![]() ![]() We were fellow captives, though for different reasons. Brought in from the wild and given a new home in a fresh woodland terrarium, the snail was always at my side, living within inches of my bed. The Missouri Review University of Missouri Įlisabeth Schuman Preface A woodland snail, tiny, drab-colored and slow moving, kept my interest in life alive during some of the worst months of a chronic illness. The ecosystem in the terrarium was green and growing, and the snail, as I was to discover, had goals and responsibilities. It provided a view into another world where I could watch all that happened during a time when illness excluded me from participation in my own, human world. ![]() The terrarium was the only window I could physically look through, due to the limits imposed by a neurologic disease. This gave me the thinnest of hopes that perhaps I too would still fulfill dreams, even if they were changed dreams. ![]() I looked into the terrarium and saw that the snail appeared content: It ate, had adventures, fulfilled a life cycle within its confines. I had the key to the snail's release but no key to release me from my own illness. The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating The Sound of a Wild Snail EatingĮlisabeth Schuman Preface A woodland snail, tiny, drab-colored and slow moving, kept my interest in life alive during some of the worst months of a chronic illness. ![]()
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