Lost Souls

It was late in the day and the joint was jumping, packed to the rafters with human sweat and cheap booze. A three-piece jazz band wailed away in a corner, ignored by a crowd too busy feeling sorry for itself and too drunk to care. Twists of cigarette smoke spiraled up to the ceiling dimming the lights to an ethereal shade of blue. The squeak and squeal of a dying art kept conversation to a minimum...