Guide to the Grand Palace

 

The magician took the sleeping Rama to the underworld, traditionally, in four phases:

I. The beckoning, “One night in Bangkok?” and of course “I’m a mess without, you know the song.”

II. The riddle, four strings of hearts scribbled on a filthy piece of paper, shaped to fit the aging palm of the waiter’s hand.

III. The axiom of choice, the significant battle being the one in which, long ago near the gate, life was lost (the deepest waves mattered the least).

IV. Rapid eye movements as the deity figure slipped her hand into Rama’s on the way to the waterfall, the cleansing and the forgetting.