About
He steps through the forest, alone for once. A hole eats its way through him as he plods farther and farther into isolation, but it's not entirely unwelcome. The white snow coating the floor contrasts the shadowy black trees all around, and the distant sounds of traffic and machinery are all but gone by this point, replaced only by Rolf's soft footsteps. Rolf holds himself closer, sniffing and detecting a scent of pine. Walking a little farther, he finally plops himself down into the warm dust beneath him. Rubbing his nose, he paws at the ground, parting an iridescent curtain to reveal black soil. A pillbug squirms out from the little black field and disappears, a small grey dot against the glowing world. Rolf pushes a finger in, wiggling it as it absorbs the moistness around it. He slides the digit out, feeling the warmth of the earth fade. He works some more, widening the chasm he's built until it's big enough to consume him.
After digging the hole, Rolf doffs his brown coat, doing the same with his shirt, shorts, and underwear. Kicking off his shoes and socks, he curls himself into the warm dark earth, inhaling the wet smell of roots and soil. He reaches out with a grunt to grab his coat, pulling it over him until his nude body is fully concealed from the outer world. I’m hibernating, he thinks. Just like a bunny. The underland seems to pulsate around Rolf, and dirt dusts his flesh, blanketing him with its heat. His eyelashes flutter against specks loosened by his digging. The particles stick to his lashes as he squeezes his eyes shut. Maybe if I lay here long enough, I’ll decay and turn into soil, too.
