Alice sat on the old wooden stool outside her grandmother’s house, her hands steady despite the deep unease settling in her stomach. It wasn’t her first time doing this—digging out jiggers from infected feet—but every time felt like a fresh battle against something cruel and relentless.
She had been here just a few weeks ago, meticulously removing the burrowing parasites from her cousin Samuel’s toes. At that time, she had hoped it would be the last. She had scrubbed his feet, applied antiseptic, and wrapped them with care, all while assuring him that things would get better. But now, she was back.
Samuel sat before her again, his feet resting on a battered basin filled with warm soapy water. His face was tight with discomfort, though he tried to act tough. Alice knew better. The jiggers had returned, burrowing deeper this time, their tiny black marks visible beneath the swollen skin.
“This shouldn’t have happened again,” Alice murmured, more to herself than anyone else.
Her grandmother, sitting nearby, shook her head. “Jiggers don’t listen to hope, child. They listen to action.”
Alice understood what she meant. The real problem wasn’t just the parasites—it was the conditions that allowed them to thrive. Poverty. Dirt floors. Lack of proper shoes. If those things didn’t change, the jiggers would always come back, no matter how carefully she removed them.
With a sigh, she picked up the sterilized safety pin and a pair of tweezers. Samuel flinched but didn’t pull away. Alice admired his bravery. Gently, she pressed on the swollen skin, coaxing out the tiny, rice-shaped pests one by one. Each extraction brought a small shudder from Samuel, but he didn’t cry. He was used to this pain.
By the time she finished, Samuel’s feet were raw but cleaner. She applied antiseptic and wrapped them in gauze, hoping this time would be different.
“We need to find a better way,” Alice said, looking at her grandmother. “Something more than just digging them out.”
Her grandmother nodded, eyes full of wisdom and quiet sorrow. “Then let’s figure it out together.”
As Alice packed away her tools, she knew this wasn’t the end. It was just another step in a battle she refused to lose.
