When I Lived In Sodom

I just wanted to know what blue velvet was. I thought it was a
simple question at first.

I used to wear blue velvet all the time. I did this to impress people.
Why blue velvet? Because a madman, I'm calling
him Levy (but that isn't his real name), he enlightened me to this
particular thing. I will not disclose Levy's real name
for fear that this story may fall into his hands. Sometimes the
revelations of heinous truths come back to haunt you. Ghosts
reside in slumber only to be awakened by gossip...

I must confess that I am no angel.
Furthermore, I am just like the other fellow. I lie sometimes; I may
even curse on occasion; yes, sometimes, I fornicate; I steal too; I
covet other men's women; but, that's it. Well, I do drink alcoholic
beverages, beer, gin, brandy, and moonshine whenever I can get my hands
on it. Okay, well, that's not all; I smoke a little marijuana
every
now and then. I don't mess with crack, I prefer the real stuff,
cocaine. I don't mess with prostitutes because I fear contracting AIDS
or some other abominable malady. Well, I do mess with whores. Most of
them seem to be clean. I don't engage in homo-sexual activities, but I
have slept with a lot of men. I know all this sounds a little strange,
but believe me, I'm telling the truth and nothing but the truth.

I had to make these confessions before I could go furhter with this
story. First, I had to put all the cards on the table so that I would
be able to get a serious point across. This point is about blue velvet.
Does anyone really know what
blue velvet is? It can get you into trouble. I have known of incidents
where inquisitive people have been disowned by their families, put in
prison, and some people have lost their lives only because they asked
this question-"What is blue velvet?"

It was a madman who educated me. This man, Levy, had a bullet stuck in
his brain. No one understood how he survived, and you would know that
he had a bullet in his brain unless he told you. He looked like a
normal human being, and he walked around just like the rest of us. But
Levy was crazy! He was a real nut!

When Levy told me about blue velvet, I was transformed and intrigued.
Let me tell you a little about blue velvet. First, blue velvet is an
idea. This idea is so profound that cultures have been made extinct
only because they refused to leave it alone. The so-called wise men
could not leave well enough alone; instead, they pursued the forsaken
unknown just to satisfy a selfish longing for an answer to the
question- "What is blue velvet?"

For the sake of humanity, I would rather leave blue velvet alone, but
for the sake of curiosity, I'm going to tell you what blue velvet is.
But, before I can make this revelation, I must first tell you about
Levy.

Now, what I am getting ready to tell you is based on what Levy told me.
I believe
every word he said. If you knew what blue velvet was, you would
understand where I'm coming from. Levy explained it all to me, and when
I explain it to you, you will be grateful. I promise, when I lay it on
you, you will appreciate me, and you will also appreciate Levy even
though he is insane.

First, you must accept this premise-'insanity is relative'. Remember
this- in
history, most of the great thinkers were considered insane in their own
time, but,
now, these same men are considered prodigies. Levy is no prodigy, but
he has grasped a critical concept which in the long run will affect all
of us, i.e., mankind, humanity...

I will tell you about this thing, but first you must open your mind.
It's very serious, and I think everyone should tune in.

This is how Levy got me interested in blue velvet. He told me about
this story of a man who went around asking certain peopel- "What is
blue velvet?" The first time this man asked this question, his family
kicked him out of the house. The second time he asked this question, he
was assaulted. The third time he asked this question he was put into a
federal prison; and the last time he asked this question he was hit by
a car!

Now, what is blue velvet? I'll tell you one thing, this is not
something you should play with because there are some questions that
should never be asked.

I am willing to share something concerning blue velvet, but you must
first set your mind right so that you will be able to receive this
education without personal prejudices...Blue velvet is dangerous! There
is no justice, and the equality of men is just an illusion. Blue velvet
is top secret and confidential, and once you grasp the true meaning of
its implication, you'd better not talk to anyone, especially anyone who
works for the government! It takes time to digest its full meaning.
However, I will tell you about blue velvet; once you get this
information, it's your responsibility to use it wisely.

Let me tell you a few more things about Levy. Before he got shot in the
head, he was incestuous; he engaged in homosexual activities, and he
prided himself in being a sex deviant. He experimented with every known
illegal drug, and he was a murderer. Now, by this time, anyone should
be a little paranoid. I know, I would be, because it looks like he is a
dangerous character. Levy is/was a dangerous character. So,
you'd better prepare yourself for what I am about to tell you about
blue velvet.

When Levy began to talk to me about blue velvet, it scared me, but I
was determined to deal with it, and I did; that's why I am in a
position to discuss it now. But, I must warn you to beware. When you
hear the rest of this story, something inside of you is going to shake.
Believe me!

I really want to talk to you in depth about blue velvet. But, to really
understand what blue velvet is you must understand the vessel of its
source. You must know Levy, and you must know what he did; and you must
know why, in spite of his diabolical nature, he was chosen to deliver a
profound message...

I am/was Levy's confidant. In fact, he has a very large family. He has
seven sons and seven daughters; all of them attend the university.
Levy's wife is a nurse, and she is from a very wealthy family. But,
Levy never attended school; he is a self made man. Perhaps that's why
the secret of blue velvet was revealed to him. Why he revealed the
secret to me is not known to me now. But, someday I shall
understand...

There is a definite peculiarity about blue velvet, that is, once you
have actually discovered what it is , you are compelled by human
compassion to explain it to someone. So, I'll do my best to explain
what blue velvet is. At first you may think that blue velvet is
something very complicated. It's not; it's really simple, but you have
to read between the lines;
this is the only way to understand it. If you have been reading between
the lines,
you should have asked yourself- "How was Levy able to have fourteen
children all at the university?" If you did not consider this question,
then I suggest that you start to consider it now. You really have to
work hard to understand blue velvet; but once the difficult task is
completed, everything becomes simple to understand.

When Levy sat down with me, he looke me sternly in the eyes, and he
said, "This is very important."

"What is?" I asked.

"Blue velvet."

"Blue velvet," I repeated.

"Of course. Blue velvet is something you need to understand."

"What is blue velvet?"

"Levy's eyes bucked and he said, "Don't ask that question!"

"What?"

"You have to be careful what questions you ask," he advised.

When Levy got my attention and began to tell me about blue velvet, I
thought it was a big joke. But it wasn't, as you will see. Immediately,
after being exposed to blue velvet, I began to see things that I had
never seen before; I began to make realizations where before I was
enlightened but still ignorant of vital facts of life...There is
something else you need to know before I tell you what blue velvet is-
Men tell lies; some men tell big lies. There are some men who play with
your intellect just for amusement. Levy was not that type of man, and
when I tell you how he explained blue velvet to me, you will appreciate
him. In spite of Levy's dire imperfection, you must respect him.
Remember that all men are
imperfect.

If you recall, I made certain confessions about my character. If you
have already
drawn conclusions, you have defeated yourself, because the essence of
blue velvet resides in your own prejudicial outlook. The irony of blue
velvet is that in order to come a conclusion about it, you must be
devoid of conclusions. I know this sounds a little strange, but this is
what Levy told me in order to open my eyes-

"The problem with earthlings is that you are so prone to draw
conclusions too quickly. I don't draw conclusions."

I asked- "What does that have to do with
blue velvet?"

"Why is the sky blue?" he asked.

"I don't know. Tell me why."

"Of course, you don't know why," Levy said.

"Please tell me why," I implored.

"Isn't the ocean blue, too?"

"Sure," I said.

"Describe the American flag," Levy said.

"Red, white, and blue."

"The flag is blue, white, and red," he said.

"That's what I said."

"You didn't say that," Levy corrected me. "You said it was red, white,
and blue."

"It's all the same thing," I said.

"Are you sure?"

"This is nonsense! What does blue velvet have to do with this?"

Levy got up from his seat and looked out the window. Then he turned to
me. His
eyes were blood shot. It seemed like he
had been transformed.

"What's going on, man?" I asked.

"You should not draw conclusions!"

"What?"

"I want to tell you about blue velvet."

"Well, tell me about blue velvet. What is
going on here?"

"Blue velvet."

"Blue velvet?!"

"Yes, blue velvet," he said.

Then we heard sirens. Levy looked at me and said- "A student just
killed the principal at one of the public schools."

"How do you know?" I asked.

"Turn on the television," Levy ordered.

I did. There was a special broadcast. It was true! A student had shot
and killed one of the principals at one of the public schools! He had
my attention, now. At first, I was a little doubtful. But, then I began
to take him seriously. Indeed, I wanted to know what blue velvet was.
He began to talk to me again, and I paid attention. What was blue
velvet? And what did this school yard killing have to do with it?

"You know about the bullet in my head?" He reminded me.

"Yes."

"Tell me this," he continued, "do you think I am crazy?"

"Damn," I said. "I think you are a damn fruitcake! If you really want
my honest opinion. A stone nut!"

"That's what I figured," he smiled.

"What is this blue velvet?" I asked.

"I'll tell you if you promise not to draw conclusions."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean blue velvet."

"Blue velvet."

"Yes. Blue velvet," Levy said.

"I got it!" I said. Blue velvet is an idea."

"Bingo!" he shouted.

"Tell me more!"

"You know about as much as you need to know."

"What?"

"Blue velvet will eat you up, and then it will vomit you out," he
said.

"But I still don't know what blue velvet is."

"You do! You know what blue velvet is."

"I do?"

"Do you have a dream or aspiration?" he asked.

"Yes. Everyone has a dream of some sort."

"See. You have drawn a conclusion. Everyone does not necessarily dream.
Some are too shallow to dream."

"What is blue velvet?"

"I warned you before not to ask that question. I will give you no more
warnings," he advised. Levy was really upset. But I was awed. What was
going on with this thing about blue velvet?

"You need to know about the ant hill theory," Levy continued.

"The what?"

"The ant hill theory deals with seven levels of desires."

"Will it help me learn about blue velvet?"

"It's the basis of blue velvet," Levy said.

"Okay, tell me about it."

"On the first level of this place is the opportunity to enjoy all the
nutrients which keep the human being alive. On this level is all the
good foods- like chocolate, isce cream, all kinds of fruits, especially
the blue grape."

"What? I'm completely lost."

"You will continue to be lost if you don't listen."

I became impatient and doubtful again. This had to be a big joke. This
thing called blue velvet had become irksome. The ant hill theory. I had
never heard of search nonsense!

"A girl was raped and sodomized on the west side of town," he
said.

"When?"

"Just a few minutes ago," he said.

"How do you know?"

"Pick up the phone and call the police station," Levy ordered.

I called the police station. A girl had just been raped and
sodomized!

"How do you know all these things?" I asked.

"Blue velvet," he answered.

"What is going on?"

"Do you want to continue with the ant hill theory?" he asked.

"Yes. Continue."

"On the second level of the ant hill is one man and many women. The
women are there to satisfy the desires of the flesh with this one
man."

"The second level?"

"There are seven. You must know about all of them," Levy said. "You
see, the second level of the ant hill gives man an opportunity to
explore all his sexual fantasies. Here, there are women. Beautiful
ones! Fine women of all the different racial groups. Pure sex. That's
all. Eternal sexual encounters. One man has complete control over each
and everyone of them, and he exploits them as he pleases."

This just didn't make sense to me. What did this have to with blue
velvet? But he read my mind.

"Don't ask the question," warned Levy. "You have to follow me. I'll
show you what blue velvet is. But, you must pay attention. Close
attention."

"Go on," I said.

"All this is about a distant place. Somewhere else in the
universe."

"What?"

"Do you really want to know about blue velvet?"

"Yes!"

"Well, listen. The third level of the ant hill deals with man in
complete solitude where he uses this level for meditation."

"Okay," I said. But, I was still confused.
Blue velvet . This blue velvet began to irk me. What was it? Really?
How could some talk about a distant universe have anything to do with
blue velvet?

He had sensed that I was becoming impatient. He began to pace around
the room, and he kept looking out the window. Then he stared at me, and
said, "I'll tell you about blue velvet, but you first must hear about
the ant hill theory."

"Ant hill theory! Blue velvet?"

"Yes, blue velvet," Levy said.

At that time I felt like I would get nowhere with this madman. But, if
you follow me, you will, indeed, discover about the mystery of blue
velvet.

He looked at me to see if I were paying attention. "The fourth level of
the ant hill involves the man beginning to evolve into a
Demigod."

"Demigod?"

"The fourth level the man becomes superman."

"Where are you going with all this? Demigod. Now, superman. I don't see
how this has anything to do with..."

"The ant hill theory IS blue velvet," Levy interrupted.

"It is?"

"It is."

"Okay," I said. I was a little annoyed and very impatient, but he had
gone too far with me! Now, I was determined to find out what blue was.
I had resolved to listen to him without anymore interruptions.

"The fifth level of the ant hill is where the man submerges his entire
being with Nature. This is where the ocean,the wind, the basic elements
of the earth become part of him."

I wanted to say something, but I didn't. I wanted him to hurry up and
finish this
monologue. At the time, I thought he was jerking me. But he wasn't. You
will
see, and when you make this discovery, you are going to be astounded!
You shouldn't play with blue velvet!

"The sixth level of the ant hill is where man develops wings, and he
flies. And the seventh level is where man is completed as a demigod and
reaches ultimate immortality."

That was it. I had sat patiently, and I heard everything. We sat in
silence for a short while. I did not ask the question again, but I
still reflected on it-

By now, I began to speculate on blue velvet. I began to wrestle with it
over and over in my mind. There was a silence in the room. The silence
seemed like an eternity, but it was only a half hour or so. Neither he
nor I said anything.

Then Levy said, "I have seven sons, seven daughters; three sevens yield
'21' if we use Arabic numerals. Reverse '2' and '1'. You get '12'.
Think of the theologic signigifance of the number '12'. Add '1' you get
'13'. Put it in a cultural reference. Then think."

"Please stop!" I implored. "The more you talk, the more I get
confused!"

"Don't you want to know about blue velvet?"

"Of course, I want to know about blue velvet. But it seems the deeper
we get into it, the more I am lost."

"But that's the way with blue velvet."

I can tell you something about blue velvet, right now. The more you
inquire about it, the more you confuse yourself, but confusion is just
an attribute of blue
velvet.

"You are getting closer to blue velvet. Closer than you think. See, I
told you that you already know what blue velvet is," Levy said.

"What? Where have you taken me? You just go around in circles. You say
this, you say that, but you never get to the heart of anything. Nothing
is adequate enough for me to draw conclusions about blue velvet."

"You can't draw conclusions!" he said. "I told you that before. If you
want to know about blue velvet, you must never draw conclusions about
any-thing."

"I still don't know what blue velvet is."

"But you do!" Levy insisted.

"I do? Not really. I don't know what blue velvet is. If I knew what
blue velvet was wasn't I supposed to be transformed? I mean, wasn't
something
suppose to happen to my being? Wasn't
I suppose to feel something I never felt before?"

"Don't you feel something?"

"I still don't know what blue velvet is."

Now, there was an elevator in the room where Levy and myself
conversed.

"Come with me, " he said. He led me to the elevator. The door opened,
then he
said get in."

I entered the elevator, and then there was a sudden descension! We must
have dropped a mile or so into the depths of the earth. Then we
stopped, and the door opened. We were somewhere underground. Levy got
off and I followed him. First, I saw this woman, an African woman who
had some kind of scar on the left side of her face; it was a protrusion
and very unpleasant to look at.

"Where are we?" I asked.

The woman got up from her seat, and she said- "This is a house."

I looked at Levy, but he didn't say anything. He began to lead me
around this place. It was all white; white marble and white rock
everywhere; there were men working. Some were climbing the walls in
this underground chamber, and
there was a bright light coming from the
top of the ceiling. It looked like sunlight;
also, there was a valley below us where water was flowing and green
plants were growing. I become afraid; but my fear aroused my curiosity.
I asked him- "Where are we?"

He did not answer, but there was activity all around. Some of the men
were moving large white rocks, and it seemed like they were builders;
there were children running cheerfully around involved in some type of
game; some of these men came over to greet me. They seemed to be very
nice, and I remember one of them told me he was in advertisement. All
this was incredible, so I pinched myself several times to see if I were
dreaming. Then I looked around. Levy was gone! I was stranded in this
underground maze and there was no one to rescue me! All of this was
about blue velvet. Damn blue velvet! It was blue velvet which got me
here, and now I would have to deal with it, alone! But, I was not
alone. There were people everywhere in this house, and everybody was
busy about something; every encounter I had with each of them was
pleasant.

I heard a bell ring. All the activity stopped, and I was looking around
to see what was going on. Then, I felt someone touch my shoulder. It
was Levy.

"Let's go," he said.

I turned around and the elevator was right behind us! The door opened
and I rushed in. Levy followed me. Suddenly, I felt a quick rush as the
elevator moved up the shaft; then it stopped. The door opened and we
were back in the room where we had begun.

"Where were we?" I asked.

"We were underground," he replied.

"I never saw anything like that before."

"I know," he said.

"Can you tell me about the place?" I asked.

"Of course," he replied. "What do you want to know?"

"How did it get there, and who were all those people?"

"I put it there, and those people are like you and me. They know what
blue velvet is, and they have already made preparations."

"Preparations?"

"Yes, preparations. Once you have mastered the real meaning of blue
velvet, you must make preparations."

Blue velvet was still a mystery, and all the other things that were
happening began to get next to me. I must confess that I was a skeptic
when I first encountered Levy and began to inquire about blue velvet.
But, now, I had, indeed, become a true believer. Levy had already shown
me things which I had no idea of their existence. This madman knew
things in advance, and he had constructed an undergound house of
willing workers.

Blue velvet is real. Of course, blue velvet is an idea. But, that is
only part of it, because blue velvet is something else. It is tangible.
Now, Levy had gotten me interested in blue velvet. I knew on that day
before I left his presence, I, too, would know what blue velvet
was.

"Blue velvet is..." The phone rang just as Levy was about to tell me.
Levy picked up the phone. He said, "Hello."
Then he began to listen to whomever it was on the phone. He looked at
me. Then he smiled. He said, "Okay." He hunged the phone up. "That was
a very
important call. Would you like to know about it? he asked.

"Of course, if it has anything to do with blue velvet," I said.

"Everything has something to do with blue velvet," Levy said.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Let's get this thing about blue velvet over with," I
recommended.

"But first turn on the radio."

"Where is the damn radio?" I asked.

"It's on the desk, right next to you."

I turned and saw the radio. I turned it on. "Any particular
station?"

He laughed-"What difference does it make? Just turn it on."

I did. "Whatever you say."

When I turned on the radio, it was a jazz
station. The music was soft and mellow.

"Soon, a special announcement will be made about a plane crash off the
shores of New York."

"What?" I said.

"Just listen," Levy said.

The music stopped on the radio and there
was a special broadcast. A plane crashed off the shores of New
York!

"Does this have anything to do with blue velvet?" I asked.

"Of course it does," Levy answered.

"Will I ever get an understanding about blue velvet?" I asked.

Blue velvet is something that you don't play with. This cannot be
overly stressed. No matter what you do, once you have discovered the
true mystery of blue velvet, everything, you will find, has
a direct or indirect relationship to it. I guess you are asking
yourself, just like I did, how can this be true? You will see.

There were a few more things Levy had to do before he could continue to
talk to me about blue velvet. I was still in the dark about blue velvet
even though he had shown me his psychi powers and introduced me to the
subterranean society below. This was enough to convince me that blue
velvet was worthy of scrutiny, and there was a strong curosity residing
within me which motivated me to want to know the mystery of blue
velvet. But I was still ignorant! I did not know what blue velvet was!
On several occasionsLevy had said I knew what blue velvet was. Now, I
was at a point of desperation, and
I would not leave that room until I knew what blue velvet was. Levy
began to move a few things around in the room. He was putting all the
books back on the
shelf, then he started to move the chairs around. It just seemed like
busy body work to me, just to keep me in suspense.
Then he gave me a piercing look-

"So, you want to know about blue velvet?"

I wanted to shout! My patience was beginning to cease. But, I said in a
very
low voice, "Yes, I want to know about blue velvet."

"Then, ask the question I warned you not to ask."

"What is blue velvet?" I asked.

"Didn't I tell you not to ask that question!"

"What?!" I shouted. "But, just now, you told me to ask that same
question!"

"Did it?"

"What?"

"I also told you there were questions you should never ask, and that
was one of them."

This really pissed me off! I knew Levy was a nut, but he had this
special gift, and he had shown me that subterranean
chamber. He said I knew what blue velvet was. But, then I thought I
didn't know. Now, I know about blue velvet. But first, let me say a few
more things.
If you recall, at the beginning I told you about a man who was kicked
out of his family and had to serve time in the federal prison. Well,
that man was Levy.
While he was in prison, he killed a man; when they let him, the
victim's son ran Levy down with car, and then shot him in the head. It
was a miracle that Levy survived. The nurse who attended him at the
hospital eventually married him. She had taken fertility drugs. She was
impregnated three consecutive years; each time she had multiple births.
So, there is the logical explanantion for Levy having fourteen children
all at the university. Furthermore, as incredible as
it may sound, there is a logic to all of this.