Numb

Screenshot-2017-12-14 Numb“Numb” is a short story published 12 May 2015 in Granta

It started off as a patch of skin, just at the swell of her calf. While eating her cereal at the kitchen table she crossed her ankles, enjoying the repulsive sensation of her winter-hairy legs rubbing against each other, and felt something smooth and slippery on her left leg. She ran her hand along her shin and found it: a quarter-sized patch of skin absolutely numb to the touch, as if it had fallen asleep. Slapping it did nothing – neither did pinching or scratching. It refused to feel. It was strangely soft and smooth, like someone else’s skin.

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