I AM COLD.

I HAVE BEEN COLD SINCE THE TWO OR THREE WEEKS BEFORE MY LAST SWIM MEET..

I SHOULD MOVE ON, BUT I AM COLD.

I HAD PLANS BEFORE I WAS COLD: TO SHOW HUMANITY THAT WOMEN COULD DO EVERYTHING AS WELL AS A MAN COULD.

BUT I COULDN'T SHOW IT. I BECAME COLD, AND COULD NO LONGER SWIM.

AND MY DREAM DIED.

SINCE THEN, I HAVE BEEN A COLD SHELL OF THE CONFIDENT WOMAN I ONCE WAS.

YES, EVERY SO OFTEN I HACK AWAY AT THE ICE BLOCK KNOWN AS MY SOUL, BUT I CAN NOT REMOVE IT ALL.

I WORRY THAT THE COLDNESS GROWS AS IT CONSUMES ME.

I NEED A DREAM, A DIRECTION, ONE I FEEL SAFE IN, AND ONE I FEEL IS USEFUL FOR SOME SIGNIFICANT PART OF HUMANITY.

AND YET I FEEL COLD, AND POWERLESS, AND INCREASINGLY SCARED.

AND SO I EXTEND THE COLD, TO ENSURE MY LACK OF CONFIDENCE DOES NOT LEAK OUT; THAT MY FEARS DO NOT LEAK OUT.

I AM COLD, AND YOU CAN NOT HELP ME.

I AM COLD, AND YOU WILL HURT ME IF YOU GET TO KNOW ME.

I AM COLD, AND I WILL HURT YOU IF YOU GET TO KNOW ME.

SO LET ME BE COLD, AND THEN NEITHER OF US WILL GET HURT.

I AM COLD.