pets inside of mountains.

In my cave bedroom Eric amalgum (made up of many people) and Robin (for some reason just Robin) coax my two tiny white pet octapi out of their chimney. They tell me they've taken my necklace as they start to tie little leashes around the animals necks. (I am in a church.) The delicate creature being pulled by it's leash will alternately smile and grimace depending on where I pull it. I am horrified. I storm out of the cave to my parents bright flowery kitchen.

"They took my necklace" I say "and now they've got the octopi on leashes." My parents look like their walking near a landmine. I feel like a landmine. I sit next to my mother on the porch crowded into a couch with maybe four other people. She shares her cereal with me, and sympathizes.

Robin shows up and says "so, one of them died." Eric amalgum says "you need to learn how to take care of your pets." I angrily play with the counter linoleum.

But in a moment the cave has become the church again and there is a boy who has broken his arm. He's in the doctors shack, and it turns out he hasn't ever had his tetnus shot which means he might have to stay longer. I wander through the doctors house with someone familiar. It's dark and dusty and stretches farther back than you'd think a shack would. We find a room full of old cellos and violins. "Do you think he'd let me practice on one?" I say. My familiar companion shakes his head.

There is a ghost who escaped from the rock and mountain and a child brings me a photograph. It's of the green hill outside, and a puppy that hasn't existed for many years, but only the doctor knows that because it's his old dog. I don't want the doctor to see that we've let the past out. I think about cutting that part of the photo off.