The Leiry Loop

Parasol

I tried to
evade
the countless arrows
that came down to strike
but I knew it
was
futile—or rather,
quite stupid of me to actually
think I had
even the energy to spare.

They were blunt, and
they never pierced through,
but I knew they were
deadly
nonetheless.

The invisible archers did not
seem to stop for even
a split second. There was
no time to catch
breath
nor measure my
survival rate. 'Not
a chance!' I could hear them say.

Hundreds—no, thousands
of their ammunition
landed on my eyes.
'Thieves!'
They almost took my sight,
if not for the only
face armor
I did not forget to wear.

I felt vulnerable when they
scourged my back,
arms, and nape
like the whip of a seasoned
sadist. All I could do
was run.

I went into the battlefield,
unprotected,
unprepared—
and although blood was
not
spilled, I realized that
it was warfare I could
not possibly win

without

my—