I feel them climbing over my feet, in between the lacy design of my leather sandals. Fire Ants. I know their vicious attacks anywhere. Itching and burning violently follow. I quickly kick off my sandals and stare down at my feet waiting to see the damage. My pale feet stare back at me, the skin unmarred, yet I can still feel them crawling over me. I can feel the tenderness of my feet beneath their sharp, sudden attacks, but I see no sign of them. I rub my hands over my feet expecting to feel the ants, but nothing. I rise, picking up my sandals from the other side of the room, examining them and the floor around them for evidence of the uninvited army. I see nothing.
This is the beginning of my descent into madness. The end of my grasp of reality.
© 2021 Raelyn Pracht
Raelyn Pracht 