I eye the package I ordered, and then Momma’s hand-me-down prom dress, slinky satin, size two. Three decades she kept it pressed and pristine for me, never mind I haven’t fit a size two since I was ten years old.
Dissolved in water, the powder goes down easy. I lose fifteen pounds in as many days. Momma nearly weeps with joy.
When my gut gurgles during the slow dance, I rush to the restroom. My stomach seizes, cramping. The dress slips off my newly stick-skinny frame, revealing the bloody hole by my navel and the tapeworm eating its way out.
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alt="Glow by Stephanie Shaw"
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>
sizes="(min-width: 1200px) 550px, (min-width: 750px) calc((100vw - 130px) / 2), calc((100vw - 50px) / 2)"
alt="Disgruntled by Jonathan Tolstedt"
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sizes="(min-width: 1200px) 550px, (min-width: 750px) calc((100vw - 130px) / 2), calc((100vw - 50px) / 2)"
alt="Fade to Grey by Kristin Lennox"
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alt="In the Beginning by E.M. Eastick"
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>