In past summers, I would sit outside, shirtless in the blazing sun reading a book. It was almost a summer ritual. It didn't matter what I read – literature, poetry, history, biographies, even science.

Then my dermatologist told me I shouldn't get too much sun – No more than necessary, he said. I tried sitting in the shade. But since then, my appetite for books has declined. Now I mostly read news articles on the internet and short stories on Wattpad. I haven't cracked a book open in weeks.

Besides, reading makes me sleepy. Sleepy like a tired, bored, hot, lazy cat.

Story and Illustrations Copyright © 2023 by Michael DeFrancesco