three foxes sitting in a room with a fireplace
a place.
"Madame, come look. They're in our closet."
Featherhead. Headache, gone. Neutral. Fetal position, numb, zygote. Ringlike pulse...chest. Hips. Legs. The floor...cold. Here you are. Wall to the left like a closed eye. Watercolor canvas: umber, amber. Wooden planks. Corners peel. Waivered. Wait. The appearance: black torsos. Shadowed limbs. Figurines. One approached. Wooden ripples. Particles, converge; particles, converge. Stretch of space lost behind the tick of a clock; the body, the threshold. Particles, converge. Refraction. Refraction inept.
Voice sounded nice, though. Low drone, marmalade. Tail flicked, sundial. Rush of air, cheek. Orange glow. Shadowed figure. Loom. Beyond it, circle persists.
"Oh god...it's so soon...."
Second voice...worried. Another shadow. Six paces back. Canary tongue. Triangle figure. Arms, "A" to her lips. Long cuffs swaying, stretching, candle wax angel wings. Does the body match the voice? The dusty haze thins. Her head does a double take. Stiff neck, no acknowledgement.
"No...I don't think so...it doesn't look like it."
Him again. Voice tethers hand, extension, soul envelope, hand graced your wrist. Traced down, pendulum, eye blink. Legs move without your lips' permission. Eyes wide open. And the hand waves. Eyes wide open. The hand waves. Eyes wide open. Waves. Your soles hit the floorboards.
Nonplussed; unvacant. Closed paws: invitation. Cirrus cloud behind the shoulders, flowing. Paws to them. Nostril breath. Digits coil. Step step. Orange glow, brighter. Find momentum. Wall to the left, sideways eyelid. Right's just the same. Filth or dust in the woodwork. Hard to tell.
Orange glow, brighter. Sunset horizon. Squinted just to see it. Bowed head, can't chin up. Mirror quest. Find strength. Somehow not an option. Orange glow, brighter. Sunset horizon. Orange glow, brighter. Young forever. Young forever.
Bridge between warmth and cold ensues. Sit down. Couch cushions. Cloud cape, shoulders first. Left side, he embraces you. The right side, the fireplace. Landscape, four-wall encasement, chocolate colored, chocolate covered. Plank ridges: sharp shadows. Penumbral lining, deep cut. Just across, identical couch.
"Is he okay?"
Feminine voice, soft. More than before. Worried still. Gray robes. Headdress. Caramel fur. Lip slant. Slow breath. Right side, embers flicker. Cone formation. Particles, converge. Something near.
"That doesn't matter."
Ear whispers. He sits beside you. Caterpillar fingers. Sift through your shoulders. Crossed legs. Spot on the floor; keep staring. Don't blink. Chin locked down. One pair of legs, rob. Get a grip. Get a grip. Two pairs of legs, robe, trousers. Get a grip. Get a grip. Get a grip. Her voice:
"And what'll we do with him?"
Vocal box like windup. Hope resides. Chime in your chest implies connection.
"We stay here."
Her legs jitter. Didn't like that. High heel scrapes. Spine shivers. Mutual feelings.
"It doesn't have to be this way...what if we take him to XZXZXZXZX"
Words, chirps, a spiral, a void.
"He'll never make it that far."
Stern. Sure of himself. His fingers curl. Warms a bit; shuddered. Particles, converge. Centerpoint unheard. Unidentified. Nonexistent. Napes in the floorboards. Ripples like guitar strings. Circled out from flames. Two pairs of legs. Two pairs of legs. Two-
Gave in. Fat face. Third fox. Silver brush. Cardboard eyes. Thick robes. Tattered edges. Hood down. Monitored flames. Motionless; scared spider, one crawls around the cheek. Nothing in his face. Unblinking. Flames flicker on. Embers tickle snout. Particles, converge. Lady didn't notice.
"There has to be some sort of compromise."
Paced. Not frantic. He speaks as if it is:
"If there was, we would've known by now."
She answers:
"No, it's just down by the XZXZXZXZX"
Maybe it was forgotten.
"And what do you think he'd find there? The fountain of youth? An elixir? You know I love you, but sometimes I feel like you can't let go before you even start."
Thumbtack saliva, tear stained astigmatism. Caterpillar spine. Something's not right. Way that she moves. Doesn't talk back. Stutter stammer; second glimpse, your eyes. Pain. Fleeting gaze. Alive. Quickly averted sight. Sighs all throughout. Look to the walls. Corner: potted plant. Leaves hang. Shadows converge. Embers, alive. Grey fox still stares.
"I'm not looking for a solution...I just want to know a way."
Scoffs by the ear.
"Then you're looking for a solution."
Warmer hug. Colder heart. Warmer bodies, together. Bodies of a pile. And the floor creaks. No one's there. Embers screaming. Crackle crackle. Warmth, the shadow of itself. Fire crackles. His arms meet your torso. What the hell is warmth. Grey fox twitches his eye. Spider circles neck. Dread.
"We need to ask for a messenger. Just get someone to draw the XZXZXZXZX"
Or maybe it was meant to be that way.
"It matters not. Much better to let them see it for themselves. Just like you and I did. You remember how it felt, right?"
Iris beckon. Nod, nod. Mutual notions.
"How could I forget...?"
Aghast. Thought eluding. Mutual wires. Sudden scrape. Head perks. Harsh noise, subtle outro. Behind her, white window pane. Yards across. Shadows waiver. Eye chart, fifth row. Window pane. Sudden scrape. Dreaded gaze. Grey fox looks uneasy. Fair maiden looked worried. Turns to you.
"I can't stay in denial like this."
Your move:
"What happened? Where am I?"
Tighter embrace.
"Maybe it's time we tell you what happened. Promise me you won't flinch. Nothing can hurt you here."
Ticks on the window. Eyelids tingle. Nothing in sight. Hands over forearms. Look to the ground. Carpet, red, opulent; tasseled ends. Hula dance enclosure. Flames feel intense. Nobody responds. And as one, the room flounders, breathes, he speaks through tears:
"The surgery failed."
Sawdust on the tongue. Papercut lungs. Particles, converge. So hard to feel this reality. Drowsy eyes scatter. Spilled elixir. Enclosure rifts. Trapezoids tilt to rectangles...back again, gelatin pendulum. Tempest bangs the roof. Outside's silent, if you could call it that. "Outside." Her eyes feel wet with anticipation. Grey fox's eyes reflect with light. And the walls converge. And the sky ascends. Particles, converge. All is settled. The dust is settled. The dust must be settled.
"I'm so sorry," he said. "I cannot possibly be more sorry. This was never supposed to happen. But you have to believe me."
"When did it fail?" you asked.
No words. They look at each other. Shivering digits pick the lock.
"Forty five?"
Firewood shifts. Spark flurry. Discharge. Impatience.
"Higher? Lower?"
Nothing and nothing again. Fair maiden sighs. Bridge between you.
"That is not how this place works. We don't want to upset the balance."
Now she understands.
"What balance do you mean?" you ask, impatience now the tempest. "Where am I? What is this? Why can't you answer anything I say?!"
"You can feel safe here," he soothes, paradoxical, "but you cannot ask such questions."
Silence returns. Nothing more to discuss. They sit and stare at you. Nerves collapse and fail. Snowglobe heart; in it, pixies dance, cloud cape turns to liquid blankets. Particles, converge. Face before you, flushed. The other never could've said. And the grey fox stares. Dread comes again. Twists. Toils. Particles, converge. Slowly, his head moves. Unison with torsion. Swivels, ropelike, unnerving. Head moves, nothing else follows. Heart palpitations. You're eye to eye with his blanks. Deadpan. Unblinking. Orange glow's so tantalizing.
Rush of wind. Rush of something else. Haze clouds the vision. Particles, separate. She gasps. Stifles a tear. Particles, separate. Ceremony begins. Haze unfolds. Corkscrew perception winds deeper. He holds you tighter. Muzzle to your ear. Particles, separate. Spoken word to a whisper:
"I know this wasn't what you wanted. I'm sorry for that, too. But we'll meet again. You'll be right in my closet. Until then, please, remember this place. You don't have to remember me. Or her. Or anybody else. I can't promise anything. But remember this place. Remember how I held you."
No words came out.
"We all have work to do. When the time comes, I'll explain everything. I'll be here. I'll hold you tight."
Everything's slower. His grip tightens but the pressure is fading.
"I'll hold you just like this."
Aether approaches; warm embrace hinges, a flicker, a sizzle; nothing more, particles, separate, the colors converge, kaleidoscope dance, turbulent waves interlock breathless falling forwards candy cane patterned nothing, splotches of violet patch orange patch black layered again and again realityflashes headlessstatues emptyoceanstatue ofapaintedmaninthedark onethroughtheothergoldeneyepercocettastefacelessyourmouthoneinthesamenothingmakesoutphotographofapaintingsignaturemissingnothingmakesoutnothingmakesoutnothingmakes
Featherhead. Headache. Lightning bottle. Fetal position, clean, possum. Ringlike pulse...chest. Hips. Legs. To the mattress...warm. Here you are.
Are you still there?
...
Are you still there?
...
Are y