The embarrassment.

This morning, I saw a strange, dark looking crust on Emma's head.

I know what that is, I thought. It's a tick. My friend's son had one: they are sort of crusty-looking, she said. You get them in forests, she said. You must go to the hospital to get them specially removed. Otherwise they leave their jaws in and get infected, she said. And they can give you Lyme's disease for which there is no cure.

*brain goes click click whirrrrrrrr*

We were under some trees yesterday.
There is a tick on Emma's head.
She has got Lyme's disease.
She is going to die.

We went to the hospital. We waited 2 hours in casualty. We saw the doctor.

It was just a scab.