āStep one,ā she said, singsong, āpreserve the soul, with intellect and memory intact."/"I cupped your soul in my hands."
"Step two, analyse itāunderstand its structure, its shape."/"I mean, I tried. There was so much of you."
"Step three, remove and absorb it: take it into yourself without consuming it in the process.ā/"I opened my mouth and tried to cram you inside."
āStep four, fix it in place so it canāt deteriorate."/" I needed a house to put you in."
"Step five, incorporate it: find a way to make the soul part of yourself without being overwhelmed."/"Fuck knows what wouldāve happened if I tried to absorb you all the way; I probably wouldāve burnt to death."
"Step six: consume the flesh. Not the whole thing, a drop of blood will do to ground you."/"I scooped dirt into my mouthā¦ate until I vomited."
"Step seven is reconstructionāmaking spirit and flesh work together the way they used to, in the new body."/"I conjured up a beautiful labyrinth to house you in. I was terrified youād find some way to escape before I was done."
"And then for the last step you hook up the cables and get the power flowing."/"As the world went up I remade us both. I hid me in youā¦I hid you in me. And when we were togetherā¦once the shaman had claimed the sunā¦I became God."
amandla
theartofmadeline
titsay
2087
ellievsbear
