A "drabble" is prose that's exactly 100 words. This one came from an online challenge where we were assigned a different theme daily. One day, it was The Body, so sex was a fairly natural first thought. But this little non-fiction pillow talk piece turned out not to be about that at all. It's about neurodiverse vs neurotypical perception. Having synesthesia isn't problematic brain wiring. I kinda like it. Especially when I found out I'm not alone in thinking of the number 7 as yellow-green and gendered male. Weird, huh?
Synesthesia
Our kisses are a green apple. We fall into a rippling pool of sheets, laughing.
“What do you see when I touch you?” I ask.
“Nothing. The room is dark.”
“No. When you close your eyes - what do you see?”
“Nothing. I just feel your skin.”
“That’s all?”
“Of course. That’s all there is.”
His finger draws a trail of flickering turquoise flames the length of my arm; his legs wrap mine and aureate sparks blossom gold against the blackness; each hair is a match, tipped with carnelian, waiting to be struck.
“Oh… I’m so sorry you can’t see this.”
Illustration copyright W. Ross 2017
#synesthesia #drabble #surrealism
