Veil of illusions

come in th

elgä

yth as old as

who looks just like yo

the q

die first?

he myth, the f

t their end. In the same

he sam

bling hands an

twining with my fingers a

h

eans I saw her

ntact

. But I guess

was born, and certainly

s l

remains on th

second skin. It's thick,

palms together to wipe it

the fresh, warm blood sm

ands as a permanent

es shut, drag

d is raspy, guttural, gr

h long ru

hen I open my

only my wild imagination a

o tortur

. Not.

like they'v

they part fr

still the sam

he lack of light. I clenc

s a tau

Wake th

into my palms

Nothing stops t

d and study m

ike a cocoon. They're so

hrough the small

e over the moo

ater over my cotton dress

il

ld should be a

ear indication of wheth

my hands won'

tremor shooting

afte

s me, he'l

eyelids toget

Three, t

hem again, th

The blood is colder now.

my mind and is star

o

s into the lo

n as hard as I can, inten

d actually flowing, to di

rea

pain, then thi

l manifestation of my

t'll be all over and I'l

ks under the

ng pain explode

s and a tear

i

is

nightmare. I d

I went there with

o

o

remble as a f

wound and join the

od can only m

ok a

ns fina

now, not even

hings, those thoughts tha

e, crashing and clawing a

I hear

e their wis

rderer. Not a

. Maybe if I keep doing it

go back an

the gloomy, bl

there's someone out there

person. Don't let me b

ng wind answer

st like vengeful spirits

ut

I beg. "Please

y own sel

s have no effe

can hold on to. The las

erately need s

ust myself to

it worse. I'll spiral out

h of no

know, I'll be

my own d

hing I've run

re l

t stop." My vo

Please. I'll

e wind isn't

steps comes from

r and I stop

't have found

. This is rea

. That means the footste

ous th

and sprint a

y way. The fallen leaves

k about the sound I'm ma

That's not important rig

kil

ate will be a

at

a fighter. Yo

i

cho in my hea

naline. I have to live an

s

d to

s grow close

r thudding is right behin

se the trees as camouflag

ndons cry o

is irregular

le, I'll be able to es

o never take t

n what I deserve. It's iro

w coming

iro

lear out an

p of a cliff. Pebbles esc

oulders and finally to th

. The sound of raging wave

ny of

pletely cloudy

dow on the

wn, a strang

s at the bac

o easy to end

l it takes. On

mons with m

I'll kill the

'll never co

o

ps through m

ce coming fr

ound

d so fast, I

h out to him and grip his

ood smears on the light gr

ation

ss, like a co

air. His face is shadowe

tours of his j

he won't make

hold on his sleeve

a life."

one stops me

d violently. "

o

ill ha

ease...

sins." He yank

backward and d

th to shriek,

as painful as I expected i

cef

g one last

on me, I close my eyes,

nally t