The Girl Who Smelled Pink

A mother wonders if we are all born with synesthesia

Nautilus
Nautilus
Nov 4 · 10 min read
Messy illustration of a person licking a multi-tiered cake, looking at a U-turn sign, and hearing pink spots from a trumpet.
Messy illustration of a person licking a multi-tiered cake, looking at a U-turn sign, and hearing pink spots from a trumpet.
Illustration: JooHee Yoon

By Kirsten Weir

Originally published at Nautilus on July 9, 2015.

My tongue is orange!” my 2-year-old daughter shrieked after licking a dollop of clear hand sanitizer. More orange experiences followed. “Mommy, my ear feels orange,” she moaned when an earache struck. “Mitten off…

Nautilus

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Nautilus

A magazine on science, culture, and philosophy for the intellectually curious

Nautilus Magazine

A magazine on science, culture, and philosophy for the intellectually curious

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