The hat of the year.

There’s a hat, a brown trilby with two feathers, one of which is pheasant; it sits on Jack’s head.

It was given to him, by a magician whom he had met in New Orleans; it was the magician’s to give and the fact that he did, is significant.

The hat looks new, it always has, the magician who gave it was old and no longer had the need of it.

Soon after the magician disappeared. Leaving only memories.

Most of these were warm.

Jack has to fight someone tonight.

At stake is the hat.

It’s like that.

If you wear the hat it says something about you.

And others can challenge you for the right to wear it.

Jack has been challenged.

It’s ok, accepting the challenge is a natural part of wearing the hat; it causes no offence to jack and no fear. If you are wearing the hat there is a reason and if you are challenged there is a reason for that too and it doesn’t happen every day.

I had to take the hat to Jack, so I was wearing it for convenience and I didn’t know the significance of this. If I had I would have carried it in a bag.

I was stopped in a back street, blocked by market stall-holders.

They didn’t know me.

They knew Jack.

They let me pass, but I had to explain.

The hat has power.

The fact that the magician freely gave it to Jack is very, very significant.

The magician was very, very significant.

He came from New Orleans.

He has disappeared.