As I was shaving this morning, I noticed a large stain of blood on the bottom of my neck right by my left shoulder. Blood?! I wet my hand and removed it. It was coming out of a tiny spot on the skin. I could not have cut myself at such a spot while shaving, I realized. Something must have been growing there, and I must have removed it as I was drying myself with a towel after my morning shower. The blood kept coming out, though, and I stemmed it with a stick of coagulant alum, which I have with me in the case I cut myself while shaving. The bleeding stopped at once. The spot was barely visible. Having finished my morning ablutions, I applied a little bit of skin cream on the spot, which looked perfectly fine by then. But I started feeling kind of funny. Growths on the skin can be nasty on occasion. Should I see a specialist about the bleeding? Are there other growths around that need to be removed? I quickly decided not to bother, but a feeling of unease stayed with me. How vulnerable we are! And how small an ailment can undo us! As is often the case, the best I could do under the circumstances is to write about it. Writing against bleeding, as it were.