Today’s word prompt (at the begining of the story below) comes from Jaye Robin Brown and I’ve matched it with a photo prompt courtesy Michelle Wallace.
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But all that would change today.
After two years away from mother, spent in hospital rooms and clinics that looked much like her mother’s prison; hours, weeks, months spent recovering from cuts, sores, nips, tucks, pulls, agonies, implants, Blythe now hoped mother would look at her. Really look, and smile. She might even give Blythe a hug, or comb her meticulously ironed hair. Or kiss her porcelain-white cheek.
Blythe walked past the swinging glass doors of the facility that had housed her mother for more than twenty years, and into the lobby restroom. She gave herself a once over in the bathroom mirror. Her large, blue, unseeing eyes stared back at her. She moved up her skinny arm to pat her hair, and wondered what would happen if her arms came off, or her legs.
Worse still, what if mother found out they wouldn’t come off? And that she had nipples, and a dark, soft cave between her legs? That she really wasn’t Barbie, after all, but faltering, imperfect Blythe?
No. She would be quiet, and stay out of mother’s reach. That way, mother would grin, call out to the life-sized Barbie doll. Blythe’s dream would come true. She gave herself a stiff smile in the mirror, and walked to her mother’s room, hips swaying, in determined steps.
If you liked this story you might like some of the stories I wrote for my A to Z last year.
You can tell us what you thought were the highlights of your April Challenge, what you learned, what changes you might make next time, or what surprised you most. Let us know about special bloggers you met in your A to Z journey or about a post or posts that especially moved or impressed you. There are no limits as to what your Challenge experience might have been so tell us in your best way how you felt about the April A to Z Challenge of 2012.
I witnessed a similar situation and wrote a story for my blog (A daughter's forgiveness).
Doris
Thanks for your comments folks— and I'm surprised at the different interpretations this one has brought 🙂
This is a great match between the picture and prompt… vulnerable definitely fits…
Great job!
Excellent story!
What a great story and actually a sad reality.
Hi Damyantie, your posts are always very well written and I enjoy my visits here!
Duncan In Kuantan
It really is an addiction.
That was remarkable.
Just saw a wannabe Barbie on the news the other night, this puts a whole new spin on it, very imaginative.
That is creepy and sad.
Eerie and so very sad…but very well written.
what a creative bittersweet post!
The lengths some people go to for attention.
Hi, visiting via the a to Z challenge.
you might be interested in this:
http://www.thefword.org.uk/blog/2012/04/the_impossible_
not such an unreal story after all?
thanks for sharing
martine