The Pantaloon
Edited by Brother Wagwit
Earlyish in the 21st Century

The Kiss Of Death

The Kissing Bug, a small, six-legged insect has a particular way of making people sick. It lives on animal blood, and tends to land on someone’s face while asleep (hence Kissing Bug). But in exchange for the blood that it takes, which in itself can cause anaphylactic shock, the Kissing Bug defecates and leaves behind the parasite T. Cruzi, which can lead to infections of the potentially fatal Chagas disease. Kissing Bugs are mostly found in Latin America and the southern United States, but are migrating north as world temperatures continue to rise. It seems that Kissing Bugs arrived as far north as Washington DC years ago –kissing, drawing blood and defecating throughout the United States Senate Chambers. That is the most likely explanation for the periodic sightings of the parasite T. Cruzi. It roams the hallways, darting about mindlessly, desperately trying to kill off its host (the public trust), just like every other parasite of defecated origin.

Stink bug.