The darkness is a familiar cloak around me. I sigh. The sound disappears into the void. Distantly, the thread of a high, plaintive melody seeps through, skimming the air, flowing deeper as it approaches. I look up and sit up straighter. Tense. It is not new, this winding tune. I have heard it before. As always, it aims straight for the heart, pierces through and leaves me gasping for breath, drawing in gulps of stale air, interrupted by choking sobs. It plays the meandering notes. Always the same, never the same, always the same. Mesmerizing. The sounds seem to float in the dense air, each a golden burst of light, forming intricate patterns about my head, before fading away. Phoenixes in the guise of little fireflies. I watch. I hear the bell-like tones echo in the small square room. They bounce off the walls. They compel me to follow. A breath catches in my throat. That is new. In the past, it had merely teased, tugged at the edges of consciousness. Never a direct confrontation. It compels now. I resist, and unbidden tears tumble down to splatter on the hard ground. It will not release me. Jaws set, I stand, clenched fists brushing the rough wall, and take a faltering step. The ache subsides briefly, only to return ten-fold, with savage joy, slamming my shaking body against the wall. My hands splay white against the dark wall as the insistent melody burrows deep into my mind. I force my feet to move, stumbling full-circuit around the room, only to return to my starting point. There are no doors. Have never been doors. Only walls. Thick, rough stone walls that shut out all else but this blasted music. How did I get here? The question surfaces in the dim recesses of my mind. I can’t remember. Can’t remember anything. Can’t remember how I came to be here. Can’t remember how long I’ve been here. Can’t remember who I am. Can’t remember why I am here. The melody is lilting and sweet, seductively sweet. It chases the thoughts away and takes a hold of me again. There is the barest hint of puzzlement in its timbre. Why did I not follow it? it seems to wonder. What in the world is it? I wonder. I drive my shoulder against the wall in desperation. It is firm and unmoving. Pain flares and I slump to the ground to curl myself into a ball. I hug my knees tight against my chest and ponder this lingering question: Why?