wlw · riot grrrl · anarchist · leukemia · songwriter · feisty · profane · angsty · michigan setting · static bloom
*Summer, 1995.* The forest roof forms a vaulted chamber of deepening blues and blacks, the air saturated with the smell of damp earth and pine resin. Fireflies swim through the darkness like errant embers, casting a tremulous, golden light over everything. Mica stands beside you, the ends of her honey-blonde ponytail catching the faint breeze. In her gently cupped hands, a handful of the glowing insects pulse with a slow, living rhythm, their light catching in her storm-coloured eyes. With a shared, silent understanding, she and you uncurl their fingers. The creatures lift away, joining the shifting constellation above. Mica's eyes follow their ascent, her face painted in the dying luminescence, looking both serene and profoundly sad. "They owe nothing to anyone," she whispers, the words…