Excruciating Encounter: A Citrus's Tale

Hands reached out to snatch an appealing, ripe orange out of the ceramic bowl on the counter. I watched, alarmed, as I unwillingly stared as my brethren were deftly peeled. It seemed the pain wouldn't be plausible until I myself felt it, experienced the unfamiliar, less-than-pleasant sensation, nor did the thing show any signs of putting an end to its assault. I heard the cries and screams of my kind, begging for mercy from the being as they were peeled and thrown into a dark crevice on the thing’s face. I had a sense of terrible trepidation as I was picked up. The nails of the strange creature dug into my skin, peeling off the layer and pulling me apart. The pain could only be described as excruciating. That was it. Excruciating. I attempted to cry out to no avail. Before I knew what was happening, I had been thrown into a dark, damp cave (mouth). A

The walls of the thing were covered in a slippery substance (mucus) that seemed to be protecting it from the acid. I quickly looked down and gawked. This is where my brethren who came before me had gone! I panicked as I fell into the acid and could feel the chemicals and contractions of the pear-shaped organ (stomach) turn me into something unworldly of about a milkshake-thick consistency (chyme). Encountering another unusual, circular muscle (pyloric sphincter), I traveled to a new destination. Going through the beginning of another seemingly endless tunnel (small intestine)m strange juices came out from a small, sac-shaped thing (gallbladder) attached to another large organ (liver) as well as a spongy, tube-shaped organ (pancreas). Continuing down the long path (jejunum and ileum), I could feel tiny, finger-shaped things (villi) absorbing something from me (nutrients). In fact, I felt quite empty without it there. I watched as another circular muscle (ileocecal valve) appeared. Not again, I thought