‘healthy’ bloke sneezes

In the latter months of the year 2018 (Common Era), local citizen Eduard Theodore Barnham, a supposed health freak who eats salad and pedals a muscle-powered bicycle, sneezed directly into the palm of his hand. Immediately thereafter he sprang right back into life, using same to handle money and open doors, greet other people with handshakes, even prepare a sandwich for his second-oldest child.

An initial inquiry revealed that Mr Barnham has never seen, read about, or hear of the many public health awareness campaigns encouraging people to sneeze into the crook of their arms, into the sleeve, lap, gap between the chest and upper garment, or literally anywhere else but into their own #%*! hands. Sources close to Mr Barnham report however that he is incapable of changing his sneezing habits despite having been informed, repeatedly, by each of his three children at separate times how to sneeze properly in the modern age. “I just don’t believe that the way I sneeze is such a big deal,” Mr Barnham concluded, shaking his head with a rueful smile. “You just can’t teach this old dog new tricks, I guess.”

Seven people at Eduard’s workplace have come down sick with symptoms similar to whatever he had two weeks ago.

[ americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan ]

haiku 29 Apr 2018

When one door opens
Then another door closes
Leaving exits blocked

[ americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan ]

dreamstate writing 11 April 2017

I had climbed into a rail-mounted, bullet-shaped carriage in order to visit a subterranean Harry-Potter-themed attraction. With me in the carriage was another entity, a male figure who has been for the last couple of nights leading me through massive hollow structures that are poorly lit and full of shadows. The structures remind me of abandoned airport terminals. I encounter few other entities in these massive structures. The shadows, however, are often alive with fearful and stunted figments that follow me, tracking my movements.

The carriage had stopped at the door to the attraction. A backlit panel displayed the logo and name of the attraction as well as a clock showing the minutes left until we could enter. Feeling confined and cramped in the suddenly tiny space (my head and torso had been bent backward on the way into the narrow tunnel), I had jumped out, whereupon I found myself on a flat plain lit as if by a full moon shining in the sky on my right-hand side. Dead trees and ruined buildings stood upon the plain, their outlines at times pixelated, at times clearly defined. To my left was a three-storey building, dark, decrepit, scary.

A few hundred meters in front of me was a line of tall buildings that appeared to form the boundary of the plain. A shadow moved there, jet-black eyes winking open in a jet-black body. It oozed swiftly my way, flitting from shadow to shadow. As it came closer it took the shape of a giant dog. Panicked and full of fear, I cast about for a way to escape the bounding beast’s gnashing jaws. I noticed an open door in the collapsing building to my left but resisted the urge to leap through it. Instead, I lifted my right arm. The shadow-dog grasped my right hand in its mouth but its teeth found no purchase, and no matter how hard it whipped its head around, it could do me no harm.

americanifesto / JPR / whorphan / 場黑麥

shelter and sweets

What few homeless people still live in the streets were given this Solstice-Time shelter and sweets. Mere citizens did it, not the state's agents, did go out and knock on those crude makeshift tents did gather belongings in bag tote and box and bring in said vagrants for champagne and lox. A few things were stolen – some knickknacks at best – but for the most part such light fingers did rest and reached for a napkin or reached for the salt and with their loud smacking their hosts did exalt. More of them did stay there to lend helping hands than went back outside to roam once more the land; some cannot be cured of their need to be free to wander and gather their food from the trees. We here in Grigovia believe it's best to bring those with little straight into our nests to wash fête and furnish them with what they need be in a warm blanket or an honest feed. Ganestryx as well as fair Nuuzstathena do smile on they who hold anathema the notion that only the worthy deserve our food love and jackets our kindest of words. So open your doors to whomever may knock for she may be a goddess stood there in just socks in need of a kind and compassoinate word – or maybe a bit of that well-cooked Solst bird.

© americanifesto / 場黑麥