More than all the fires that fence in the world

In Budapest, we walked up to the castle in the evening, and were astounded and made uncomfortable by the lack of tourists. The castle was dark and enormous, and practically deserted, if you don't count the locals going about their business, looking completely out of place in their mundaneness and matter-of-factness.

Castles and palaces are supposed to be cool and safe. Fun to explore. Adapted for children. Lit up, labeled, explained away. This one wasn't: it loomed over us, shadowy and threatening. And there was nothing between us and this earthly power (gold, death and blood), this haunted power from the other side.

A sort of terrible picture of what was essentially unphotographable

We followed some people (passersby as unfazed and determined as a White Rabbit) through a single open door, which led to a corridor (ordinary, grey, modern). We sat on the windowsill, watching people go by and disappear into the elevator at the end. And their passing was a passing between worlds.

Things like this have happened to me before, but never in such a place, never in a nighttime Central European castle, which was supposed to be processed and redefined, and made safe - rather than turning into a portal and confusing me by being so uncanny.