two
-flush it out-
for a long time, she thought it was something that she would have to flush out of her system. a rapid detox of emotion.
in health magazines there was always mention of toxins building up in the body, of the need to cleanse, to purify, to purge.
when the rashes began she realised that her body had its own way of crying for help. big pink lumpy clusters formed on her skin like signposts: her flesh blushing all over; not just on her cheeks.
it was in a public toilet in the middle of the city that she found herself at her lowest point. scratching at the rashes until her skin began to peel away and blood emerged. it was then that she understood that no amount of flushing would make this go away.