua Valley for Free Online

air breathed in, the texture of stone and wood. My voice sounds like something detached from my being, and I can’t feel my mouth moving as I speak. And the cards in my jacket pocket feel so weighty, as though they were the one solid thing in this phantasy of dreaming.”
    “How queer,” Simon answered as he watched Stanley reach into a pocket and produce the Yellow Deck. Stanley unwrapped the black cloth and dropped it onto the table, and then he began to shuffle the deck. Finally, he placed the deck onto the table, took hold of Simon’s hand and brought it so as to touch the deck. They moved their hands away and Stanley gazed intently at the deck, and then he reached for the topmost card. But his hand was stopped by Simon’s. “One moment, sirrah. Let us take this one card and set it aside, shall we?”
    “One card unturned,” the mortal whispered. And then he began to do his spread, thinking he would use the Celtic Cross layout. The cards, however, seemed to have another idea, dictating to his hand where they wanted to be placed. When the spread was completed, Stanley saw that it resembled in design the mark that had been etched into his shoulder. His eyesight altered once more, so that he fancied that the diagram shimmered with sentience. He protested as Simon disarrayed the cards and collected them, then wrapped them in their cloth and returned them to the outsider.
    “It is time for you to return these to Leonidas. Good day.”
    Thus dismissed, Stanley found his way down the circling steps and out of the tower. The woodland, as he walked through it, seemed of more substance, and when he reached the road that took him to the old mansion where he had his room, he knew that he was fully awake. How weary he felt as he entered the building and climbed the carpeted stairs. His room was warm and so he opened the one window and stood staring out of it at the sparkling stone of the white mountain. When at last he backed away and dropped onto his bed, the image of the twin-peaked titan was an enchantment that stayed upon his eyes as he fell toward slumber.
    Again he awakened, in his rented room, where the pink glow of sunset filtered through the window. He groaned as he pushed himself to a sitting position, for his shoulder was especially painful. As he yawned he felt the weight of the Yellow Deck in his jacket pocket, for he had fallen asleep without undressing. Standing, Stanley walked to the window and looked out at the spectacular view of Sesqua Valley at sunset. He knew that his senses had been altered in some way, but the magical sight before him seemed a natural phenomenon of the region. He watched the groups of people who were journeying to some specific location and felt an ache to join them, and so he vacated his room and the old mansion, finding Leonidas standing on the long porch.
    “You are looking rather rumpled, sir.”
    “Yep, fell asleep without undressing. Are they off to the ceremonies?” He waved a hand at the passing folk.
    “They are indeed. May I escort you, Mr. Kaplan?”
    They moved off the porch as Simon and Cyrus were coming along the roadway with pipes at their mouths. Both children of the valley were shirtless, and Stanley noticed the embossed diagrams of scarred tissue on their chests. He turned to look enquiringly at his partner. Leonidas smiled and held up one hand, on the back of which a sigil had been etched.
    They walked as sunset turned purple and darkened as twilight, not stopping until they came upon a large meadow and the tall black stone pillar that stood there. Others were playing a variety of musical instruments and dancing in the gathering darkness. Many had completely discarded their clothing, exposing the emblems etched onto their flesh to starlight. Nodding his head to the music, Stanley took the deck of cards from its pocket and then removed both jacket and shirt. Night’s wind kissed his naked flesh and slipped into his mouth, where it mingled with his moaning. A number