The next morning, Emily awoke to a burning pain coursing through her face. She stumbled to the mirror and gasped – her skin was an angry red, badly swollen and dotted with oozing blisters. She could barely open her crusted eyes. Just then, there was a knock at her hospital door. The doctor entered, holding a chart, his expression grim.
“I’m afraid we’ve discovered the cause of your symptoms, Emily”, he paused for a moment before he continued speaking. The next couple of minutes felt like a blur to Emily. She could see the doctor’s lips moving but the words didn’t exactly come through. She heard them and she understood them but her mind was distracted. She thought back about those hours on the beach. Those hours that were a complete blur to her but now made complete sense.