Her hair, beautiful and harsh, is the color of a crow. This is by careful choice, and she has it dyed once a month, every third Tuesday. She loves the mystique of the hue, the way it refracts the light as a wile, almost like there's some blue to it.
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Noah would have adored it, and so of course this is why. It is for him.
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It was a month after he disappeared that she first had it colored. His foray into nothingness, hers into vanity. Because it is the single binge she's found that stills the hurt, quiets the shame. Eating didn't do it; she felt empty. Not drinking; she felt a waste of herself. And sleeping with Noah's best friend, Mart, only buried guilt in her stomach and in her dreams.
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So it is also for her, the hair and the rest, with the primping and pampering and perfection. It all says she is significant and strong and courageous, that she is and will be okay.
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When she looks in the mirror to see what Noah left behind, she is satisfied by what she sees and she tells herself, You will be okay.
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My apologies for posting this piece so late in the day. My words were difficult to fuse together. They were: binge, crow, foray, refract and wile. You'll find them all above. Whew!
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I hope you enjoyed it. I also hope that it leaves you thinking, perhaps making up more of the story.
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**
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If you've played along and written your own fiction with your own words, link up in this post's comments. Or, if you haven't done a piece yet but would like to, I'd be happy to give you some word suggestions. Just let me know (also in this post's comments).
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Also, since you're here, be sure to check out my post about rules for successful writing. Leave your thoughts (by Sunday night--earlier if you're busy for Easter) for a chance to win the book of your choice in my giveaway! Winner will be announced Monday.
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Have a wonderful, blessed holiday weekend.
8 comments:
This flash is absolutely mesmerizing. I love the concept, your descriptions, and your execution. So glad you posted about this one FB, so I didn't miss it!
Hope you have a great weekend!
Have a great weekend too Janna. Really pleased to have found your blog and look forward to keeping in touch.
warm wishes
Debbie
I want to know more about this woman -- why she was plunged into her excesses and finding emptiness except in her vanity about her hair, and why the dark color, what does it signify to her! - it intrigues me ... good solid writing, to boot, Janna!
I want to know why Noah left. My minds blames her.
Lovely imagery, Janna.
Your comments are so kind and uplifting. Thank you!
Loved it!
Janna, I really like this. You've painted a very vivid description of her despair, and the one way she's found to ease it.
Well done.
Great story! It both satisfies, and leaves me wanting more.
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