May 21, 2021 □ Oakland, CA

I’m on a train traveling through mountains. It stops at a castle—a shrine or retreat of some religious order. Inside is a man who is locked in alone, but released once in a while by someone who will come by and toss him the keys. I ask, “How often does that happen?” I’m told, “The record is 57 years.” I myself witness the rare event: the keys are tossed and the man emerges, triumphantly raising both arms in the sunshine. I ask him why he doesn’t escape, why would he go back into the castle to await the next liberation? His reply: “Sense of duty.”