“When he was younger, Malcolm loved the scorch of the sun and would pay no mind to the sweat and stench of summer. Back then he could never stand to stay inside. Not when he could lounge under direct sunlight and enjoy its warmth without worry because his desert skin would never burn. But that was before all the scars and missing bits.
Though the burns have healed, his nerves are permanently damaged and his skin is sensitive in a way it never was in his youth. It’s days like this, when the heat is merciless, that Malcolm clings to the chill of the freezer and never ventures outside if he can help it. And it’s on these days that pain is at the forefront of his mind.
If someone asked him to rate his pain, Malcolm would raise both hands, his answer being an eight and a half because with his missing fingertips he couldn’t give a ten. Even indoors, the lumpy skin of his scalp is set ablaze with old flames that were never fully extinguished. All over, his flesh is heavy with heat and itchy with sweat, and he would do anything to cool down.”
– from Some Coward; Afraid of Red, Annabel Ramos
“When reaching into her bedside table, her pointer finger crash lands into a sticky pool of old ketchup. Jordan likes to avoid cleaning up as much as possible, covering it with a bad “I’m saving it for later” joke. She hates eating in bed. She likes it cold at night. Her mother would crack the window open, gently calling in a night breeze to allow her head to rest. She hates the cold when Jordan steals the blanket and allows the fan to throw direct insults at the small nightgown she thought would work.”
– from Wake Up, Emma Stallings, Class of 2029
