@@$$~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~$$@@
#@@@*$/~^¨ ¨^~/$*@@@#
@@*/~^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^~/*@@
@****$/~^¨ ¨^~/$****@
@@@*//^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^//*@@@
@*$$$/^¨¨¨ ###~ ~### ¨¨¨^/$$$*@
@@*/^^¨¨¨¨ # # ¨¨¨¨^^/*@@
#@@@*$/~^¨ # TELE MIGRAINE # ¨^~/$*@@@#
@@*$$~~^^¨ # # ¨^^~~$$*@@
##@@*$/~^¨ ###~ ~### ¨^~/$*@@##
@*$~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~$*@
##@@*$/~^¨ THE SO CALLED "THIRD MIGRAINE". IT'S ¨^~/$*@@##
@$~^¨¨¨¨¨¨ LIKE A REGULAR MIGRAINE BUT IT DOES NOT ¨¨¨¨¨¨^~$@
@@**$//~^¨ HURT THERE'S NO PAIN, THE COSMOS IS ¨^~//$**@@
@@$$~~~^^¨ THERE AND IT'S DRAINING THE EVIL ¨^^~~~$$@@
@@@@*$/~^¨ STRAIGHT OUT OF THE WOUND. ¨^~/$*@@@@
#@@@*$/~^¨ ¨^~/$*@@@#
@@@@*$/~^¨ IT'S MASSAGING YOUR TEMPLES, PIERCING ¨^~/$*@@@@
@@@**$/~^¨ YOU, ENTERING YOUR BLOOD, CRACKING THE ¨^~/$**@@@
#@@@*$/~^¨ SKULL OPEN. A PAW GRIPS YOUR BRAIN, ¨^~/$*@@@#
@@@@*$/~^¨ PLAYS WITH IT, PULLS IT OUT INTO THE ¨^~/$*@@@@
@@@@*$/~^¨ COSMOS. ¨^~/$*@@@@
##@@@*$/~¨ ¨~/$*@@@##
@$~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ THERE'S COMETS! SPACE ODDITIES. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~$@
@@*/~^^¨¨¨ 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 ¨¨¨~~~/*@@
@@**$//~^¨ THEIR BELONGINGS. ¨^~//$**@@
@@@@*$/~^¨ ¨^~/$*@@@@
#@@@*$/~^¨ ¨^~/$*@@@#
@@@@*$/~^¨ ¨^~/$*@@@@
@@$$~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~$$@@
#@@@*$/~^¨ ¨^~/$*@@@#