His heartbeat feels like a dull thud against his unyielding rib cage. He begins to breathe deeply. Then, his heart races so wildly that he gently strokes his pounding chest. His stomach churns with unease. A numbing sensation spreads through his body, interrupted by frantic tremors that rattle his flesh and bones. He tries to calm himself, but the terror only intensifies. It feels like he’s dying.
A gay son imagines the laundry as a colorful world of adorable little fishes while sorting his dirty clothes with his mother. But in his imagination, a sea witch traps him in a bubble, where he feels undesirable, unacceptable, and unbecoming.
