27.
   The dogs dismissed my whining and introduced themselves as Pat and Nanette. They informed me that from now on I would be addressed as Oliver.
    “Hey, you made it, didn’t your Oliver?”, asked Pat. “It was a hell of a ride. Where’s the thrill, kid? Where’s the adrenaline?”
    “Get into the basket, Oliver,”, barked Nanette “and use the baby’s blanket to make yourself decent.”
    I did as I was told begrudgingly and a little bit sheepishly. As I climbed into the basket and folded the blanket around me, I pushed the curtain of cynicism aside a bit and began to marvel at what I had just experienced. The vision of a giant stone lion rearing up over me made me shiver. Its dim-witted platitudes amazed me. Remembering the threatening adult voice emanating from a child no matter how ugly made me sick. The fact that I had actually used it as a weapon made me smile. I looked around for the first time and marveled at the wide, blue river. A school of fish gathered around us, and some leapt from the water. A forest of dunes lined the riverbank. An ethereal mosque framed by minarets quivered in the wavering light on a hill above. The silent desert stretched to the horizon.

   “And stay on your toes.”, continued Nanette sternly. “You have embarked on a journey that will change your life and, should you manage to live through it, the lives of your fellow countrymen.”