Statement

Rvaise [ ruh·vays ] n archaic fear of that which grows under the old garden

I dreamt I was an archivist. Each day I moved through the great library's ancient stacks. I examined records, transcripts, myths and legends. I gathered the writings, artifacts and culture of civilizations from across the continents. Every piece of paper was preserved. Each tome handled with care. My life was consumed with the whispers of the dead.

I dreamt I was a cartographer. I spent my days exploring. Hiking to the top of forest covered mountains. Taking note of the indigenous flora. Careful not to disrupt the animals as they drank from the stream beds. At night, I was a draftsman charting my days journey by candle light. Undulating concentric shapes, patterns and tones filled my note pads. I gave shape to the land's textures.

I dreamt I was a botanist. My work began at dawn in a house of glass and steel. Inside was tangle of leaf, vine and petal. I cared for plants. Cataloging their growth and mutations. Some days I would sweat as the noon day sun peered through the foliage overhead. On a somber day I would lay in the moss, listening to the rain beating down above me.

Ben Swinden is a writer, artist and game designer working in Mi’kma’ki, Canada.