My Cardboard Balcony

Chew 'Em Up by Belinda Roddie The wrappers are peeling back, revealing a bit of skin, as you gnaw, gnaw, gnaw away at gristle in a chocolate patty. Mmmm, feel that flavor, that petty tinge of cacao, while your molars grind a symphony in the back of your mind.

The bedroom was backlit, the orange glow resonating from the closest street lamp that was threatening to flicker from gold to red and then nothing. But I relied on that light. I used it to create shadow characters on the wall, such as butterflies and dogs and all the nice little critters that my mother had taught me to like and approve of. But then things became different. The shadows became more complicated. Sometimes I couldn't exactly control my hands. Other times, the shapes seemed creepier. I couldn't understand it. Neither could the shadows.