The little snake is still there when I go back. Liquid skin on warm rock. The baby uroborus, totem of the Great and Terrible Mother.
Long vertical streaks of white descend from the clouds, wind pretending to be rain. The white teeth still gnaw at the island's throat.
The carcass of some once furry animal, on the ledge opposite the lookout. My heart drops like a stone as I see the poor stranded beast, caught between the sheer impossible granite above and the fall into the abyss. But it is only a story. It is more likely that it was long dead when some raptor took it there to enjoy a scenic meal.
So why can't I forget that image of a terrified abandoned creature shivering there?
the Gap 2
