A set of margins. Butterflies. Casualties. Machines. Ephemera. Dismemberment. Wreckage. Thanatos. Thanatonic. Was that even a word? Disjunctions. Disjuncture. Collision. Rendering. Taiping. Aunty Ping. Ping-a-ling. Ting. Tong.

How many days? There, on the wall. There is a tick every day. Thirty. Exactly. What month is it? Itch. Itch. Lickety split. Tick tock, tick tock. The mouse ran up the clock. There is no clock. Mouse. Mouse. Mice. A mouse. Mice. Rice. Nice.

What have they done to you?

No, no. No. No more, please.

She is dead.

No, she is not dead. She is alive. I can see her from here. Look, she is smiling and waving at me. Oh, my darling girl. Mama is coming for you soon. Look, here I am. Can you see me? Can you? Look how you’ve grown. My little princess. I have missed you so much. I will never leave you again, I promise. Never, ever. Ever. Till the end of the world. Till the end. Of. The. World. Pinky promise.

See. I told you I would find her.

Hey, stop pulling my hand. You need to help her. No, no. No more thanks, please, thank you very much. Oh God, can you be a bit more gentle? You really should learn to be a gentleman. Good lord. Goodness gracious me. My goodness. Jiminy Christmas. Hark the herald angels sing, glory to the newborn king…

Ouch, that hurt. Please, stop. You’re hurting me. I don’t want any more. I need to stand up.

Oh God, look at me. I peed my pants. Good lord, oh goodness. How terribly rude of me.

Could I have some tissue please? A car would be nice too. Champagne. Caviar. Child.

There. C for child. I got it! Candy got it. I’m clever! That’s “c” too.

You monster. Monster.

Monster.

There are snakes crawling all over me. All over. Big ones, small ones. Thin ones, thick ones. There you are!

All long and slithery. The room smelled of rust and rot. It was dark but I still saw them, their eyes glowing in the dark. All those eyes looking at me, waiting to strike. But they don’t. I reached out my hand to them. Please say something, don’t leave me here. I know you. I know you.

Then one came towards me. It slithered all the way up my thigh and it coiled itself around my waist, and up onto my shoulder, then my neck. I heard it whisper, not yet, not yet.

On the floor, wet, covered in water, rising higher. The walls closing in. Get me out of here!

I have turned into a snake, I am limbless. I can slide in and out wherever I want. Wait, I see a hole, light comes from outside, let me slide into it. I am out.

People. Cars. On the road. Traffic. Feet. Filth.