One Night Inside The 160 Degree Cure

My mother, Veronica Sinclair, believed her extreme holistic detox could cure every ailment from the common cold to cancer. My father, Rob Marshall, called it a cult, and the day he threatened to leave and take me with him was the day she decided to prove her method worked.

To demonstrate her infallible ancient cure, she yanked memy small body burning with a 102-degree feverand shoved me into the Red Pine Infusion Pod, the herbal detox sauna shed bought online.

Get in! Youll steam for two hours. Well force out the deep-seated chill from your body and show your father how brilliant my way is!

Herbal steam erupted from the pod, the temperature gauge climbing past 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

The searing heat woke me from my feverish haze. My skin blistered instantly. I hammered on the wooden door, crying out, Mom, its too hot! My skin is peeling! Im going to cook!

She pulled a roll of heavy-duty duct tape and sealed the gap around the lid, leaving only a tiny ventilation hole. Quiet! Ungrateful child, do you know how much these herbs cost? Thousands of dollars a pound! she snapped.

The pain means its working! Its the toxins leaving your body! Look how flushed your face isthats the color of vitality! You are not coming out. You must stay in for two full hours!

To silence my protests and prevent me from escaping, she put on her noise-canceling headphones, started playing her New Age chanting music, and secured the lid with three heavy, antique brass locks.

The only way I got out was when the scalding heat had destroyed my throat, when my fingernails had shredded from scratching the wood, and when the last of my screams had faded into silence. Only then did she finally turn off the heat.

Later, when she called my father on video, she still had to gloat:

Rob, look at Lucy! Her skin is so pink and dewy. Shes been fully purged!

My mother had become so lost in her pursuit of the perfect elixir that she forgot me.

By the time she remembered to unlock the pod, it was already the next morning...

The steam felt like needles driven into every pore. I tried to curl away, but the Infusion Pod was barely bigger than a laundry hamper. There was nowhere to hide.

Mom! It burns! Its too hot!

I scrambled, trying to climb out. The intense heat blurred my vision, turning the world into white fog. A hand slammed down on my head, forcing me back into the herbal bath.

Stop thrashing! You think a little warmth is too much? This is a secret Nine Purge Elixir remedy I sourced. It will force the cold poison out of your system, and your fever will break!

Moms face was distorted behind the veil of steam.

I dont want to be cured Mom, please, I dont want it. I want to go to the hospital My throat was raw and aching.

The hospital? Thats where they send you to die! Those antibiotics are poison! Your father is an idiot trying to harm you, and now you want to harm yourself?

She was yelling now, her voice thick with fanaticism as she clamped the lid down.

The light disappeared.

Click. Click. Click.

Three sharp metallic sounds.

She had locked me in. She claimed the antique brass locks preserved the qi of the medicine.

Mom, I cant breathe Its so dark, Im scared I beat on the wooden walls. The planks were so hot they numbed my palms and raised massive blisters.

When the blisters burst, the acidic herbal liquid seeped into the raw skin, and I shrieked in pain.

Stop the drama! The raw ingredients cost me thousands! I added Monkshood and Black Nightshadeit's poison fighting poison! Did you think this was some cheap bath tea? Her voice filtered in through the wood.

The pain means the medicine has reached the infection! Its killing the little parasites inside you! Hold still! When the pain passes, youll be reborn!

The heater beneath the wooden box roared, and the thermometer needle spun higher.

120 degrees. 140 degrees. 160 degrees

The herbal bath boiled, bubbling and spitting. My legs were submerged in the liquid, and the skin was screaming.

Mom please, help me Im actually burning

I pressed my face against the tiny ventilation hole, desperate for a gasp of cooler air.

Through the hole, I saw my mother sitting cross-legged on the sofa. She had her noise-canceling headphones on, her fingers rapidly tracing the beads of her mala bracelet, mumbling to herself. She was listening to her calming chants.

Mom! Look at me! Look at Lucy! I screamed, but my throat was so swollen and raw the sound was a weak, wet wheeze.

She finally opened her eyes and glanced toward the pod.

She stood up, walked over, and peered in through the small glass observation window.

I put my blistered hand flat against the glass, showing her the damage.

Ugh, such a low vibration, she tutted, then pointed a finger at my face through the glass and smiled.

But look at that color! So rosy! It means the fire-toxins are being forced out! This elixir truly is miraculous!

She took out her phone and started taking pictures of me trapped inside the steaming box.

I have to document this. When your father gets home, Ill throw these photos in his face. Lets see if he still has the nerve to call me an abuser!

I shook my head, tears and sweat streaming down my face. No, Mom, thats not vitality. Thats the color of being cooked.

Need to turn up the heat just a little more. The color isnt deep enough. We have to purge the sludge from the deepest layers.

She twisted the temperature knob. Maximum setting.

Roooooar!

The steam doubled in intensity, choking my mouth and nose. My skin was peeling off in strips, and my throat made a sizzling noise.

Before I lost consciousness, I saw my mother put her headphones back on and close her eyes.

The air in my lungs was vacuumed out. My heart gave one final, violent flutter before it stopped.

I remembered yesterday, when Dad had tried to take me away. Id cried, pulled my hand out of his grip, and hugged Moms leg, saying, I want my mommy.

If I had just gone with Dad then, would I still be alive?

Mom, Lucy hurts so bad.

Lucy promises she wont ever get sick again.

I was awakened by a smell. It wasn't the smell of food; it was bitter with herbs, but also sour and metallic, like rancid meat.

I was floating mid-air, looking down at the living room. It was cluttered with sachets of dried herbs and stacks of detox candles.

I looked at the red wooden Infusion Pod in the center of the room. The box was still humming, vibrating faintly.

Through the observation window, I saw a crumpled mass inside.

Was that me?

A dark red liquid coated the body. Was that the herb bath, or was it my blood? The skin had rolled back and peeled away, exposing pale white muscle beneath. I wanted to gag, but a soul doesn't have a stomach.

The person on the sofa stirred.

Mom took off her headphones and stretched languidly.

Oh, my. Did I fall asleep?

She looked at the wall clock.

Shoot! Its the next morning already!

The scheduled two-hour steam had lasted a full twenty-four hours.

I stared at her, hoping she would open the box to save meeven dead, I didn't want to rot in there.

She looked annoyed for just a second, then immediately calmed down.

No matter. This is Divine Will. A little extra purge means the detox penetrates deeper.

She walked up to the pod to check my finish.

Ooh! That color! Stunning!

Mom peered into the observation window, her eyes bright with triumph.

That deep, purplish-black! That is the sign of a profound detox! The decades of cold-poison have been forced out! Lucy is guaranteed to live to be a hundred now!

She rubbed her hands together, oblivious to the fact that the body inside was rigid, head slumped forward onto the chest.

I need to tell your father right away. Let him see how useless his Western poison really is.

Mom pulled out her phone and dialed a video call.

On the screen, Dad looked exhausted, the sterile background of his law office visible behind him.

Veronica, I sent you the divorce papers. Did you read them? And where is Lucy? Im taking her to the hospital for a check-up. Dads voice was cold and hard.

Divorce? You just cant stand to see your daughter and me doing well!

Mom flipped the camera to the pods observation window. Open your eyes and look! Yesterday, she was burning up at 102. After one night of my holistic treatment, look at her complexion!

The video quality was poor, and the glass was fogged with condensation. Dad could only see a reddish, swollen shape.

What is that? Why is she so red? Veronica, why isnt she moving? Dad frowned.

Red means a full circulation of energy! Shes in Deep-State Meditation, a restorative sleep! You dont understand, so dont talk! Youll pollute her aura! Mom shook the phone.

See? This is what I call done to perfection!

Done to perfection? Dad latched onto the phrase, his face draining of color. Veronica, what have you done to her? Im coming home right now. Dont you touch that box!

Come back! I want you here to witness the miracle! That way youll never contradict me again!

Mom hung up, scoffing. Clueless man.

She put her phone away and walked into the kitchen.

My daughter has been through a major cleanse. She needs a proper Revival Broth to seal the cure.

She rummaged through the cabinets, found a packet of black powder, dumped it into a pot, and added a generous scoop of what looked like ashes.

I turned away, sickened. When I was alive, I hated drinking her elixirs. They always made me vomit and gave me severe diarrhea. She called it purging the demons and made me thank her for the privilege.

Now I was dead, and she was still preparing her poison.

The doorbell rang. It was Mrs. Davison, our neighbor.

Ronnie, what are you cooking? That smell its peculiar. Mrs. Davison covered her nose, craning her neck to look inside.

Mom was stirring the black, ashy mixture. Mrs. Davison, you have a discerning nose! This isnt meat; its my Nine-Turn Grand Elixir for Lucy, made from the rarest herbs. Its what we call an uncommon fragrance!

But where is Lucy? Havent seen her in days.

Shes in seclusion, Auntie. In the pod, about to achieve full spiritual enlightenment. Mom pointed to the box, her eyes glowing with fervor.

Mrs. Davison shuddered, gave Mom a look, muttered, The things people do, and hurried away.

I floated behind Mom, watching her grin foolishly at the pot of black water.

Good girl, Lucy. Drink this, and youll never be sick again.

Mom, I wont be sick again. Dead people dont get sick.

A liquid started seeping out from the bottom seam of the box, dripping onto the wooden floor.

Mom looked down, but instead of panicking, she clapped her hands.

Aha! Its purging! That is the cold poison from the bone marrow! Look at that black-red color! Marvelous!

She didn't clean it up; instead, she pulled out her phone and started snapping pictures of the puddle of seepage.

The caption: [Ancient Wisdom Never Fails! After 24 hours, the millennia-old chill has been forced out of my daughter! Gratitude to the Ancestral Wisdom!]

The moment she posted it, her Alternative Wellness Group friends started liking and praising the post.

[You are a true healer! The color looks absolutely authentic!]

[Please share the formula! My grandson has a fever too!]

Mom beamed, drinking up the adoration.

I stared at the pooling blood and liquefying tissue, my soul growing cold. Thats my blood and fat, Mom. Cant you smell it?

It was three in the afternoon when Dads car screeched into the driveway. With him were his lawyer and Dr. Peterson, our family physician.

Moms invited witnesses had also arrived: seven or eight middle-aged men and women in hemp clothes and prayer beads, who gathered around the steaming pod.

The odor its potent! The more potent the aroma, the stronger the medicine! one bald man declared, giving a thumbs-up. Ms. Sinclair, your dedication puts me to shame.

Mom, dressed in a flowy linen robe, adopted a serene pose.

Oh, its nothing. Anything for my child.

What mother doesnt worry? I havent slept in three days, tending this broth.

She was lying. Shed slept soundly with her headphones on last night.

Dad burst through the door. He took in the scenethe steaming pod, the chanting circleand his face twisted in horror.

What is that smell?

Dr. Peterson, a man who had seen everything, immediately covered his nose, his brow furrowed. Its not just the herbs its He stopped, staring at the pod.

Mom smiled, pointing to the box. Well, well, the big shot, Rob Marshall, is back? Did you bring all these people to arrest me? Too bad. Lucy is perfectly well.

You are boiling my child?! Dad saw the locked box and his eyes bulged.

He charged forward, kicking at the door of the pod.

Stop it! You maniac! Mom shrieked, throwing herself onto the box, shielding the three locks.

This is a critical moment! If you open it now, the spiritual energy will dissipate! Lucys entire healing process will be ruined! She could suffer a permanent psychotic break!

The Wellness Gurus rushed forward to restrain him.

Mr. Marshall, you are out of line! We have all seen the sacrifice Ms. Sinclair has made for her daughter.

Exactly! Western medicine only treats symptoms. We must rely on the wisdom of the ancients!

Your violence will frighten the childs spirit!

Dad was struggling, shaking with pure rage. To hell with the ancient wisdom! I am her father! I demand to see my daughter!

He shoved the men away, reaching out to touch the box.

Agh!

His hand recoiled instantly. His fingers were bright red.

Its this hot?! Veronica Sinclair, are you insane? This is easily 160 degrees! How long has Lucy been in there?!

Mom smoothed her robe. Whats wrong with 160 degrees? Its Constant-Temperature Protection. You wouldnt understand. The herbs insulate the heat. Lucy only feels a cozy 100 degrees.

Dr. Peterson pointed at the fluid on the floor. If shes so comfortable, what is this blood on the floor? And what is that smell of putrefaction?

Shut up! Thats the cold poison! The toxins! Mom jumped up, pointing a finger at the doctors nose. You quack! You know nothing! This is called Marrow-Washing! The fouler the discharge, the cleaner the body becomes!

Dad turned and grabbed the heavy wooden chair from the corner.

Today, divorce or jail, I am taking Lucy out of here!

Dont you dare! Mom opened her arms wide, blocking the box. Rob Marshall, if you smash that, we go down together! Youd be murdering her! Youd be killing your own daughter!

You know what murder is?! Dads eyes were bloodshot. He shoved Mom aside.

She stumbled back, slipping on the puddle of cold poison. She fell hard, her hand landing in the sticky mess. The sensation made her pause for a second, but she scrambled back up, trying to launch herself at him again.

CRASH! The chair smashed against the first brass lock.

Wood chips flew. The box shuddered, and a low thud came from inside.

That was my head hitting the wall.

Lucy!

Dad dropped the chair, ignoring the scalding metal. He wrenched at the deformed lock with his bare hands. His palms sizzled, the skin turning black and smoking.

Click. The first lock broke open.

A burst of white steam hissed out of the seam.

Then the second, and the third.

Mom was sitting on the floor, cursing wildly. Rob Marshall, you will pay for this! Youve ruined her path to transcendence! Lucy will hate you when she wakes up!

If she hates me, she hates me. Dads hands were shaking violently as he gripped the lid handle. As long as shes alive.

He took a deep breath and threw the lid back.

WHOOSH

A violent plume of vapor surged out.

I floated directly above the box, watching in sorrow.

Dont look, Dad. Please, dont look.

Im too ugly now.

The mist cleared. The contents of the box were revealed to everyone.

Oh, God! The bald guru was the first to clap a hand over his mouth and bolt for the restroom.

The remaining wellness fanatics shrieked, covered their eyes, or fell backward onto the floor.

A ghost! Its a ghost!