i am trapped. glued to the floor. quicksand around my ankles. enveloping my lungs. can’t breathe. can’t stop. dragging me down to the depths. the depths of inescapable nightmares. tumbling. sinking. begging. screaming ****** ******. sand filling my throat. scratching my esophagus so roughly. clawing at my sensitive skin. scraping my neck. open wounds. hourglass specks falling on top of me. quicksand pulling me under. can’t think. can’t breathe. arms reaching for anything. branches, safety—more sand. bubbling stomach with layers of salty sand. pleading. suffocated by the dust. head underneath. engulfed by the vicious sand. gone.