Day 229 - Peeled

 Peeled

Matthew Ryan Fischer

 

Maybe it was a sunburn. She had been outside in the garden the past few days. Her skin was bright red and there was a ring around her neck that aligned with her t-shirt. Her skin didn’t feel hot to the touch, but Kaylee did feel hotter than usual. If it wasn’t that, perhaps she had caught something. Covid rates were on the rise and one never knew just what those around them might have. Kaylee’s mother had stress eczema. She hoped it wasn’t that. She wouldn’t ever tell her mother that, but Kaylee enjoyed her clear skin and was thankful to not have problems as such.

Her fingertips felt worn to the nub, like she had rubbed too many layers off. Her gardening gloves were supposed to protect against that, but products were made cheaper every year and it wouldn’t surprise her if the things fell apart before too long. But her feet also felt worn down. She would wiggle her toes in her shoes when she got nervous, but this was the heels as well. Loose socks or poorly fit shoes might explain things. Did she have athlete’s foot? She hated to admit that she didn’t really know what that was. Commercials on TV made it seem like a hot foot due to sweat or bacteria. It had been an unevenly hot summer. And her feet did feel warm inside her shoes. She vowed to go shoe-less for a few days and let them air out, as if that would kill anything, but she forgot to look up online the actual condition, symptoms or treatments.

Her skin flaked and peeled. She felt sore and stiff. Her stomach hurt and she wondered if all her work had given her a minor hernia. Kaylee never felt like a hypochondriac, but something seemed wrong.

Kaylee began to scratch. Like she had a thousand bug bites or a rash all over. Her whole body felt the itch.

She couldn’t help herself.

She couldn’t stop.

When she drew blood, she knew things had gotten out of hand and that she needed help.

But the impulse was too great. The need to keep going. The desire to be satiated. She couldn’t fight the thing inside.