Reptiles Stole My Baby

Saturday night we witnessed Reptile Palace Orchestra do the unthinkable, invite all the children in the audience on stage with them to dance. It started innocently enough with me dragging the kids down to the front of the stage and encouraging them to jump and spin while the band found their ease. Soon the music began to pulsate and the lead singer came dancing down into the crowd and clapped when the children writhed and hopped and spun to the drums. We did our best to keep the young clan off the stage but when the music turned to a trance like gypsy profligacy of drums and violins and Baltic wailing it frothed the children into a blood pounding frenzied stew of sweaty chubby dimpled legs and squealing smiles I could no longer be held responsible and they danced captivated by the lady in the sparkly red dress. She sang to them directly and showed them the delight of twirling with arms outstretched while enchanting them further with her trumpet. They were mesmerized and when she took a detour from her spotlight to take her fiery cadence straight into the crowd the children gave chase. They pursued her weaving through the benches and blankets on the hillside, in their trance they would’ve followed her straight into the woods and under the foot bridge to be eaten by trolls or stolen away to work in the kitchens of giants or at best dance for the fairy queens for the rest of eternity all the while their parents snapping pictures in awe of the spectacle. She returned the children unharmed save for extreme exhaustion brought on by the enchantment and relentless dancing.