The band played on

It was after midnight on Saturday night as I stumbled out of the bar in a martini trance into the damp night air. The faint sounds of gypsy music filled the air as I looked down and out over Elliott Bay. A large American flag fluttered in the breeze over the Ferry terminal while out on the sound, the lights of a cargo ship flickered in the night. I sat down on the bench and was pondering the state of the world that I was in when some guy lit a cigarette and staggered towards me as if he recognized me from somewhere.

"I have this feeling about you," he said and smiled. "You're going to end up ruling the world."

With those words he stumbled down the street and I never saw him again. The band played on so I went back into the bar and ordered another drink.