@@£//=¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨=//£@@
@@§%/=¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨=/%§@@
§%%%=¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨=%%%§
###@£%/=:¨                                          ¨:=/%£@###
##@§£%/=:¨                                          ¨:=/%£§@##
@@@§£%/=:¨             ###=         =###            ¨:=/%£§@@@
§£%%%/==:¨            #               #             ¨:==/%%%£§
##@§£%/=:¨             # 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.            ¨¨¨¨=//£@@
#@@§£%/=:¨                                          ¨:=/%£§@@#
@§££%%/=:¨                                          ¨:=/%%££§@
§§%%%==¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨==%%%§§
##@§£%/=:¨                                          ¨:=/%£§@##
##@§£%/=:¨                                          ¨:=/%£§@##