A busy day behind him and endless more ahead of him, Joseph slept soundly. Something tugged at the edge of his consciousness, pulling him awake. In his slumber, his mind could neither identify it nor resist it. He awoke.

He was not yet accustomed to his new bedchamber, but he was immediately aware that something had changed radically while he slept. His chamber had apparently grown so large that he could no longer see the walls or ceiling. With trepidation, he lightly placed his feet on the floor. Instantly the feel of the thick rug comforted him. He remembered with a twinge of irony how the night before he had almost felt embarrassed to place his bare feet on a rug so exquisite. Both comfort and embarrassment quickly faded when he realized the rug now seemed infinite, a sea of embroidered red stretching to the horizon.

He was paralyzed by his fear of this unexpected development, until he alighted on a simple explanation. I've gone mad, he thought. He picked a speck from the corner of his left eye as he considered the possibility of his own insanity. Sleep receded further and he realized the futility of a madman pondering his own madness. If I'm aware of this, then I cannot be mad after all, can I?

He finally concluded that he must be dreaming. Perhaps a bit of undercooked beef was disagreeing with him. Yes, that must be it, he decided. He sat on the edge of his bed, waiting to wake. Time passed, but Joseph could not tell if it had been several lifetimes or only a few minutes.

Perhaps I should summon the doctor, just to be sure. He called to his chamberlain. He was answered by silence. He called louder for the chamberlain and then louder again for anyone. No one answered. This is most discomforting, he thought. I really must see the doctor. He rose to his feet and hesitantly walked toward the place the door should have been.

He stopped after a few steps and turned back to reorient himself with the bed. He was quite amazed to find the bed was now an impossible distance behind him. At least he assumed it was the bed. He saw nothing but a speck of white linens marring the endless red perfection. How can this be? I've only taken three steps, four at most. He turned a complete circle, looking for landmarks. He stopped when he realized that not only could he not see anything new, he could no longer see the bed either.

Am I moving? I don't remember walking any farther. Joseph then noticed that what he thought was a red rug was neither red nor a rug. He was actually standing on a floor of grey stone. He wiggled his toes. The stone felt like glass beneath him. He idly wondered how many footfalls would be needed to wear stones so smooth.

Content to let this question go unanswered, he looked up again. This time he could see movement on the horizon, colors and shadows and shapes, moving into each other and growing larger. He suddenly realized they were not growing at all, but rather he was moving toward them. He looked down at his feet. Satisfied that he was in fact not moving, he looked up again. His eyes told him he was moving but his body told him he was not. Nauseated by the disparity, he closed his eyes.

A heartbeat later he was surrounded by noise. The voices of men, women, and children filled his ears. Some of their languages he knew, some he did not. He opened his eyes and found himself in the midst of a vast throng of humanity. People walked everywhere, talking among themselves and calling to others he could not see. Everyone moved with purpose. No one looked at Joseph.

As he stared at those passing him, he suddenly felt as if he had wandered into a movie studio. He imagined the strangely dressed people were actors moving between sets. He saw a man wearing a matted animal skin, a huge gladiator, a geisha, a bedouin. He tried to talk to a short African boy with a spear. The boy did not seem to notice him. He tried to stop a fat Hispanic man in an expensive suit. The man stepped around Joseph as one would avoid broken glass on the sidewalk.

"Excuse me?" A dark skinned woman with bare feet and pale yellow robes ignored him.

"Hello?" A blonde child with a teddy bear walked past.

"Can anyone help me?" he shouted.

"Joseph, is that you? What in heaven's name are you doing here?"