“And Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare.” The evaluators nod, make notes. Romeo and Juliet is required reading in every freshman-year health class. “And why is that?” Evaluator Three asks. It’s frightening: That’s what I’m supposed to say. It’s a cautionary tale, a warning about the dangers of the old world, before the cure. But my throat seems to have grown swollen and tender. There is no room to squeeze the words out; they are stuck there like the burrs that cling to our clothing when we jog through the farms. And in that moment it’s like I can hear the low growl of the ocean, can hear
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