Reading: "The Azimuth Principle" from the novel EVENFALL OF THE HELICAL (A.Glass 2022)

 

With every breath, she does not blink, focusing onto that region within her spine, she moves her concentration to the Spinaland Trigeminal Ganglia, which is at the stem of her brain and spinal cord. Where the pain is at it most intense. Once, again, with her deep meditation, commanding the signals to cease, in a calm and resolved manner she controls her body. Closing her eyes, she feels her body temperature increase, beads of sweat appear on her brow an around her breasts, but she remains in the lotus position, covered only by the bed sheets. She gently bows her head, maintaining breaths, inhaling and exhaling, her mouth shut. As the alcohol sickness begins to reach a peak and a gradual wave of comfort begins, which starts at the base of her spine, moving slowly up through her lower body until it reaches her forehead, she gently opens her eyes. The pain and nausea now gone, while her body temperature returns back to normal.
“Need a poo,” she says smiling, removing the sheets she walks to the bathroom.

Elva awakes, feeling refreshed, yet hungry, noting that it is still dark outside, she steps out of bed. Eyeing the envelope, tying her hair back into a pony tail, she reaches across with her left hand to where the envelope is perched, returning back to her bed. Flicking on a bedside lamp with her free hand, she props herself up again the wall, as a cool Westerly wind is felt blowing through the open blinds. Sitting in her cross legged position, Elva opens the envelope, reaching in with her right thumb and index finger, she takes out four photos of various sizes. Staring at the first black and white image of a woman in a loose fitted blouse dancing with two men, her long light brown hair caught in a sudden movement, with both breasts protruding from the tulle material. It is of a young Mary Lauder, Elva looks at the image studying it, which seems out of place to the elderly woman that she knows of now, as a senior spiritual Master who runs a home practice assisting in Eastern meditation and Occultist healing techniques. She flips the image over, eyeing a handwritten date and name.
“January 28^th 1978, 'Studio 54'.
New York City.”
“She would have been in her late twenties,” Elva says to herself, eyeing the image in saccade movements, examining Lauder's expression and youthful looks, her small petite breasts, outfit and thin body. Placing the photo aside next to her, she looks at another image, a smaller Polaroid image of Lauder, leaning over a table with the same outfit. Holding a small thin metallic tube, about to snort a line of what looks like cocaine on a mirror, with two men either side of her, smiling. Once again, she studies the image in its washed out colors, Elva immediately is drawn to Lauder's erect nipples, with her breasts, as opposed to the last image, are now behind the sheer fabric. Elva, with her right hand turns the photo over, seeing the date is “1978”.
She knew my mother. Elva's thinks of her mother before she was born.
Looking ahead at the skyline, from her balcony facing West, Elva places the image down on top of the two remaining images, which she has decided not to look at, rather, she places all the images back into the envelope.

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Reading:  "The Azimuth Principle" from the novel EVENFALL OF THE HELICAL (A.Glass 2022)