Star Charm: Emerald
Quote:
Fire Ant Fiasco (14) : Fire ants are an unfortunate part of summer, but this year they're worse than ever. It's bad enough that they're so plentiful, but their bites also burn far more intensely than usual. What begins as a sharp sting quickly spreads into a sensation that feels like liquid fire running through your veins. The heat can become overwhelming. Some victims compare it to a severe allergic reaction; others insist it feels as though they are overheating from the inside out. Skin may flush, muscles may ache, and everything can suddenly feel unbearable. The effects are painful, but never lethal. Cold showers, ice packs, frozen treats, and air conditioning can provide temporary relief, but there is no known cure beyond waiting it out. For some, the symptoms fade within minutes. For others, the feverish sensation can linger for hours. No one knows what's causing these unusually aggressive reactions, but you should probably be extra careful outside this year.
The bugs didn’t really bother Abby, or at least they didn’t normally. When outside they were expected, she put on long pants and wore bug spray for a reason. She spent a few pleasant hours watching birds in a local park, in particular watching the nestlings of a European Starling, and absently waving away any stray insect that got a bit too close. Everything was going fine, except her little Emerald Star Charm that she had gotten earlier had somehow fallen off of its key ring that earlier. But she had found it and put it in her pocket to fix once she got home. It wasn’t until she had gotten lunch at a local deli and was enjoying it on a bench, with her a book pulled up on her phone, that her day took a drastic turn for the worst.
She was sitting there and absently brushed at her arm, something was tickling her, only to feel a sharp sting on her hand. Followed by several others across her arm. Hissing at the sudden pain and shock Abby quickly assessed the situation. There were several ants climbing her shirt, and even more on the bench she had been sitting on. Of course she instantly bolted upright, brushing at the bugs crawling on her, getting bit with each insect that refused to leave her be. It didn’t take her long to realize that the sudden spike of her temperature wasn’t from shock. It wasn’t from the warm summer day or the horror of being covered in ants. No, it seemed to get worse with every sting or bit. Rapidly rising, like liquid heat being injected with each pinch, until she was far enough away, and finally free of the ants to stop being bit by them. But that didn’t stop her feeling like she was on fire.
It hurt, everything burned, and she definitely felt horrid. As if she had a fever. A rapidly rising fever at that. Feeling flush, not that her skin tone really revealed much, Abby made her way home. By the time she stumbled inside, her body was on fire, and even her muscles ached. It felt nearly as bad as when she had the flu some years back, only she wasn’t coughing or sick. Just achy and hot. So very hot. She staggered into her bedroom, turned on her fan and moved into the shower, hoping an icy soaking would help with her internal feeling of boiling alive.
It didn’t. Even after staying in the ice cold water so long that it started to warm up, or at least reach room temperature, she was still burning up inside. It just made it more bearable to move about some. So she moved on to her next options. She tried ice packs and cold drinks, even a popsicle, but it was still too hot. In the end she flopped down on her bed, under the fan and melted. After hours, or what felt like days, she finally felt some relief as she slowly started to cool down. Whatever had triggered the ‘attack’, and she had a pretty strong idea what had happened, had finally passed. She was still mildly achy but at least she wasn’t burning up any more. Rather than get up, since she was oddly wiped, all Abby did was crawl under her sheets and fell asleep, the fan still running.
Next time she would have to actually keep a close eye on where she sat. No more ant nests for her that was for sure.
