Further into the campground, past the poi spinners, the crowd thickened around a long strip of orange glowing coals, strewn several meters over the ground.

Atop the simmering path walked Kurt, perfectly embodying the robust and hairy persona of some barbarian, striding boldly and slowly across the burning ground. The crowd cheered as he roared in triumph, holding his foot to the ground as long as possible with every step.

After several moments of epic trespass across the infernal trail, Kurt leaped onto the cool sand at the other end and began hopping up and down like he was on a pogostick to the crowd's cheers and laughter.

"Come on Babe! The water's fine!" He called back to Rene and I.

Rene looked at me. "Hey, you should give it a shot! It's not as bad as it looks. Just walk quickly and don't look down if you don't want to!" she said as she kicked off her sandals and took her first steps onto the coals.

Rene's march across the coals was lighter and brisker, but she walked with a kind of grace and balance, almost as though she was still dancing, that was just as impressive as Kurt's masochistic ordeal.

"Hey Silvana, come on! Give it a shot!" Rene called back as she darted into the refreshing dirt and buried it between her toes.

When the crowd heard Rene they start to cheer and chant "Sil-va-na! Sil-va-na! Sil-va-na!"

I hated that. I took a deep breath and hovered my bare foot over the ashes. I could feel the heat of the fire begin to touch my soles, and it amazed me that the glowing cinders didn't immediately scald my skin.

For a moment, something heavy came over, and I just stood there, my eyes absorbed by the glistening embers which twinkled up from the earth.

Within seconds the heat that simmered on the bottom of my feet had intensified to a searing sting. I let out a reflexive yelp and hopped back from the coals, frantically kicking my heels into the grass and the dirt.

"Awwwwwhhhhh!!!!" The crowd whined in disappointment. It sure is a wonderful feeling, physical pain coupled with communal shame.

I rounded the mob and joined Kurt and Rene on the other end by the large stone-circle bonfire, which now bellowed up its yellow tongue into the stygian night as high as Kurt himself stood.

"Sorry." I said. "Guess I let you guys down."

"Oh my god, Silvana...!" Rene scoffed. "Don't even worry about it! It's not some kind of contest!"

I let out a deep sigh of frustration.

Rene reached out her arms and drew Kurt and I by the shoulders. "Hey look, there's somebody here I want you to meet. Why don't you two mingle and I'll be back with company and some beer, capiche?"

"muy buena, mi amiga." I confirmed.

"EEeeeyyyyyy necessito mas cerveza mi amor! Yo no puedo siento mis pies!"

"Bahahahaha, Fuck you!" Rene cackled as she slunk off into the eldritch dark.

"Hey Silvana, nice to see you come out!" Kurt croaked merrily at me between pipe puffs.

I laughed. "Kurt, You see me just about every day. Aren't you sick of me?"

"Well when I'm on the stove I'm just in a different world. Rocking out to some groovy tunes, y'know?" he explained handing me a bowl. "It's strong stuff. You up to it?"

"I'm a coward, not a teetotaler. Gimme!" I said taking the pipe and striking the accompanying bic lighter with my other hand.

"This stuff's called Charlie Barracuda. It's a 75 indica/25 sativa. It hits your body like a freight train and it's got kind of a ghostly head high that lingers around."

I lit up the weed and inhaled deeply, yawning out the smoke like a human volcano. It tasted faintly of blueberries.

"So what have you been up to lately?"

"Oh you know" I said between coughing "summoning a demon. Selling my soul. Etc. etc."

Kurt laughed. "Been there done that!"

I smirked a shit-eating grin. "Seriously?"

"Hey you ever hear of trance drumming?"

"Of course."

"Man, sometimes you get into these sessions where you just go somewhere else, you know? I don't think all those tribesmen are kidding when they say they meet the ancestors or the gods or whatever when they just fall into the rhythm."

"Are you trying to tell me that the sonic journey of a Hypnotoad set takes you all the way to Wonderland?" I asked.

"Well, only when I've taken a tab or two. But I've also just played some ceremonies with some Quimbanda folks out in the Berkshires." He explained.

"Oh holy shit, that's rad!"