$*/~^.....                                          .....^~/*$
*/~^......                                          ......^~/*
/~^.......                                          .......^~/
~^........                                          ........^~
^.........                                          .........^
..........             ###~         ~###            ..........
..........             #               #            ..........
..........             # 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  ......^~/*
$*/~^..... balconies. and there's bound to be some  .....^~/*$
¤$*/~^....   reckless tourist who didn't heed the   ....^~/*$¤
£¤$*/~^...  warnings, never closed their windows... ...^~/*$¤£
#£¤$*/~^..                                          ..^~/*$¤£#
##£¤$*/~^.   or, in some cases, the houseowner had  .^~/*$¤£##
#£¤$*/~^..    the window bolts weakened, and when   ..^~/*$¤£#
£¤$*/~^...  cleaning up the aftermath would pocket  ...^~/*$¤£
¤$*/~^....            their belongings.             ....^~/*$¤
$*/~^.....                                          .....^~/*$
*/~^......                                          ......^~/*
/~^.......                                          .......^~/
~^........                                          ........^~
^.........                                          .........^