I fall in and out of sleep. My pillow is folded in half over my head and the blankets have coiled themselves around my legs and torso. My eyes navigate the darkness of my bedroom as I try to get my bearings. I finally make out the numbers on the clock on the cable box. It’s 4:28 am and it’s your time to shine. It’s your turn to keep me awake. The lips that I once knew the taste of so well now only come to me in the form of a ghost that sings a song of loneliness in my ear. I thought I had come through things unscathed. I thought that my armor had merely been scratched at the surface. I underestimated you. I underestimated whatever it was you blew into my face. Now I feel the tetrodotoxin seep into my skin and take control. You have left me paralyzed. You have buried me alive. You have stolen my soul.