Frithjof. A Non-Story for Grown-Ups (Who Have Not Grown Up). cyril ioutsen

p>Frithjof

      A Non-Story for Grown-Ups (Who Have Not Grown Up)

      Cyril Ioutsen

      Illustrator Tatyana Knyazeva

      Illustrator Irina Sayfiydinova

      Photograph Anna Lenina

      © Cyril Ioutsen, 2023

      © Tatyana Knyazeva, illustrations, 2023

      © Irina Sayfiydinova, illustrations, 2023

      © Anna Lenina, photos, 2023

      ISBN 978-5-0059-6651-3

      Created with Ridero smart publishing system

      I

      This is Frithjof.

      He does not know if he is a boy.

      Or a beast.

      Or some thing else.

      Is he dangerous?

      If only to himself.

      You think

      you do not

      know him.

      He thinks

      he knows

      you.

      He might have

      known you

      for a while.

      And well.

      You think

      you do not

      see him.

      (Except here.)

      He thinks

      he sees

      you.

      (A lot.)

      Is he invisible?

      Not quite.

      He just dislikes

      to be seen.

      At least, directly.

      Hiding among

      your things.

      Lurking behind

      your back.

      Locked up

      in your head.

      Maybe he is

      not really here.

      Or there.

      Or elsewhere.

      Does it matter?

      Maybe

      he thinks

      the same

      about you.

      Maybe

      he is not

      wrong.

      II

      There is more

      to Frithjof

      than meets

      the eye.

      You can imagine him

      any way you want.

      He would not mind.

      You can believe

      he does not exist at all.

      He would mind even less.

      It is how he prefers it.

      Frithjof can be negative.

      Rarely in the mood.

      He never sleeps.

      He never talks.

      He never plays.

      Well, if only sometimes.

      But he likes to watch.

      He likes to watch you.

      (Right now.)

      He likes it very much.

      Have you ever felt being watched?

      Maybe it was someone.

      Maybe it was him.

      Who knows.

      Frithjof is special.

      Misunderstood.

      Just like you.

      You might not

      like him very much.

      (Except for his good looks.)

      Still, there is no other

      Frithjof out there.

      (Just as there is no other you.)

      Do you want

      to be friends?

      It is all right.

      Neither does he.

      III

      Once in a while,

      Frithjof thinks.

      He likes to keep

      his mind in shape.

      In the mornings,