* * *
that night near enough land that he could see individual
lights hear individual voices curious eye rose beside him
he could feel their pectoral fin rub
the bottom of the raft
then he or she rolled and bankeddove
to their right they emerged directly behind
him and nosing the raft they churned the sea with several mighty beats of their
fluke pushing him towards the land ahead
surging forward he saw the pod
peel offheard their breaths and whistles
and then gliding on the arch of a swellof he or she diving beneath him
he heard rollers crashing on the beachhead
rhythmic methodical
he was never more alone
* * *
squat irregular bottlestheir
glass melted by cold fires leaned oddly some rockedwere troubled to keep their
feet while sitting on a long curved table covered by an aquacoloured linen
he grabbed one by its stout neck lifted it to his mouth yanked its cork with his teeth and took a long pull at its sweet viscous liquor
it burned his parched throat teared his eyes
beyond the table nearer the edge of the deep flatstone veranda was an elaborate tiered fountain of marble sea beasts and monsters endowed mermaids happy maidens and boys
fresh coldsmelling water pulsed and splashed and slipped across breasts and ample buttocks chests accordion ribcages twisted backs and gentlyslyly over quims and cocks and thighs muscled in exertion in erotic desire
a queer bottle in hand he roved to the fountain
he dropped to his kneesplunged his arms into its cool depth and slaked his thirst quaffing from the palmsthe bowls of his hands
he had never been so thirst
the sea air the sea waterthough he denied himself worked his tongue the insides of his mouth harshly causing raw belligerent sores and they separate of him sought to revive themselves bathed in the healing water he let stand in his mouth between swallows
satiated gut distended he pushed up with his arms and legs at once and stood upright he took in a tall white stone building which he must have exited to have found the table the veranda and the fountain
it leered at him
it was solitary
backed by an impenetrable black night
the whales brought him to shore
he couldnt imagine they meant to spirit him here or had they
obviously they were not without reasonthey were not without humanity they saved him and he was alien to them
as alien as this place was to him
he crossed the flatstone mounted three steps to a shallow terrace he entered the building unchallenged
he went up wide staircases crossed intimate balconies that overlooked the banquet the freshwater fountain on the stone veranda
ascending to the top reclining storey revealing the steps of the storeys beneath it he entered a broad room that was separated from the night air by quivering sections of curtains
the room was sparse several couches several clutches of gathered chairs and small tables a reception chamber
he crossed the chamber to a door recessed at the back of the room
he wanted to penetrate this overt mystery
disregarding the broad passages at either end of the chamber he entered a voluptuous antechamber his smelling scrubbed by sea air he distinctly smelled raw blood
he crossed to a stone balustrade that overlooked the space suspended over a marbletiled floor beneath on the floor from the height he looked down from he could see a poor attempt was made to wash away what must have been pools of blood he could see pinkedges their hue still glistening interrupted swatches peered faintly bodieshe assumed dragged off
haste
haste to conceal
from high dark oily smears obsequious taint
then stepping backward and asidesuddenly dazed his vision blurring he hears a tremendous scufflerough voices thuds and then horrible screams a womans scream shes choked shes muffled
and through the door entering from the receptionchamber it kicked open a mans back appears a woman struggles he holds her legs at her knees another man is rough at her shoulders onearmed his free arm pummels her head her head is swathed in wraps of fabric he beats her somehow she retains consciousness her body twists her scream is muffled at the balustrade the trailing man catches up and across from each other the men throw her over into space they dont bother to watch her fall they cross the balcony heading back to go through the doorTHUMP from below
they emerge with an unconscious man between them a grievous wound to his head they throw him over the balustrade and also dont watch
THUMP
his legs dont move
he floats to the stoneworks
their bodies have broken like water balloons
spatters rivulets of blood flow
the two men emerge
they throw buckets of water on the flooron the bodies depart return with more bucketsmore water the blood thins at once each roughly drags a broken bodytwisted unnaturally to an egress he couldnt see from where he stood to an egress that would take them to the sea
it wasnt the liquor he imbibed
he slipped time
he had only the audacity to smell to watch time unwind itself and the transgression revealed
he was an unwitting witness
he could recognise both men
recognise the murderers
he also recognised as an uninvited stranger no one would listen to him
he sees he murders the murderers
dreamed
Day-between-Two-Ts and Thursday, 1 and
2, 8.
18
1022, Tuesday, 7 8. 18
The Kills
What New York Used To Be https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMcu_g8eWgY
1022, Tuesday, 7 8. 18
