a lab produces anxieties on large scale. a doctor’s eyes strand on the cholesterol while sailing down the lab report. but his words remain unabsorbed on her brain’s surface. her mind is a dead zone of little learning, where cholesterol doesn’t grow. the doctor forbids*biriani, ghee-rice, fried beef, mutton chops…a deadpan smile spreads on her wizened lips. each forbidden food has been beyond her penury since times immemorial. *biriani – a South Asian dish. First printed in issue #16 of The Literary Hatchet.