Cassie

that arch-hump-dome thing that surrounds you.
today i built a fort out of bedsheets and chairs in the corner of my room. it was cozy and exciting and i remembered how fun it was to make these in the living room years ago. it felt very homey, if you will. it was my own little secret place, where i could read if i wanted to, or draw, and be in my own world. it wasn't really an escape, but more of a private happy place, maybe like a treehouse or a tent in the woods. the sheet diffusing the light from the ceiling made it seem magical. i wanted to leave it up so i could draw and do homework in there later, but i was afraid that my hostmom wouldn't like the furniture being moved around, she likes everything in order....
this weekend i went to venezia for carnevale, and realized that bridges also fall into my category. i like the spaces that form where the bridge meets the water...probably where the troll hides before he jumps out to eat the goat. speaking of bridges, i went down to sit on the waterfall at ponte vespucci last sunday, and underneath the bridge a homeless man had constructed for himself a fort-like shelter of boxes over a cot bed. that got me. after sleeping (or trying to sleep) at the train station in venice this weekend, i have a new appreciation for those who don't have anywhere warm to go at night.
i wrote about umbrellas on the way home, how they offer protection from the rain, but not from the cold, and how they only keep the top half of your body dry, if the rain's coming straight down. and also how they get in the way and poke people and are just plain inconvenient when you're in a crowd.
when i am at home (my non-school home), my cat frankie sleeps with me every night. he plays a game we like to call "under" - if you put the blanket over his head, he will immediately calm down, start padding with his paws (like a kitten does when it is nursing), curl up, and go to sleep at your feet. he is normally very skittish - it's amazing how "under" calms him down, makes him feel safe. also, when he is afraid (if there are strange people in the house, etc) he runs and hides under my parents' bed, which is covered on all sides by the overhang of the comforter. that's another one of his safe places.