Phantom Limbs

The cool metal left its mark on the palm, a subtle hollow persisting after it was lifted—an imprint not of touch alone, but of something held long against warm skin. A delicate pattern appeared there, mirroring the locket’s raised design as if traced by memory itself. This warmth spread through recollection, and with each remembered instance, a similar pressure bloomed elsewhere on the body; faint echoes in bone and muscle surfaced unexpectedly. The sense of self seemed to subtly shift with these phantom contacts, boundaries dissolving into an accumulation of impressions—a quiet resonance lingered between what was held and who remained.