What color is hunger?
Hunger is black.
I stared down at the plate in front of me. I really didn't want to eat. But Zeke was staring at me, looking at me as if I was some mutant freak.
"Come on Ginger, eat. It's your favorite." He said, worry seeping into his eyes.
"I'm not really hungry." I whispered, pushing my fork through the plate's contents.
"Ginger, are you sure you're okay?" He asked and I nodded. My dad looked up from the game.
"Eat." He said sternly, looking back at the television. I took a deep breath before scooping up a bite of the starchy dish.
I took a bite, feeling it slide down my throat. My brain screamed at the intrusion, told me to spit out the unforgiving vehicle of fat.
"I don't feel good Zeke, I think I'm just going to shower and lay down." I said, pushing away from the table.
"Okay honey, I'll come and check on you later." My mother said, concern in her eyes. I ran to the bathroom and threw open the shower curtain, turning the faucet on high. I kneeled over the toilet, as I had done plenty of times before that, and pushed my fist under my ribcage. The intruder quickly slipped out of my throat and into the toilet. I coughed and heaved again, until I was coughing up pure stomach acid. I pulled the strands of puke out of my hair before showering, rinsing out my mouth.
I stepped out of the shower and looked in the mirror at my bare body. I was so fat, it was ridiculous. I could see the girth attaching to my hips, wrapping around the curve of my breast, nestling itself against my thighs. I needed to purge, to get rid of every black, ugly pound. I bent over the toilet again, trying to release everything I had consumed, that ice cube, that cookie because I gave in, everything had to go. When I stood up I could see the little black dots that filled my vision. They were good, they told me that I was doing my job. They accompanied the hunger pangs and made me stronger.
They were my friends.
I wiped my hair out again and slipped my towel around me before making my way to my room.
Had the hallways gotten narrower? Had I gained more weight? The little black dots began to expand, getting bigger and bigger. I stumbled and hit the wall.
I was fine, I was happy.
I corrected my stance and continued down the hall. The walk to my room wasn't this long. Was this even my house? I stumbled again and crashed against the door of the hall closet. I fell onto the floor, the room going black.
Hunger is Black.