A small crowd was gathered in the theatre. Several waitresses scurried about trying to fill the drink orders before show time.

The stage was empty, with no backdrop, no lights, no props -- completely barren.

A card on the table showed a critic's review of Scumbini's show -- " A night of mystery, music, flatulence and laughter." I was glad I hadn't paid good money to see this performance.

Show time approached, so I sat down at a table and prepared to gaze upon the great Scumbini. Finally, the lights went down, and the audience was greeted with a loud, evil laugh echoing through the room.

This was followed by music. The song was Love Shack by the B-52's.

Then, high up above the stage, a glowing moon appeared.

The music got softer, and sound effects of crickets and birds mixed with the music.

The moon got brighter to reveal a lake, and then a lean-to surrounded by trees in the deep forest. From a rock fireplace in front of the lean-to, a campfire suddenly exploded into view, adding illumination to the stage, with flames climbing high towards the moon.

As the music continued, a bizarre figure now appeared on the roof of the lean-to. Its back to the audience, the shadowy figure began to dance wildly, gyrating and flailing its arms about, all the while laughing uncontrollably. It was the same laugh that had started the show, like that of a mad scientist.

A parade of dancing girls now filled the stage -- a tasteful showing of femininity that caught your attention, but left you begging for more. They, too, began to dance to the music of Love Shack, joining the silhouetted figure above them in a grotesque display of retro-60's hullabaloo madness.

Suddenly, the song came to an abrupt end, everyone on the stage froze in place and a spotlight flashed onto the roof dancer's face. He yelled out "I am the Great Scumbini" and laughed again, except this time the laugh was different -- it was taunting and evil.

The stage went dark again and everything was silent. The room lighting seemed to get lower and lower, until it was completely pitch black. There was not a sound from the stage or the audience. I sat in the void, waiting for the show to resume, but the darkness and silence just continued.

I reached for my jacket, to find some matches and see if I could shed some light on my surroundings, but the jacket was gone. So was the chair on which I'd draped it. I held my arms straight out and realized that my table was gone now, too.

I stood up and walked straight towards the stage, taking very small steps at first, expecting to bump into a table or a chair.

But my physical surroundings had now changed. All the tables and chairs were gone. The audience was gone. Las Vegas was gone. It was just myself and Scumbini here together in a black hole of time and space, surrounded by darkness and silence.