"Rest, man. You need to rest. You are sick, and it will not go away. It is all catching up. It will claim you yet."
"Yes I know, I know. It's my goddamn sinuses, and my stomach. My head just feels so sour, and my throat, and my nose, oh. And I try to swallow some of it down and it goes into my stomach and those waves come up and I just can't stand it. It has been like this for at least a week."
"Yes, yes I have seen this many times before. It is a case of the Hell Ass. It is a vicious case in which a cold/flu attaches its vicious tendrils and refuses to let go. They say it feeds on your soul, if it exists. Bed is key. You must lay down. Fluids. Immunity boosters. Rest is key. Power down the machine, close the sails, lock the place up. There must be darkness."
"Hell Ass? Jesus. It is pretty serious then. I suppose you're right. Sleep? Sleep sounds good. But I have to go to school. Oh I can't stand it. I can't even concentrate in this condition, I don't see the point."
"Aha, right. Well you must carry on you know. I prescribe plenty of rejuvenation for sure, if you can prescribe that, or if that just comes from what I prescribe I don't know do you understand?"
"No. I'm going to go get some rest. Thanks. Goodbye."
"Yessirree goodbye sir. Hibernate like a bear does. Hell Ass will not claim you yet."
And so I powered down the machine, and I got into bed, and as I lay I stared vacantly into the room across from me, into the mirror, and I saw my face, and I wondered what a sick man looked like, and when I looked into the mirror, my face didn't look any different. It looked like it always looked. And then a wave of nausea took me and I lied back down and went to sleep.
