A mother and her son have come to the beach. They come upon a face baking in the sun.
I shall tell this face that he is baking in the sun, says the son.
No no, shouts the mother. To do so would be most inappropriate. After all, the face may well be a cake baking in an oven. To disturb him might well cause him to go flat.
But I tell you he is only a face, says the son. And if something is not done soon, he will...
No no, his mother repeats. He may well be an intricate piece of pottery drying in the sun. To disturb him might cause a crack in his side, which is most delicately etched with the history of his people.
But mother, screams the son, the face begins to melt.
Stay away then, warns the mother. The face may well be a nuclear explosion, and to touch him would certainly mean your death.
A face melts into nothingness in the sand.
O dear, says the boy.
"The Delicate Face" from The Collection
Thanks to Susan Gibb for her inspirational piece, The Face
What you've done with this, where you've taken it, is probably where I would have liked to have gone. Beautifully imaged and written.
ReplyDeletedid you edit the picture? it seems to have something extra in the current version anyway!
ReplyDeleteJulia, the face seems to have melted a bit since yesterday. I'd stand back if I were you.
ReplyDelete