I have over fifty mosquito bites on my legs below my knees. I woke twice last night to find myself scratching my legs furiously.

I have been taking benadryl and applying cortisone cream around the clock, but I still want to scratch my legs until they are bloody stumps. It’s even worse than the time we inadvertently kayaked into a stagnant marsh in Miami.

I now realize that there is another depth of misery to be reached beside pain and nausea. Itching.

Just drug me until they’re gone, okay?