Introduction
What exact is a Meta-Empath? A Meta-Emath is someone whose already strong empathetic abilities intensify during a dangerous or erotic encounter. They are highly sensitive during sex and even moments of flirtation, often experiencing heightened stress or bliss. Further, they are hyper sexual beings who are capable of riding the emotive energy of an intimate encounter to dangerous levels of orgasmic release. Many are known to experience out of body orgasmic visions of other worlds and mind melds with their partner. There are two kinds of meta empathy, those of the light, who seek to love, liberate and heal, and those of the dark, who seek to enslave, control and captivate. Love making for both is fueled by lust, with the light preferring tenderness, while on the dark side the sexual exchange is marked by kink and experimentation.
When two metas meet their erotic exchange is one that will last not for minutes, but rather long days, weeks or months. When two metas from the light and dark sides meet the experience for both is highly volatile and can produce a strong emotional bond and mind meld between the two that afterward makes the light side more willing to experiment and accept risk and danger, with the dark side becoming more tender and willing to feel and even accept love. What quality both metas share is the willingness to cross taboo sexual boundaries that society has created and the ability to continue to seek out continued taboo erotic encounters after the first one is experienced.
In the opening story of The Cristy Chronicles, 30 year old recently divorced and mother of two Cristy Lee embarks on a well deserved vacation to New Orleans Mardi Gras during which journey she is seduced by the erotic spirit of the voodoo queen, Marie Leveau and her human host, the world famous porn star Ebony Ayes, or as Cristy calls her "big momma." Madame Leveau can see within Cristy her suppressed meta-empathetic powers and seeks to use them to help her return to the erotic underworld where time stands still and a war of good versus evil is being waged, in which Cristy is the ultimate prize.
Together with their Army trained bodyguard Quinton, the three seek out the portal to the entrance that is somewhere between the French Quarter and the oil rigs off the Louisiana coast. Along the way however they must battle a man from Cristy's youthful past who is now a dealer in high grade sexual narcotics, as well as arms dealers, voodoo witch doctors, street gang thugs, and mythical creatures disguised as sex starved human rough necks. Along the way Cristy's meta abilities as an Empath, with the help of the evil Dr. Bud's chemical assistance, blossom, the powers of which she will need if she is to survive in the erotic underworld of Middle Earth.
Prologue- The Legend of the House of the Rising Sun
Like many other myths and legends in the Crescent City, a cloud of mystery surrounds "The House of the Rising Sun," the song made famous by The Animals in the 1960s. Everyone agrees that it's about the dark and debaucherous side of New Orleans' culture, but that's pretty much where the consensus ends. But not where my questions do.
Was "the house" a brothel? A tuberculosis hospital? Slave quarters on a plantation? An antebellum syphilis clinic for prostitutes? (Really, that's an actual theory!) The lyrics have been changed so much over the years, it's really hard to tell. But, let's do a little detective work.
The two earliest recordings date back to 1930s Appalachia, but it's known to be older than that. In his book, Chasing the Rising Sun, the Journey of an American Song, author Ted Anthony actually traces the song's origins back to a bawdy English folk song that goes, "If you go to Lowestoft and ask for the Rising Sun, there you'll find two old whores, and my old woman's one."
Well, that certainly lends credence to the house-of-ill repute theory, but it's by no means proof. Lyrics from the earliest American versions include lines like "Going back to New Orleans, my race is almost run. Going back to spend the rest of my days beneath that Rising Sun." So despondent! Maybe a prison or hospital is plausible after all? Time to delve deeper into local lore.
According to my research, only two contenders are documented as having used the name "Rising Sun." A Rising Sun Hotel was located at 535-37 Conti Street in the 1820s. (This is on the same block as Paul Prudhomme's K-Paul's Kitchen and a block away from the Napoleon House, should you need a hearty dinner and/or a Pimm's Cup). An old newspaper ad mentions that the hotel has "the best entertainment" and that "Gentlemen may here rely upon finding attentive servants." (You decide if these are euphemisms.) Additionally, lots of rouge and makeup were found on the property. Interesting artifacts for a gentleman's hotel, doncha think?
The other documented candidate is Rising Sun Hall, which was owned by a social aid and pleasure club during the late 19th century on the riverfront of the Uptown/Carrollton area. Far from the seedier parts of town, but who knows?
Yet another theory involves a madam named Marianne LeSoleil Levant, whose name is French for "rising sun." Hmm. A couple of sources place her brothel at 1614 Esplanade Avenue, a very unromantic spot in the shadow of the I-10 freeway. But most say it was at 826-830 St. Louis Street, a block north of Chris Owens' infamous club and around the corner from Chef Susan Spicer's Bayona. This location is now a real estate office, and the owner says renovations uncovered risque postcards from the 1800s and a ceiling mural of a golden rising sun surrounded by three cherubs. Indeed!
I came across one final claim by a gentlemen who used to own Good & Plenty Records at 1129 Decatur Street, now the location of the Courtyard Gallery, across from the Magnolia Grill. Before his death in the 90s, "Record Ron" claimed this was the original site. It's totally random, but what the heck? Might as well toss it onto the pile.
