The difference between a panic and a heart attack is one of them passes. I’m seconds away from bursting a hole into my abdomen when I begin to regain my senses.
I feel her low pulse, one I’ve wanted to snuff out countless times.
I know these plants don’t affect me, but centuries of conditioning are hard to overcome. Legends exist because people believe in them. I take deep breaths and recentre my focus with a mantra.