Welcome to WEP's Blogfest for March [=Write-Edit-Publish, formerly 'Romantic Friday Writers'] Challenge for 26 March 2014 - 'Through the eyes of a child':
Ida and Karla were both nine years old. Ida lived on a farm with horses. Karla lived in a city, an hour's drive away. But Karla's father owned the nearest farm and that was where they spent holidays and weekends.
Ida and Karla were very modern children, and kept in touch through their i-phones. Karla sat in her room with make-up on a small table with the image of Ida on her i-phone propped up against a bottle of nail-polish remover.
'What do you think of this colour, Ida?' showing off her lip glans*.
'Did you get real earrings?' asked Ida.
'No, they are glue-on earrings from the children's department at Ahlén's department store.'
'Really? They look like real earrings. Everyone here has pierced ears. My older sister and my second cousin and everyone at school. I got my first pair of earrings last year.
'Almost everyone at my school wears earrings now.'
'Do you want to get your ears pierced?'
'Yes. But Mum won't allow it. I'll do it when I'm eighteen and can do what I want.'
'That's nine years from now. Why won't she let you do it now?'
'Because of the risk of infection. She says my heart leaks.'
'Your heart leaks?'
'Yes. I have a huge scar on my chest from the heart-operation I had when I was only one week old.'
'Well, maybe she's right. You have to be careful in the beginning before it heals. I had to wash my ear lobes with alchohol every morning and night for six weeks.'
'Do you like my nail polish?' asked Karla holding her hand to the phone camera, changing the subject.' Karla then brushed her eye lashes with mascara. 'Can you see that I have mascara on my eye lashes?'
'Just a little. Are you coming to the farm on Friday?'
'Yes. I'll be there.'
'Good. I want to show you my new pony. And then we can play with my Barbie dolls.'
'I'll let you know when we are on our way.'
Ida and Karla were very modern children, and kept in touch through their i-phones. Karla sat in her room with make-up on a small table with the image of Ida on her i-phone propped up against a bottle of nail-polish remover.
'What do you think of this colour, Ida?' showing off her lip glans*.
'Did you get real earrings?' asked Ida.
'No, they are glue-on earrings from the children's department at Ahlén's department store.'
'Really? They look like real earrings. Everyone here has pierced ears. My older sister and my second cousin and everyone at school. I got my first pair of earrings last year.
'Almost everyone at my school wears earrings now.'
'Do you want to get your ears pierced?'
'Yes. But Mum won't allow it. I'll do it when I'm eighteen and can do what I want.'
'That's nine years from now. Why won't she let you do it now?'
'Because of the risk of infection. She says my heart leaks.'
'Your heart leaks?'
'Yes. I have a huge scar on my chest from the heart-operation I had when I was only one week old.'
'Well, maybe she's right. You have to be careful in the beginning before it heals. I had to wash my ear lobes with alchohol every morning and night for six weeks.'
'Do you like my nail polish?' asked Karla holding her hand to the phone camera, changing the subject.' Karla then brushed her eye lashes with mascara. 'Can you see that I have mascara on my eye lashes?'
'Just a little. Are you coming to the farm on Friday?'
'Yes. I'll be there.'
'Good. I want to show you my new pony. And then we can play with my Barbie dolls.'
'I'll let you know when we are on our way.'
---------
Word count according to WordCalc: 357
P.S.
P.S.
I bet you all were expecting something horrble to happen here. Am I right? Originally, I was going to do just that.
This everyday scene is very much like a conversation, that I happened to overhear, between my daughter and her friend.
My babies are growing up. Little girls start early wanting to be little women. They also want to be exactly alike. It is hard for a little girl to be different; to be the one who does not do what everyone else is doing.
I know. This is just a sketch. It's not really a story yet. But it will be. Karla arrives at the farm, and the two friends take a walk through the woods where, in the moonlight, a spaceship hovers and Karla is beamed up and abducted by aliens!
Best wishes,
Anna
*P.S.
'Lip glans' is meant to be 'lip gloss'. I was thinking in Swedish, temporarily.
First Commenter:
Niljanjana Bose
of
Madly-in-Verse
