Shortly Before the End

Published in Dark Mountain: Issue 6
is a frequent contributor to Dark Mountain books with her speculative poems and micro-fictions. She holds a degree in biology and is an avid field naturalist and performance poet. She has been known to win ornithological swag in competitive birdwatching events on Vancouver Island.

Shortly before the end, their minds turned sleek and black and were last seen bobbing and diving among small, open fishboats in the harbour. The golden light scattered diamonds atop the sea whenever a lean mind broke the surface. Each mind had a tight band around its neck and a string on one leg. This allowed it to continue searching and biting down on anything slippery it might encounter while scouring the murky depths. The collar prevented the mind from assimilating its catch, thus rendering each mind into an immaculate self-propelled satchel that was relieved of its still squirming bounty by a higher power every time it bobbed to the surface and the string was reeled in. By afternoon, the collars were removed and the ravenous minds were allowed to eat just enough of their haul to remain conscious and nourish brain cells. Then they were shut away in wicker crates until the following day.

 

Dark Mountain: Issue 6 (PDF)

The Autumn 2014 issue of essays, fiction, poetry and artwork invites responses to 'the rising of the waters'.

Read more

Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *