I grabbed the remote that was plugged into a wall outlet and turned on the television; it was playing an old ‘Bruce Lee’ film. My, how long had it been since I was able to watch TV? I lay there and enjoyed the movie, but my mind slipped away to the days when my wife and I would take our kids to the theater. Maria was too young to grasp what was going on, but Michael, he loved it. I remember how he would spend hours watching our private collection of movies. Those were the simple days—I would follow a regular routine that had been set into motion many years before. There were no surprises. The biggest uproar in the household would be that my wife would have had a high cell phone bill. I came out of my daze sometime later. The film was over and I found myself unable to move because my muscles had melted into the mattress. So, I finally gave in. I kicked off my boots and pushed myself up into the bed and within only seconds, I was fast asleep.

After what seemed only seconds, I was awakened by someone knocking at my door. I pulled myself out of the bed and staggered over and began to unlock it. As I pushed it open, I was welcomed by a younger man (maybe a little older than Michael). He said that the Emperor sent him to invite me to the coliseum tonight. I asked what took place there and he just grinned and told me that is where the ‘entertainment’ was held.

I did not like that little grin of his; he was hiding something—but what? There was only one way to find out, so I accepted the invitation from the Emperor. If there was something to uncover here, then it seemed as if I were the person to do it.

To be continued…