Sin

Can you feel it? That delicate hiss of the serpent wrapping itself around your tongue as you begin to repeat the word. You were ordered to ignore its meaning, forget its historical connotations, but that just teases your subconscious into feeding you thoughts of debauchery — even evil — as soon as the word embeds itself into the wrinkled weight of gray matter constrained within your skull. There’s something about the way that sound lingers in your ears and teases the tip of your tongue as it tingles behind your teeth.

Your mind finishes the word before your lips get the chance to: “…in.” You let its dark allure reel you in. You invited it to come in. Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words can never hurt you… right? The word fades out as the serpent slithers into the silence left behind by your absence.