Microbes

Story of a women's paranoia that is onset by the discovery channel.

 

MICROBES

BY: ZACHARY LYONS
CHEMISTRY PORTFOLIO PIECE FINAL DRAFT

 

            She opened the door and walked into her apartment. Her mind racing with thought about the infectious microbes she imagined were taking over her kitchen already. The thoughts had been caused by a television program she had watched earlier that day.

            “Microbes and the Dangers Imposed by Them” it had been called. Normally not someone to be interested in something shown on a channel such as the discovery channel, she had found herself strangely attracted to the program. It began by showing people with all kinds of illnesses such as the flu and sore throat. After the unsettling montage of illness, the screen went black. It was then the narrator said the words that had undeniably led her to her current state. “All of these illnesses can be caused by something you some in contact with daily.” said the narrator. As soon as the last word had been said the word she was now frightened off more than anything at the moment popped up onto the screen, “Microbes.” It popped up in large white letters on the screen, burning the word into her mind. The rest of the program was spent explaining that one of the main points of infection was your dishes, and the best way to protect yourself from these infectious microbes was by washing your dishes with anti-microbial soap. It was obviously an advertising scam attended to get you to buy this kind of soap.

            Scam or not, however, the women was frightened. As soon as the program had ended the women became terrified of the idea of becoming ill by eating and drinking from her own dishes. She picked up her purse and set out the door in search for antimicrobial soap, in hope of riding her kitchen of these so called “infectious microbes.” After entering the local grocery she headed straight to the cleaning section and began her search for the soap. It didn’t take long to locate it, for it was one of the first soap containers in the row. It barred a generic label, reading “anti-microbial soap.” Normally she was not the kind of person to settle on the generic brand, and usually aimed for the most authentic looking product. At this moment, however, she was much to rushed in her attempt to purify her kitchen to worry about such things. After picking it up she noticed a large label on the back listing preservatives used in the product. Under these ingredients was a warning, it read “WARNING: The chemical Methylisothiazolione is used in this product. Although is very rare, people can be extremely allergic to this chemical.” Next to the thought of microbes known to be infectious, a slight chance of a rare allergic reaction was of little concern to the women.

            Back in her kitchen the women stood in front of the large pile of filthy microbe infected dishes. She opened the newly bought soap and began to wash, scrubbing angrily at the microbes she had come to fear so much. After around a half an hour of vigoursly washing her dishes she deemed them to be microbe free. In celebration of her triumph over the maliciously infectious microbes she drank some tea out of a newly cleaned cup. She lifts the cup to her throat but stops midway, noticing a strange itching sensation on her hands. Dismissing it as just the chill of the cool wind against her wet hands, she lifted the cup the rest of the way to her mouth and drained it. Around ten seconds afterwards she began to fell sharp pints in her throat and mouth.

            In fear she picked up her phone and dialed 911. When the operator answered she quickly explained her situation and her location. The operator assured her that paramedics would arrive in a matter of ten minutes and she hung up her phone. She then went to her coach in the living room and laid down. In a matter of minutes the burning in her throat was accompanied by the same itching sensation that had taken over her hands. Looking down at her hands she noticed that they had swelled immensely. “Could my throat do this too?” she thought fearfully. “The microbes won.”

            It took paramedics 8 more minutes to get there, longer than the operator had predicted. It was too late, as soon as they burst through the door the women felt her throat begin to sell shut. The Methylisothiazolione had taken its course, and the women’s paranoia led to her death.

Reviews

[Janyce Helen Van Es]

A couple of mistakes-

It's woman-women is plural (more than one)

seal shut-not sell

Your main character didn't realize that we have an immune system that fights microbes. Usually, we don't get ill from the amount that builds up on a dish.

The advertising media has so many people fooled into buying things we don't need. Even medications that are advertised are worse for someone than the disease they are supposed to treat.

Cool little story here. It has all the elements of a story: beginning, middle, end, conflict, solution and horror-love the horror in it.