*^~:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:~^*
^~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~^
~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~
:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ###~ ~### ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # TELE MIGRAINE # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:
~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~
^~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ###~ ~### ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~^
*^~:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:~^*
%*^~:¨¨¨¨¨ THE SO CALLED "THIRD MIGRAINE". IT'S ¨¨¨¨¨:~^*%
£%*^~:¨¨¨¨ LIKE A REGULAR MIGRAINE BUT IT DOES NOT ¨¨¨¨:~^*%£
@£%*^~:¨¨¨ HURT THERE'S NO PAIN, THE COSMOS IS ¨¨¨:~^*%£@
#@£%*^~:¨¨ THERE AND IT'S DRAINING THE EVIL ¨¨:~^*%£@#
##@£%*^~:¨ STRAIGHT OUT OF THE WOUND. ¨:~^*%£@##
#@£%*^~:¨¨ ¨¨:~^*%£@#
@£%*^~:¨¨¨ IT'S MASSAGING YOUR TEMPLES, PIERCING ¨¨¨:~^*%£@
£%*^~:¨¨¨¨ YOU, ENTERING YOUR BLOOD, CRACKING THE ¨¨¨¨:~^*%£
%*^~:¨¨¨¨¨ SKULL OPEN. A PAW GRIPS YOUR BRAIN, ¨¨¨¨¨:~^*%
*^~:¨¨¨¨¨¨ PLAYS WITH IT, PULLS IT OUT INTO THE ¨¨¨¨¨¨:~^*
^~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ COSMOS. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~^
~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~
:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ THERE'S COMETS! SPACE ODDITIES. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ SOLITARY OSCILLATIONS. CARRIER WAVE. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ BURNED AWAY BY THE SUNS RADIATION UNTIL ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ONLY THE FAINTEST TRACE REMAIN, ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ EVENTUALLY CAUGHT IN THE GRAVITY WELL ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:
~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ OF SOME SECOND RATE WATER PLANET. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~
^~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~^
*^~:¨¨¨¨¨¨ IT'S RAINING SAP. ¨¨¨¨¨¨:~^*
%*^~:¨¨¨¨¨ WE'RE GETTING SWEET AND WET ¨¨¨¨¨:~^*%
£%*^~:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:~^*%£
@£%*^~:¨¨¨ ###~ ~### ¨¨¨:~^*%£@
#@£%*^~:¨¨ ¨¨:~^*%£@#
##@£%*^~:¨ MY LUNCH BREAK IS OVER AND I NEED TO ¨:~^*%£@##
#@£%*^~:¨¨ GET BACK TO THE SHOP. LYNNE IS THERE ¨¨:~^*%£@#
@£%*^~:¨¨¨ ALONE AND HASN'T EATEN YET. I TAKE THE ¨¨¨:~^*%£@
£%*^~:¨¨¨¨ BACK ROUTE UP FROM THE BEACH TO AVOID ¨¨¨¨:~^*%£
%*^~:¨¨¨¨¨ THE CROWD. SING A LITTLE TO MYSELF. ¨¨¨¨¨:~^*%
*^~:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:~^*
^~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ LIFE GETS TO PROSPER OUTSIDE OF¨@^~~~ - ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~^
~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ SUDDENLY, AN ACID FLASHBACK: I STEP ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~
:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ DOWN IN MY MIND (LIKE AN OPEN MIND / ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ FRACTAL STINGER / BISMUTH STAIRCASE) ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ AND WADE IN SHADOWS... SURROUNDED BY ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ MEMORY NEGATIVES, ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ LIKE UPROCESSED FILM.... ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:
~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~
^~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ###~ ~### ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~^
*^~:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:~^*
%*^~:¨¨¨¨¨ WE'RE CLOSING FOR THE EVENING. THE SHOP ¨¨¨¨¨:~^*%
£%*^~:¨¨¨¨ IS IN THE BOTTOM FLOOR OF A NARROW ¨¨¨¨:~^*%£
@£%*^~:¨¨¨ MUDBRICK BUILDING, PAINTED TEAL. WE ¨¨¨:~^*%£@
#@£%*^~:¨¨ LIVE ON THE SECOND FLOOR, TOGETHER WITH ¨¨:~^*%£@#
##@£%*^~:¨ THE OWNER. AS I CLOSE THE METAL ¨:~^*%£@##
#@£%*^~:¨¨ CURTAIN, BEHIND ITS CHARACTERISTIC ¨¨:~^*%£@#
@£%*^~:¨¨¨ SHARP RATTLING I CAN HEAR THE ¨¨¨:~^*%£@
£%*^~:¨¨¨¨ CURFEW SIRENS. ¨¨¨¨:~^*%£
%*^~:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:~^*%
*^~:¨¨¨¨¨¨ WORMY STREET WOLVES OUTSIDE, CHASING ¨¨¨¨¨¨:~^*
^~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ENTRANCES IN THE DARK ALLEYWAYS, ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~^
~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ WANTING IN, GETTING DESPERATE, LAPSING ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~
:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ TO SEARCH HIGHER, ON ROOFS, CLIMBING ON ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ BALCONIES. AND THERE'S BOUND TO BE SOME ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ RECKLESS TOURIST WHO DIDN'T HEED THE ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ WARNINGS, NEVER CLOSED THEIR WINDOWS... ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:
~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ OR, IN SOME CASES, THE HOUSEOWNER HAD ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~
^~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ THE WINDOW BOLTS WEAKENED, AND WHEN ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~^
*^~:¨¨¨¨¨¨ CLEANING UP THE AFTERMATH WOULD POCKET ¨¨¨¨¨¨:~^*
%*^~:¨¨¨¨¨ THEIR BELONGINGS. ¨¨¨¨¨:~^*%
£%*^~:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:~^*%£
@£%*^~:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:~^*%£@
#@£%*^~:¨¨ ¨¨:~^*%£@#
##@£%*^~:¨ ¨:~^*%£@##
#@£%*^~:¨¨ ¨¨:~^*%£@#