First, a pinpoint of intense pale white…slowly unraveling like ball of yarn rolled too many times. The ragged edge stretching outward until it jerked back, burying her under the blackness once again. Gradually her sight adjusted enough to make out shapes in the otherwise blank landscape. She saw a straight vertical line to the left. Her eye flashed far to the right at a flicker of movement that could have simply been her eyelash shaking.
The girl tried to blink. She couldn’t. Her eyelid struggled and pulled to close, but there was only so far it could go. The tear duct ballooned. Her left eye wouldn’t open at all. Something cold and hard pressed flat against it, forcing it closed. She pulled, the entire left side of her face from forehead to chin wouldn’t move. Through her open eye, she saw the straight edge of something hard, maybe concrete pressing against the tip of her nose.
Things were revealing themselves through the thick fog in her mind at a quickening pace. A muffled cry clawed and scraped to make its way out of her lungs. The border of sealed lips allowed no crossing. Muscles pulled and skin stretched. Right hand brought to mouth she pulled at her lip. The girl’s eye, dry and painful from exposure looked down at a strange, greyish hand attached to her own.
Stuck together in an air tight seal from fingertip to the base of her palm, dirt clumped around its nails. Freshly scabbed scratches blotted around the knuckles. At some point the nails had been painted a deep shade of red, but that was a long time ago. Hints of a tan line where a wedding ring used to be were faded beneath layers of dust and blackened, dried blood. The cold hand offered no resistance to her movements. She grunted, hoping some noise would rouse the person attached to the hand’s attention. Shifting weight revealed the chill of her bare feet sticking firmly to the concrete floor.
Her left arm numb and tingling pulled the strange hand to the right. Letting the arm swing back it dropped limply in the opposite direction. Pictures appeared in her head of spinning around a maypole and holding hands with her brother when they were kids. A painful sharpness jabbed at her shoulder blade as she writhed back and forth. She looked around to find out what it was, but couldn’t see that far.
The light disappeared.
A cold, smooth piece of metal slid into her right nostril. In her mind’s eye, a memory of her doctor breathing on his stethoscope before touching it to her breast. Even in the darkness her open eye burned and darted around to find some source of hope. She smelled sour mint as liquid coated the insides of her nasal cavity. The strangers hand still attached to hers, pressed against the outside of her nose sealing it completely. When finished, it dropped swaying back and forth gently.
The girl pulled for air through a small crack left open in the other side of her nose glued against the wall. A faint whistle, like squeezing air out of a balloon tweeted with each inhalation. She didn’t question why this was happening to her, or who would want to hurt her like this. Her only thoughts were “air”.
Her knees writhed. She pulled her head so hard the skin on the side of her face began to tear. Blood slowly pooled into the crevice of her collarbone. She didn’t care about a mark or a scar. She didn’t care if it tore half her face off. She pulled for more air.
A scraping sound… hints of smoke and sulfur. Red-yellow light burst to life millimeters in front of her eye. The stranger’s hand came up slowly and pushed against her ear forcing her harder into the wall. The metal tube filled any remaining open spaces with the thick cold liquid.
Lungs screamed against the emptiness, fighting for one last breath that would never come.
The match went out.
---
The ground warm and dry, aside from a few cars passing the end of the block, everything remained silent. No dogs thank goodness. No baying at the moon or leaping at fences to heckle strangers while walking by their land in oh so predictable attempts to protect their masters from every interloper’s intent of wrong doings.
A deep breath in brings clean spring air. Arms stretch out and reach those fingertips far as they go. Naked beneath the robe, there hasn’t been anybody around to see for a few months. No one left to watch his body as he stands fully exposing his skin from head to toe. Leave it open and let the sun tickle every inch. It feels good.
Squint and hold a thumb up to get a sense of scale. Head angles to the side a bit for a change of perspective. It might almost work. Very close now, the picture being formed inside. A few more touches, something here and there. Already have an appointment with the next model, later this afternoon in fact.
Pick up the paper, stretch again for a moment and then head back to the door. It’s going to be another busy day.
The girl tried to blink. She couldn’t. Her eyelid struggled and pulled to close, but there was only so far it could go. The tear duct ballooned. Her left eye wouldn’t open at all. Something cold and hard pressed flat against it, forcing it closed. She pulled, the entire left side of her face from forehead to chin wouldn’t move. Through her open eye, she saw the straight edge of something hard, maybe concrete pressing against the tip of her nose.
Things were revealing themselves through the thick fog in her mind at a quickening pace. A muffled cry clawed and scraped to make its way out of her lungs. The border of sealed lips allowed no crossing. Muscles pulled and skin stretched. Right hand brought to mouth she pulled at her lip. The girl’s eye, dry and painful from exposure looked down at a strange, greyish hand attached to her own.
Stuck together in an air tight seal from fingertip to the base of her palm, dirt clumped around its nails. Freshly scabbed scratches blotted around the knuckles. At some point the nails had been painted a deep shade of red, but that was a long time ago. Hints of a tan line where a wedding ring used to be were faded beneath layers of dust and blackened, dried blood. The cold hand offered no resistance to her movements. She grunted, hoping some noise would rouse the person attached to the hand’s attention. Shifting weight revealed the chill of her bare feet sticking firmly to the concrete floor.
Her left arm numb and tingling pulled the strange hand to the right. Letting the arm swing back it dropped limply in the opposite direction. Pictures appeared in her head of spinning around a maypole and holding hands with her brother when they were kids. A painful sharpness jabbed at her shoulder blade as she writhed back and forth. She looked around to find out what it was, but couldn’t see that far.
The light disappeared.
A cold, smooth piece of metal slid into her right nostril. In her mind’s eye, a memory of her doctor breathing on his stethoscope before touching it to her breast. Even in the darkness her open eye burned and darted around to find some source of hope. She smelled sour mint as liquid coated the insides of her nasal cavity. The strangers hand still attached to hers, pressed against the outside of her nose sealing it completely. When finished, it dropped swaying back and forth gently.
The girl pulled for air through a small crack left open in the other side of her nose glued against the wall. A faint whistle, like squeezing air out of a balloon tweeted with each inhalation. She didn’t question why this was happening to her, or who would want to hurt her like this. Her only thoughts were “air”.
Her knees writhed. She pulled her head so hard the skin on the side of her face began to tear. Blood slowly pooled into the crevice of her collarbone. She didn’t care about a mark or a scar. She didn’t care if it tore half her face off. She pulled for more air.
A scraping sound… hints of smoke and sulfur. Red-yellow light burst to life millimeters in front of her eye. The stranger’s hand came up slowly and pushed against her ear forcing her harder into the wall. The metal tube filled any remaining open spaces with the thick cold liquid.
Lungs screamed against the emptiness, fighting for one last breath that would never come.
The match went out.
---
The ground warm and dry, aside from a few cars passing the end of the block, everything remained silent. No dogs thank goodness. No baying at the moon or leaping at fences to heckle strangers while walking by their land in oh so predictable attempts to protect their masters from every interloper’s intent of wrong doings.
A deep breath in brings clean spring air. Arms stretch out and reach those fingertips far as they go. Naked beneath the robe, there hasn’t been anybody around to see for a few months. No one left to watch his body as he stands fully exposing his skin from head to toe. Leave it open and let the sun tickle every inch. It feels good.
Squint and hold a thumb up to get a sense of scale. Head angles to the side a bit for a change of perspective. It might almost work. Very close now, the picture being formed inside. A few more touches, something here and there. Already have an appointment with the next model, later this afternoon in fact.
Pick up the paper, stretch again for a moment and then head back to the door. It’s going to be another busy day.
RSS Feed
