The sun is low in the sky, the air warm and humid on this early June morning. I don’t know where I am, but if I walk towards the rising sun, at least I’ll be sure that I’m travelling in the same direction. I’ll be heading east, for a time. It’s weirdly warm and humid for this early in the morning, this early in June. Maybe it’s evening. Maybe I’m travelling west.

My head hurts, my eyes are a bit blurry, and my stomach is nauseous. I hear barking in the near distance. It’s a dog, which means there is likely a human nearby. The barking is coming from behind me, but that person might be the reason I’m out here, waking up in a shallow grave, with a possible concussion.

I hear what might be water, and the sound is becoming louder. I’m getting closer. I see an animal, rotting, bugs eating her eyes. It might be a pig. A lot of her skin is missing. I see no legs or head, just a bloated body that animals and insects have been feasting on.

The sound. It’s not water. It’s a road, maybe a highway that’s just starting to get busy. It must be just up a hill to the left. It’s steep. I run up, slip, claw at the ground. My knees are wobbly, and I fall again, vomiting, over and over again. There is barely anything in my body, just a bit of bile. I’m dry heaving and having a very difficult time climbing the hill. I stand up, running as fast as I can. With one last push, getting up the hill while my head pounds harder, my vision gets blurry, and I can barely remember what I’m trying to do. My vision narrows. I can barely see. Get up the hill. Get up the hill. Get up the mother fucking hill.

Son of Sappho Through the Gates ,

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