Moisturise

He had suffered from dry skin most of his life, but over the last few months, it had started to get worse. He wanted to scratch it but he knew that if he did it would start to bleed and it would hurt even more.

The itching was incredibly bad. A bath helped and some of the lotions gave temporary relief, but it was always just waiting to strike.

His doctor had recommended various moisturisers and they tended to work for a while, then eventually it had no effect. He talked with his doctor and friends and suggestions were made, maybe it was something he was eating, a pet or plant that he had close contact with, or the washing powder that he used.

All over his skin was cracking and sore, itching beyond belief, like ants were crawling under his skin.

He was desperate.

He asked and asked, researched, read papers, and scoured the internet for help. Then he found someone, who lived in a run-down part of town but advertised that they could cure any physical problem.

He traveled there. Many of the houses were boarded up, but one had a door. This was the place.

He knocked.

The door opened.

He walked in and saw a cowled figure behind a table.

CF: "Come sit, what is your problem"

Him: "My skin is dry and cracking, every moisturiser or emollient works for a few days and then stops, I need something that will cure it"

CF: "I have something, but it will cost you"

Him: "I will pay you anything to stop this, how much do you want?"

CF: "Two pints of your blood, and then you must cover yourself, your whole body head to foot, with this cream and then sleep. Afterwards, the pain will be gone"

Him: "OK, that's fine, I thought you would want money. I have money"

CF: "I know you do. Let's get on with this, I will take your blood then give you the salve. You will only need to do this once"

Him: "OK let's do it"

The cowled figure took the blood and then put it into his fridge. He saw there were a lot of bottles of blood in there.

Him: "Why do you want my blood, and why so much?"

He was waved away by the cowled figure who gave him the salve, and he left without getting an answer.

When he got home he stripped and applied the salve to his skin, following the cowled figure's instructions. He felt a pleasing warmth all over and thought "This might work but I need somewhere to lie down".

His bed was not an option, he need not want his sheets and mattress stained by the sticky, which he believed was an emollient. It had changed from warm to hot but still felt good. The itching had stopped as he decided to lie down in the bath.

He started to feel tired, no pain but his whole body was now very hot, but he could not keep awake and was soon sleeping.

The salve kept working, it did not wake him. It would not wake him. The salve was dissolving his flesh. He would not wake from this.

The flesh fell off his bones very quickly leaving his grinning skeleton in the bath. He would not feel pain again. The cowled figure had been right on that point.

At some point, someone would notice that he had gone. As there was just a skeleton left, there would be no awful smells for the neighbours so it might be months before his bones were found.

Across town, the cowled figure opened his door for another customer .......