The Sun at Midnight

c. David Grim (taken 4/11/08)

Years and years ago I dated a girl who fancied herself a priestess in a cult. For awhile it was fun to learn about an entirely different belief system that I was previously unfamiliar with. There was prophecy and the suggestion of arcane knowledge that might help me manipulate events in my life and fulfill my interests. But one night I was at a party with this group and as it approached midnight, the house began to empty out quickly. People filed out the front door in pairs.

As it was summer, the windows were open and I could hear a strange chanting coming from the front. At this point I was alone with a guy in a wheel chair who I had never spoken to. We looked at each other in wonderment as some sort of weird ritual in an odd language filtered into our ears. As we bonded over this shared experience, we speculated upon the prospect of human sacrifice and questioned whether we were being set up for something horrible. I relaxed with the unspoken realization that I could outrun my new friend.

After ten or fifteen minutes everybody came back in and pretended that nothing had happened. My "girlfriend" and I never mentioned the strange interlude, and our time together was subsequently short.