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Author on Reedsy Prompts since Dec, 2023
Submitted to Contest #227
I became a hermit gradually. It started in 1987 on a mountain near the small town of Harrietville in north-eastern Victoria. This was soon after my HIV diagnosis, when I was 19. Disclosure of my HIV status to people had resulted in impassive rejection, not curiosity or empathy. Health, for me, seemed more attainable within secrecy. The sensible thing to do - I thought back then - was to drop out of university. I sold most of my possessions and then started travelling on my own in an old car with a vague idea of going fruit picking. The car...
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