I can't say that this has been a particularly painful interlude, this blistered finger. That seems to be the nature of things when the nerves beneath the skin have been so utterly destroyed or crippled that they can no longer convey the appropriate level of damage to the central nervous system. So while the wound looked painful, in reality it felt like nothing at all.
Like any toy balloon, of course, it does not handle stress well. Too much touching, poking, prodding, scraping, rubbing or tapping will cause it to break; and a break will lead to leaking; and leaking leads to the inevitable infusion of harmful bacteria; and harmful bacteria move into the interior of the continent and get the natives all upset.
So on the third day of the recovery period, it begins to deflate. And to ache. So a generous amount of anti-bacterial lotion is applied, and a Band-Aid is wrapped around it to hold the precious liquid in place, and we begin the Discomfort Phase.
We went to the pool yesterday. I was a bit hesitant to bring along my wounded finger, but had no place else in which to leave it, so it was foced to come. The Band-Aid, alas, could not resist the siren call of the chlorinated water, and quickly fell away, leaving the poor finger bereft of protection, alone and un-aided. But the chlorine probably cleaned it out nicely, killing off any bacteria which survived the antibaterial lotion's onslaught.
Now the aching begins in earnest. The tender skin beneath the flapping blister's tent sends tendrilistic nerve shoots up to the surface, seeking to re-establish contact with the Outer World; sadly, the Outer World has naught but pain and infection to offer. Yet the growth continues, and eventually a new layer of skin will replace that which has been lost, and the nerve endings will be covered once again, and peace and prosperity will reign in the Universe again.
Until the next time hot solder drips on my fingers.
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