Chapter 14: The Incredible Shrinking Emperor

An irreverent, autobiographical address to the Academy of the Dream Society: the narrator recounts decades of spinal surgeries, chronic pain, and the surprising atrophy of his gluteus maximus, and explores attempts at recovery from TENS therapy to further repairs.

Woven through the medical narrative are playful metaphysical digressions, vivid local scenes like Gracie's Harbor, and reflections on culture, healing, and the strange economy of bodily loss and restoration.