AN OBJECT LESSON IN TEMPERANCE

A marble statue of an angel hovered over the lagoon, with no physical connection to the Earth below. Water poured forth from an amphora in her motionless hands, spilling endlessly down. “From this point, the potentiality of all creation spills forth. New species of microscopic life come into being and disappear in moments. Only a fraction of a fraction can survive, but every few centuries, one endures, and begins to spread through the waters of the world.”

The Fountain of Youth. And in fucking Florida, no less.

“How old will I be after I drink?”

“The waters seek stability. They will bring your body to the exact age you were at the moment your childhood ended.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“I cannot tell you what that moment is for you. But you can always turn back. The waters will continue to perform the miracle they always have, whether or not there are any to witness.”

“And I came here for those miracles, not your riddles. Fuck you.” The explorer placed his hands beneath the impossible stream, one over the other, then slurped their contents like a raw oyster. And he ceased to exist, for his childhood had never ended.



There is a certain strain of magic that only children ever experience.

And some things from childhood are best not revisited.

Some moreso than others.


A BIT OF A STRETCH