Row the boat.
Gently, now.
It must not tip.
It must not waver.
Quell your shaking.
Hide your fear.
Be joyous.
Be thathathathathankful.
Don’t let it show.
I repeat, do not let it show.
Ignore the pain in your chest.
Ignore the tightness in your throat.
You are happy.
You are not grabbing at your arms.
You are not avoiding eye contact.
You are not fiddling with silverware.
All is fine.
All is too quiet.
Don’t let it happen again.
That horrid restaurant scene.
Don’t let it happen again.
Look at the pretty paintings.
Find a topic.
Find a subject.
You’ll be home soon.
Everything will be okay.
It’ll be behind you soon.
Don’t let it happen again.
Please.
Please, don’t let it happen again.
The thought alone is unbearable.
How did you live like this?
Could you even consider it living at all?
What foul thoughts crawled into your head?
What fear crippled you so?
The menace.
The menace at the edge of the woods.