bitter
Hurtling down a hillside on a metal tray. Just the two of us. The trees whip past us. There's no wind, stillness in the movement. The sky flickers like an old film. Everything's in black and white, snow covering the ground and bare, black trees. We're out of control. If you jump now, you'll die on the rocks hiding under the snow. There's a road across our path, no way we'll make it.
***
Lying on the beach, stones digging into our backs. The sea is pounding in, breaking itself against the land. We're screaming for fun. For the sense of power. The sea is always louder. There's a crab making its way down the beach a few feet from us. Oblivious. It can't hear us. It can't hear the sea. It has lived here all its life, walking sideways, not hearing.
I look at my feet. The skin is coming away in big chunks. I scream at my feet and look at you. You're contained in your own world, pulling your legs up so that you curl into a ball and then screaming as you let yourself go, legs and arms flying, head back, mouth open, screaming at the stars. The sea is louder.
***
We're walking through town. Everything's quiet. Your eyes seem so sad. I know why, but I'm not telling. The door opens. It's cold inside, cold outside. Everything has stopped moving. Dust hangs in the air. The lights are slowly going out. There's no need for us to fall, but we do it anyway.
