Preauricular Fistula
Ridiculous words appeared like a ghost pressed into a thin sheet of plastic. 'Humiliation ritual1.' 'Jezebel spirit2.' 'Preauricular fistula3.' I never had a preauricular fistula. I looked in the mirror. Of course, I never had one. I never had wisdom teeth either. I asked my mother. For a moment I made her into an ENT specialist, and then, later, into other things. 'A preauricular fistula is a congenital anomaly,' she said. 'It's a small channel under the skin that forms in the womb when the ear is developing.' Then she turned into whoever Pinterest thought a forty-five-year-old woman should be.
1 Humiliation ritual: Internet term for public ceremonies perceived as tests of compliance or submission to institutional power, popularized in conspiracy and counter-culture discourse.
2 Jezebel spirit: Christian spiritual warfare concept referring to a demonic force of manipulation and control, named after the biblical Queen Jezebel.
3 Preauricular fistula: A rare congenital malformation—a tiny tunnel under the skin near the ear that forms during fetal development. Usually harmless but occasionally prone to infection.