Here’s an excerpt:
“Where are we going?” I asked as Jan Baptise led me
towards his family plot.
“We’re going to Storyville. That’s where I live.”
“Storyville?
You mean the famous red-light district?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve read about it.
Storyville doesn’t exist anymore.
Are we going back in time?”
“Yes. Back to
1899.”
“Wow! This is
weird, but exciting, too.” I couldn’t
believe it. “Wow!” I said again.
“I hope you like it.”
“What do you do there in Storyville?”
“I play piano in some of the brothels.”
“Wow! That’s
where Louis Armstrong and Jelly Roll Morton got their start!”
“You know about them?”
“Yeah. My
grandfather likes jazz.”
“If you like jazz, you’ve come to the right place.”
I could hear music playing in the distance. Before he opened the door, he said, “Are you
ready to go back to 1899 with me?”
“Sure. I’d
follow you anywhere.”
He opened the door, and we went down some stairs. He
opened another door and I saw a barely recognizable Basin Street. Back then, it had railroad tracks running
down the middle of the street. People
were scurrying about wearing Victorian-era clothing. There were two-storied stately mansions, some
adorned with turrets and cupolas, lining the street. Some of the houses had naked women hanging
out of the upper floor windows trying to tempt the men on the street to come
inside and join them. There were saloons
and gambling parlors.
He said, “We’re going to the Mahogany House.”
“Okay,” I answered, ready for anything.
“Have you ever heard of Lulu White?”
“No. Who is
she?”
“She runs this place,” he said as we walked up to the
door of a large mansion. “It’s a lot
nicer than some of the brothels down here.
It even has a marble staircase and two parlors.”
He opened a door and I saw half-dressed women sitting
in a parlor talking to men. A pianist in
the corner was playing ragtime music.
Jan led me up the marble staircase and we came to a
room. I didn’t know what surprises he
had in store for me next. It was all so
thrilling!
###
Want to read more? Here’s where you can get the entire
story. It’s only 99 cents and is available at the major online bookstores:
Amazon Link:
