katmandu
1989
i'm sitting in my hotel at the top of the world smoking some hash, there's a knock at my door. i'm a bit spooked because i don't know anyone here therefore i'm not sure who it could be, my mind runs through a list of possibilities, the police, the hotels manager, someone from the embassy, perhaps it's that girl i saw in the markets, the canadian with the peanuts scarf. i open the door to see a tiny man dressed in red and orange robes, a monk. i'm somewhat stoned, the hash is going down nicely, the altitude. it's an awkward moment but i see the little chap can do me no harm so i invite him in. he steps inside my room.
'captain mission' he asks.
'yes' i respond surprised.
'you have to come with me.'
options run through my mind but there is only one that is worth pursuing. i'm curious, i'm to stoned to fear, and there's not much point in being paranoid up here unless you are in trouble with the chinese border police or smuggling contraband. all i had was ball of nepalese temple that i had half smoked, hardly enough to concern any one. i jumped up from my bed where i sat, grabbed my coat and hat and followed the monk out the door and up some stairs to the roof of the hotel. he said nothing on the way, just shuffled his feet forwards. i attempted to look into his eyes but they were obscured by the shadows, he did a gracious bow and muttered, 'captain mission, stay here.' then he returned down the steps.
up there it's hard not to appreciate the beauty even if your stoned, it's simply breathtaking. i gazed down at the people and the streets below and the mountains and the skies, breathtaking, i couldn't breath or it felt like it. a light encircled me, a beam of yellow light seemed to surround me and i could feel myself disintegrate. that is, every part of me seemed to fall apart, my skin just seemed to dissipate like the final moments of a sand mandala in the breeze. there was no pain just a tingling sensation and suddenly i was nowhere and then the tingling returned, only this time i was pulled together, i could feel myself re assemble, and i took a beautiful big breath.
'Wow'
I was no longer on the rooftop. I was somewhere else. Inside what looked to be like a clinical, medical facility only there were no walls, just a shimmering light and no signs of any instruments, in fact when i looked down there was no floor, everything had a silvery colour and then a face appeared, mercurial and silver, obviously non human.
'What is this?' I asked.
'Do not fear. We have no intention to harm you Captain Mission.'
'Why am i here?'
'To learn.' There was no real speech but the thought in my head, i could see the face now, it was an alien, classically looking archtype, with big round eyes and that child's mouth, the lips moved but the sound appeared in my head, telepathy.
'we are in a different dimension than you. everything appears different to you because you cannot imagine the next higher dimension of existence with you're brain structure at this moment in space time, but we want to share this with you. The lesson will be quick but you will learn quick, your brain will change dramatically and then we will return you to your place upon the roof.'
My mind was kind of falling apart but slowly enough to take stock. i had been teleported somewhere else, a space ship or some sort of military facility, these people were either genuine aliens or i was part of an elaborate hoax, both seemed possibilities. if it's a hoax then i should be a good sport and go along with it, i should not fear a few cameras and besides i should try to look good.
'okay lets go.' i said filled with a fake confidence.
they showed me my life from their dimensional view point, i appeared as a worm, a kind of giant worm because time for them was not cause and effect, it was just effect, my life from birth to now looked like one event, we all did. everything seemed to be in process, all heading towards one direction. my worm life was a beautiful thing, the way it intersected with yours, the way we are all part of this process towards consciousness.
then i re animated again, back to the rooftop. The monk was there to escort me down the steps. i thanked him and he left me on my bed. i smoked another joint and fell into this deep dream of life.