THE STORY: In 108 A.D., in the city of Rome, a rich young man, Domitian, finds his friend Arcadius drunk in an alley and insists upon hearing what caused such a sensitive and meticulous young man to come to this. Arcadius sadly relates how he was forced by the Emperor to attend “the games” in the coliseum. There he witnessed elephants prodded by fire to trample Rome’s enemies, among them a golden-haired child, strapped to the ground. It was horrible, but when Domitian comforts him and reminds him it’s over, Arcadius replies that he has been back to the games every day, because he has lost his soul.
