silica 10 MIN FREE WRITE

do not eat

my grandma saves these to put in her winter boots. piles of them filling her boots form years of saving them. 
they come in packages of beef jerky, but it freaks me out that they are so close to food? do not eat little bits all over

these burn your hands, if clung in a fist with water. i burnt my hand on some when i was small, like dry ice burns. 

desiccant

i don't know that word. i assume it means to take moisture out of something.

THROW AWAY
i wonder if plants would die from the chemicals, or from all of their water be soaked up
will it make me sick if i eat it, because of the toxins or because im be coming dehydrated.

silica
i don't know what this is the package says it is in gel form, but they feel like little beads. are the beads what silica is or is it just mixed into something to make it hold shape?
would it become more like a gel if i mixed water with it
keeping my hands                  far                  far                         away   
               
SILICA
            GEL
"DO NOT EAT"
THROW AWAY
DESICCANT

same size as a tag on a shirt weighs less than a quarter12ish beads inside white but not to bright paper fabric mix "DO NOT EAT"