his earliest memory dates back to 1975 in caracas, venezuela ― where he and his siblings were used as tools to lure new followers into the religious cult they were raised in, because the cult leader knew it was hard to resist children. he would travel around the city doing missionary work, singing songs he had written and strumming a guitar nearly twice his size. little river bottom was born an entertainer and brought joy to his surroundings.

the world, however, only returned him with trauma and demons he would carry with him for the rest of his life.

it was no secret that he lost his ity at the age of four due to the cult's nature. the series of abuse he had to endure caused him to latch onto anything that gave him some semblance of comfort. the first person he'd grown attached to is his mother, who, despite playing a role in those events that would later manifest into trauma ― was undeniably the first person he had connected with. then came his siblings, who were far too young to remember, but no one had told him that it was wrong. it's a wonder how river managed to develop a sense of morals, as his childhood years had been nothing but immoral.

eventually, his parents grew disillusioned with the cult. they sailed back to the states where they belonged and changed their surnames to mark a fresh start for the family. river bottom is now river phoenix ― a bird that symbolizes rebirth. he did everything to ensure that he was indeed a new person, going as far as to claim a second ity which he was proud of losing later on in his teen years, but deep down he knew that there is no such thing as a restart for him.

the family needed money upon moving back to the states. they returned home as empty canvases and therefore had nothing and struggled to make ends meet.  

[ under co. ]