stock photo of a man for the story 'The Consuming Beast'

The Consuming Beast

Michael Catney

The "beast" has controlled my life for most of the last 10 years. Sure, there were times of clarity, where I could function normally—hold a job, date, enjoy friends, feel as if I was a contributing member of society and not just a shadow walking among the living. But then this beast would inevitably rear its ugly head again, and I would vanish from the face of the earth—retreating to my rooms, the one in my home and the one in my head.

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