Mercy comes to me in the form of a pill. 1
An eighty-milligram OxyContin tablet is about the size of a large pea, slightly squashed; perfectly round with gently concave sides. Unlike an aspirin tablet, which is shaped like an M&M or a Skittle, these have a flattened edge, with a tiny ridge at either end where the border of the flattened portion meets the border of the broader stamped surface (the concave part.) They can roll quickly and gracefully like little narcotic wagon wheels.2
At first glance, and to a caressing finger, the pill's dyed coat, a soothing marine hue somewhere between slate and teal, is absolutely uniform and smooth as a button. The detail-oriented eye will discover, however, that its surface is actually ever-so-slightly mottled, varigrated -- not so much pebbled as toothed, like fine artist's paper. Each one always has a few tiny, nigh-invisible dents or flaws from bumping and tumbling around in the bottle.3
On one side, the letters OC are imprinted, as oceanic in color as the rest of the tablet, in a slightly rounded sans-serif font. Its opposite sports the number 80 in the same font. 4
The sound of a bottle of OxyContin is strangely distinct and recognizable. The specific tone and cadence of their rattling and jumbling is absolutely unique, unlike anything else, except perhaps the pounding of raindrops on the roof during a winter storm.5
Whole and unbroken, a pill doesn't have much of a smell on its own. If you stick your nose in the bottle, you can pick up a dusty, painty odor -- the smell of the coating -- and a hint of sharp sourness, the medicine inside. In the mouth, it has a peculiarly sharp edge to the expected bitterness. Said bitterness isn't particularly intense, either; it doesn't make the palate cringe or the tongue curl. 6
After some time, one gets used to it, and the biting, flavorful sensation becomes almost pleasing. 7
The bittersweet flavor of peace.
Author notes
I hope this is how this was supposed to go. I'm a chronic pain patient and take OC80s for that reason. I also have used them for more spiritual and creative purposes.
A contest entry
- You're Prescribed to Describe by heartfullofvenom.
400 points, ended July 6, 2008, 20 entries
Honorable mention
• next story in this contest, remove from contest - Description Contest by Hellcat Metal.
525 points, ended November 16, 2008, 8 entries
Silver trophy winner
• next story in this contest, remove from contest - Short Stuff by DarkWizzard.
150 points, ended February 21, 17 entries
• next story in this contest, remove from contest
Comments
1 - 10 of 10
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Not bad
Very nice and detailed description. Even if I hadn't seen one before, I would have been able to picture it perfectly. I love the colors you described it with too: "Oceanic", "marine", etc. And it was cool to get all of the senses in that one passage about one little pill.
Good luck in my contest.
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Dude im looking at a pill right now and you described it to every last detail lol! This was a pretty cool read
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...this is slightly creep-ish
no offense -
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What, exactly, is creepish about a description of a pill?
Also, if you don't mean to offend, don't say things you know will offend. It helps a lot.
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Very descriptive. I can't say I've ever looked at chronic pain medication that way before (I take it but don't really pay attention to what it says). I'm surprised you only got HM in 'your're prescribed to describe' this seems like its deserving of gold. I adore descriptions and you did it wonderfully.
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I've had my medicine stolen from me and taken away from me many times. There have been times in my life when they achieved intense symbolic importance as well as their basic physical purpose, because I needed them so badly for the basic purpose and they were never reliably around to use like they should have been. I learned to recognize the exact rattle and appearance of my own pills so no one could fool me by slipping other pills into the bottle, and so forth. Unfortunately, that wasn't even as paranoid as it sounds. It happened. You have to be careful with heavy-duty pain meds these days, sadly.
I hope yours are safe.
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Wow I loved this! You went and turned something that is so small into something so descriptive! From the shape and surface to the font on the pill, you really nailed the description of a pill. I especially love the 6th paragraph, where you explained how pills taste. I could not have said the words better myself. "In the mouth, it has a peculiarly sharp edge to the expected bitterness." - That sentence is simply beautiful and true. Great job!
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It's the specific taste of *that* pill, even. If you asked for multiple objects described I could compare-contrast with, say, a 1mg Xanax.
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very descriptive,and wonderfully written. You got everything to a "t". Everything I asked for was there.
Good Luck!
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This, my friend, is beautiful. As an adjective lover, and an adverb junkie, I have not even a small wonder left. You filled this description with uplifting emotion in the first and last lines, while still maintaining what feels like unbiased explanation of the physical drug. It's all here; sound, smell, taste, and relation. Nicely done.
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