.~~^***$## ##$***^~~.
.~~*$¤#### ####¤$*~~.
.~~^^^$$## ##$$^^^~~.
.~~^*$¤### ###¤$*^~~.
.~~^*$#### ####$*^~~.
.~~^^^**¤¤ ###~ ~### ¤¤**^^^~~.
.~~^*$¤### # # ###¤$*^~~.
.~~^*$¤### # TELE MIGRAINE # ###¤$*^~~.
.~~^*$¤### # # ###¤$*^~~.
.~~^*$¤### ###~ ~### ###¤$*^~~.
.~~^*$¤### ###¤$*^~~.
.....~~*¤# 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 #¤$$^~~~..
.~~^**$¤¤¤ OF SOME SECOND RATE WATER PLANET. ¤¤¤$**^~~.
.~~^*$¤### ###¤$*^~~.
.~~~^^^^$# IT'S RAINING SAP. #$^^^^~~~.
.~~^*$¤### WE'RE GETTING SWEET AND WET ###¤$*^~~.
.~~^*$¤### ###¤$*^~~.
....~~^^*¤ ###~ ~### ¤*^^~~....
.~^*$¤#### ####¤$*^~.
....~^^*¤# MY LUNCH BREAK IS OVER AND I NEED TO #¤*^^~....
.~~^$¤#### GET BACK TO THE SHOP. LYNNE IS THERE ####¤$^~~.
.~~^*$¤### ALONE AND HASN'T EATEN YET. I TAKE THE ###¤$*^~~.
.~~^*$¤### BACK ROUTE UP FROM THE BEACH TO AVOID ###¤$*^~~.
.~~^*$¤### THE CROWD. SING A LITTLE TO MYSELF. ###¤$*^~~.
.~~^*$$$¤# #¤$$$*^~~.
.~~^^^*$¤¤ LIFE GETS TO PROSPER OUTSIDE OF.#^~~~ - ¤¤$*^^^~~.
.~~^*$¤### SUDDENLY, AN ACID FLASHBACK: I STEP ###¤$*^~~.
.~~^*$#### DOWN IN MY MIND (LIKE AN OPEN MIND / ####$*^~~.
....~~^^*¤ FRACTAL STINGER / BISMUTH STAIRCASE) ¤*^^~~....
....~~~**¤ AND WADE IN SHADOWS... SURROUNDED BY ¤**~~~....
.~~^*$¤### MEMORY NEGATIVES, ###¤$*^~~.
.~~~^^^^*¤ LIKE UPROCESSED FILM.... ¤*^^^^~~~.
.~~^*$¤### ###¤$*^~~.
.~~^*$¤### ###~ ~### ###¤$*^~~.
....~**$$# #$$**~....
.~~~~**$¤¤ WE'RE CLOSING FOR THE EVENING. THE SHOP ¤¤$**~~~~.
....~~^$¤# IS IN THE BOTTOM FLOOR OF A NARROW #¤$^~~....
.~~^*$¤### MUDBRICK BUILDING, PAINTED TEAL. WE ###¤$*^~~.
.......~*¤ LIVE ON THE SECOND FLOOR, TOGETHER WITH ¤*~.......
...~^^^^$¤ THE OWNER. AS I CLOSE THE METAL ¤$^^^^~...
.~~^*$¤### CURTAIN, BEHIND ITS CHARACTERISTIC ###¤$*^~~.
.~~^*$¤### SHARP RATTLING I CAN HEAR THE ###¤$*^~~.
.~~^*$¤### CURFEW SIRENS. ###¤$*^~~.
.~~^*$¤### ###¤$*^~~.
.~~^*$¤### WORMY STREET WOLVES OUTSIDE, CHASING ###¤$*^~~.
.~~^*$¤### ENTRANCES IN THE DARK ALLEYWAYS, ###¤$*^~~.
...~^^^*$¤ WANTING IN, GETTING DESPERATE, LAPSING ¤$*^^^~...
.......~*¤ TO SEARCH HIGHER, ON ROOFS, CLIMBING ON ¤*~.......
.....~*¤## BALCONIES. AND THERE'S BOUND TO BE SOME ##¤*~.....
......~*¤# RECKLESS TOURIST WHO DIDN'T HEED THE #¤*~......
.~~^*$¤### WARNINGS, NEVER CLOSED THEIR WINDOWS... ###¤$*^~~.
.~~^*$¤### ###¤$*^~~.
.~~^*$¤¤## OR, IN SOME CASES, THE HOUSEOWNER HAD ##¤¤$*^~~.
.~~^*$¤### THE WINDOW BOLTS WEAKENED, AND WHEN ###¤$*^~~.
.~~^***$¤# CLEANING UP THE AFTERMATH WOULD POCKET #¤$***^~~.
.~~^*$¤### THEIR BELONGINGS. ###¤$*^~~.
.~~^*$$¤## ##¤$$*^~~.
.~~^*$¤¤¤# #¤¤¤$*^~~.
...~~^*$$¤ ¤$$*^~~...
.....~^^$¤ ¤$^^~.....
.....~~*¤¤ ¤¤*~~.....