Silvery, sticky blood in the doll’s veins,
sliding against porcelain layers
to thicken up into lumps of red glue.
Hungry bacteria
crawl along,
making inert bodies
tremble and alive.
In a blink of plastic eyelids
in splinters and twinkles
and gusts of icy winds
they’ll clash one day
— inside that hidden sharp place
— inside your hollow chest
where fear and horror are two faces
of the same absent god.
RUSSELL HEMMELL is a French-Italian transplant in Scotland, passionate about astrophysics, history, and Japanese manga. Recent work in Aurealis, Cast of Wonders, Flame Tree Press, The Grievous Angel, and others. SFWA, SFPA, & HWA member. Find them online at their blog earthianhivemind.net and on Twitter @SPBianchini.