Another story of mine has been posted at bookscover2cover; called Kingdom of the Bronze Spider, it can be read by clicking on the link. The overall set-up here was a nod to the opening of ‘The Left Hand of Darkness’ by Ursula Le Guin, I remember. Oddly, perhaps, since I borrowed its atmosphere, I didn’t actually like the start of that book although I went on to enjoy the story a lot.
To finish, here’s Ike & Tina Turner –