The Words and the Music

The room was round with a vaulted ceiling. The lamp that had been at the peak of the ceiling was no longer there. Water from the rain seeped in. About every thirty seconds a drop would fall on a small rug directly below. The only light was from a large candle held high by an ancient candelabra. The smell of incense came from a table set against the wall. Chairs were set in a circle around the room. The occasion was my AA birthday and the Seventh Step meeting led by "Flaquito," a tall, slender, longhaired youth whom I sponsor.