I had the sudden instinct to lose myself in the sprawling, seething metropolis. “Quick”, I urged myself, “lose yourself in the sprawling, seething metropolis…”

That was pure instinct, that was. Pure, raw instinct – no thinking required! No university education needed. Every cell in my body was telling me the same thing – “Lose yourself! Lose yourself as fast as you possibly can! Lose yourself without delay in the spawling, seething, toxic vastness of the filthy dirty suppurating Decay World…”

The blood was pulsing violently in my ears. Pulse, pulse, pulse, it went. A constant blurry swirling flushing noise. White noise, in fact – coming in surging bursts. It was fear of course, pure blinding fear. What else would it be? “The bad thing is going to happen!” my mind screamed hysterically at me at close range. And then the next thing I knew I was running down a long dark tunnel screaming with terror, pursued by horrors that – until this precise moment – I hadn’t realized had even existed. Could possibly have existed. It was all new and it was also all bad. You couldn’t even tell anyone how bad it was.

“Lose yourself”, I advised myself grimly, “lose yourself in the seething masses of people that swarm like ants across the surface of the earth…” I had to blend in, you see – blending in is the key to the whole exercise. Absolutely the key. As you might well imagine. Becoming indistinguishable. Not standing out in any way. Not standing out is absolutely the key, of course. If you don’t act exactly like everyone else then you’re finished – that giant unblinking ‘Eye in the Sky’ will see you in an instant. God, that is. The Big Man. The One who sees All. The One who judges All.

“Immerse yourself in the vilest of trivialities”, I instructed myself, “and whatever you do you mustn’t allow yourself to dwell upon the profound.” That last piece of advice is extremely important you see – the slightest slip up in this regard will give you away. You will stand out like a zebra in a field full of Connemara ponies. You will stand out like the King of Beasts pretending to be a pedigree poodle at the local dog show. You’ll give yourself away in a flash and then the Grey Man will get you. You can be sure of that.