Author

Austin DeMarco

This story came from a friendly online writing contest and a prompt that included the Dorothy Parker quote: "They sicken of the calm, who knew the storm." I wanted to explore what would happen if something we all take for granted (such as emotions) suddenly disappeared. To what lengths would we go to get back what was lost, and what might we sacrifice in return? I chose to write the story in second person to try and put that decision on the reader and to force a confrontation with the possibility that our answer to that particular question might not be as magnanimous as we might hope.

- Austin DeMarco