In alley-hung dusk, the rumors rise, soft-footed syllables dancing in disguise. Tongues behind doors, breath held in hush, truth smudged by the hand of a hurried brush. A name half-spoken echoes like prayer, draped in perfume, smoke, and heirloom despair....

Something... that is, lurks within  my mind and body.   Whatever it is, it has been elusive, and destructive!   It is formless... that is, IT embodies any part of my body...   IT's heartbeat  within my brain, IT's tentacles flared!   I have lost too much... I have lost friends... I have lost family...   I have lost...

Hold a lit candle beside me, as the flame flickers, you witness  the distortions of shadows on my flesh.   But what if I allowed you to look deeper? By some magic bring that candleflame into this body that is not quite pieced together?   (Sighs)...