Katie only allowed herself to be necessary when it was convenient. She stayed tucked in the canister by the stove, waiting patiently for me to grab her handle and dunk her slender body into salted water. Stirring gently, the holes in her head streamed liquid of all viscosities, edible obstacles floating past like a sea breeze. Stirring vigorously, her slots plugged up and flowed over magma on steel. Katie could always be used to filter out the unwanted, to skim the unnecessary. Hold her up long enough and watch the thin slip through, but sometimes, the acceptable did too. Katie always had a purpose, sitting patiently in the canister by the stove, but after so many nutrition less meals and hunger pangs, I wouldn’t use her for nourishment.










