From: Laia

Date: 29 May 2142

Subject: Broke the Line

Once upon a time, at the Terminus of Next-to-all Roads, Rogue and

Retrieval, two murdering wolf-bred brothers, raised a rose-red city 1/2

as old as t-t-times.  

(wrap it tight) 

Tackling Naming Rights, those nasty rascals watched ominous birds: six

vultures to one, 12 to the other.

brother wolf jumped over the wall--but Thirsty Nife Reddened.  

(cut to fit)

the 1/2 a twin left (that's six) Then New Remorse.

1 tries not 2 remember.

(wrap it tight)

do you understand me?

(cut to fit)

please understand.  please.

(wrap it tight)

brother killing brother: n-n-newest story in the book (Tale, Novel,

Romance).

(cut to fit)

1 (where once was) 2

1 (where should have) 2

1 (where must be) 2

(wrap it tight)

L

I don't know how much longer I can take this.  I realize                                          

now that for weeks I've been        trapped in a dream: but now I'm  

finally         waking up.  My halter top is  sticky         and dirty.  

It got sweaty when I was         piling things in front of the                                                

door.  I have these bursts of clarity four times a day, I think it's 

related to the quaternion.  Between them I                                           

don't sleep -- that        would      be suicide       --but I get 

dull.      I forget       things.        Yesterday evening        I almost     

opened        the door to my          apartment.  Like father,      

like daughter!  Luckily Mephista warned me.  Actually she knocked me down.  

She can do that,                                     in an emergency.  

I hit      my cheek on the doorknob when I fell.        I've got quite 

a shiner this morning!  It            would be funny except that when 

you           make a cavity,  things will fill it up.  They          

fill it up.  Also, now I can feel the moths.  I don't know how many people 

in the building are still alive.  Obviously everyone in the                                                  

corridors is gone, and the       boathouse.        There may be a few           

other air           pockets left.  I rocked                my          

refrigerator back and forth                             until I could 

tip it over, and then pushed it in front of the door so I wouldn't kill 

myself in a moment of thoughtlessness.  Then I dragged out my hope 

chest and stacked it on top.  Genuine spanish walnut.                                           

Then the kitchen        table.  Then my clothes.  I taped them a          

round the door to strengthen the seal.  The         worst part is the 

moths, which are in my              throat.  This is better--far 

better--than                                        letting them get out, but 

still.  It's not painful, exactly:  but the bump and flutter of their 

wings--it's maddening,        it's like an                     itch, a 

tickle.  The       pressure        builds       and builds & builds.        

The           first         one was in my little        finger.          

I got        a knife from the          kitchen          and       let 

that    one   out.                           When     I saw what it was 

I screamed, but the Salla women have iron in them and I managed to kill 

it while its wings were still too wet to fly.  I hacked and hacked and 

hacked.  My whole body                                          was 

shaking.  When it was over       I took        the pieces and was going to         

throw          them over the balcony but M         was          

watching out for me and she                         kept the door closed so I 

scooped the pieces up with a saucer and shook them into the toilet and 

flushed                                             and then I took      

the saucer and put it in the hope chest        and I locked the chest 

and I put the key          down the toilet and flushed that too.       

Obviously I haven't been able to eat.  I          can't open my mouth or 

the moths will get out. I'm weak but clear-headed and in good spirits.  

I haven't felt hungry since Sunday                                               

night.  Thirst is         the real        problem.         I cut a 

strip of        water -        proof            cloth out of one       of 

my         coats and      rolled it into a straw.   When the thirst gets        

bad enough I put a little water in a wine bottle and then the straw and 

then I hold my lips very tight to                                         

the bottle and I suck up the       water as        fast as I can.  Then 

they        come flying        up my throat and I have       to swallow         

hard.  I can                                                  feel them 

washing down like little struggles of wet paper.       I was                      

working on a plan to      let them       out,         but I started to 

get           dull           again        before I quite           

figured       out the       details, and when        I'm         not in          

clarity I can't concentrate          through         the bulging in my 

throat. I need to be in clarity.  Clarity.  Also there are spots of 

blood all over my apartment.  I think someone is trying to scare me.                                                

Let them try.         I'm a      resourceful         girl and I'm         

on to         them now.       I'm very close       to figuring it all 

out.         If the bulging in         my throat wasn't              so 

maddening, I would have put it all together by now.  I'm sure of it.