Snails

Yesterday was cosmic,

I went for a run along the filthy river. It must have been 1000 degrees and I was beastly sweating as usual. I stopped and walked towards the water where I met three fisherman. We shot the shit and I had a few swigs of their gigantic beer. Beneath our feet lived a bunch of GIANT SNAILS. One fisherman, Gabriel, gave me a snail and told me to put it my garden. I felt a little iffy - taking this snail out of its enivorment - but then again, it looked SO COOL and I thought it would be a good addition to the house. So I ran home, snail in hand, when all of a sudden, A KILLER DOG started chasing me! I ran faster than Ive ever ran before, heart racing, praying for life. When the dog came close, I spun in midair and barked back, judo-chopped the wind, and loudly cursed (in English). The dog stopped running, but continued to bark and shine his massive fangs. Eventually, he backed off and I was free to go.

When I returned home, my body was covered in sweat. I put the massive snail on the counter and dove into our cool pool. While the water was refreshing, my body took a quick leap in body tempturature which I found out later - was a bad idea. After the dip, I showered and passed out in my bed. I awoke in a pool of sweat and my head was pounding. I tried speaking as clear Spanish as I could to Abril and Jose, but my head hurt so much. My headache soon turned to nausea and I had to vomit, but couldn´t. The pain grew so intense that I became scared. The thought of death sounded more pleasing than this overwhelming wave of uncomfort. Eventually, I vomitted...a lot, and passed out. The rest of the night I spent in bed recovering, sleeping, souping, and resting.

Before I took my final sleep, I read a little of the novel "Big Fish". In this chapter, the main character wants to leave his hometown, but must pass a dreary mid-point where souls are left to rot for the rest of eternity. If given admittance by the gatekeeping Dog, the travelers are allowed to pass, if not, the Dog bites off their fingers and they must remain.

While my homestay family doesnt agree with me, I think my sickness was a direct result of the snail. I am a snail. I took a brother out of his natural home and almost killed it. The dog on the street was looking out for his animal companion, and sought to bite my fingers. While the dog couldn´t get me, sickness could. This morning, I returned the snail to the rocks by the river. I feel a lot better now.