"So what diseases
are you into?" asked the girl.
"Huh?" said the
other girl.
"I like Lupus. And
Myasthenia Gravis. And ALS. I like diseases where
you gradually lose everything, and then wind up just a big lump in a bed
or something, attached to machines."
"Yeah," replied
the other girl, "I know whatcha mean. I like weakness
diseases too. Like anemia and mercury poisoning and radiation poisoning
and stuff. It'd be so relaxing!"
"Hey, we shouldn't
call them diseases anymore. They're just as natural
as anything else. Some people are starting to call it being differently-
healthed."
"That's kinda cumbersome,
isn't it?"
"Still, viruses and
bacteria are forms of life too."
"And cancer cells.
Don't forget cancer cells!"
"You know what I read?
Scientists are starting to think that cancer is
actually an independent lifeform in and of itself. They're trying to find
out what its goal is and let it come to term. Can you imagine?"
"Oh, my god! What would
it look like? A wolf or something?"
"I think like a big
squid thing or something. Like you would find in
the ocean."