This week has been taking things slowly, remembering how to be kind to oneself, and resting up. I’ve been playing around with digital illustration again, and I’ve gotten through the blockade that had me procrastinating on the last Zine Suite (Hide). So I’ve managed some kind of productivity nonetheless.
Find following: an excerpt from a short story called Gods Monsters and men; a potentially poetic fragment; and a photo of cat I found in Bulimba.
Rejuvenating reading,
Alexei
Receive a hug.
Gods, Monsters and men
“Morning, Thor.” He’s doing hanging sit ups today, and the slowly collecting crowd of ‘trying not to be obvious gawkers’ is a rather amusing sight.
“Good morning, Nala D’Silva!” He isn’t even red faced. Though I do wonder if he isn’t employing some kind of mythical trickery to hide it. Somehow, I doubt it though, Thor is just very impressive in that kind of way.
“Just Nadi is fine, Thor.”
“I couldn’t. Really, I couldn’t Nala D’Silva.”
“One day, Thor, one day.” His ability to maintain volume and clarity while upside-down is rather impressive, even if his stubbornness leaves a lot to be desired.
“Have a wonderful day at work, Nala D’Silva!”
Most of my days start like this, with Thor’s boisterous greetings as I pass his favourite neighbourhood workout spot on my way to coffee. It’s only been a few years since the sudden, mass reveal of the existence of mythicals, and only a year since Thor moved into the area but the routine fell into place rather quickly. He’s a polite enough neighbour, even if he is a little weak to thunderstorms. But that’s no worse than the emotional water elemental the next quarter over who keeps flooding their building every Thursday at 5pm when they watch their favourite serial.
My beloved favourite coffee shop is tucked around a corner, sort of in a slightly seedy looking back alley. But it’s open from midnight to midday, gives no fucks about it’s clientele, and has delicious baked goods. I stumbled across it, literally, in the first week after I moved in – hopelessly lost and very undercaffeinated. It was love at first sniff, and now I’m probably their most inconsistently consistent regular.
“Morning Boo, how’s the day going?”
“Very well indeed, Nala. But you’re not just here for the gossip, your usual? And may I tempt you will delicious baked goods?”
“Not today Boo, I wish, but I have to get into work – the bureaucracy calls.” It really does, some of my job is wonderful – interesting and delightfully complicated – some of it is just filling out endless reams of paperwork, replying to endless emails and waiting for hours on hold and in waiting queues.
“Alas.” Boo grins cheekily at me, “But at least I get to fortify you for the day ahead, enjoy your coffee, Nala.”
“I always do.” I raise the mug to him in salute and slip back out into the mid-morning sunlight.
Alexei Vimpani 