"I dream in golds, shimmering rays
of sunlight dappled with fairy dust." Lenora smiles and I almost
feel sorry for her. "I dream in moonbeams."
Ray rolls up Lenora's left sleeve, ties
a band around her upper arm, and places a red rubber ball in her
hand. "Squeeze," he says, and she does.
The ball reminds me of that clown with
the bright red nose and orange hair, two acute triangles protruding
from either side of his head. "You remember Bozo, Ray?"
"Dude with the funny eyebrows?
Smile the size of the Grand Canyon? He's Illegal now."
I put my hand in front of my face to
hide the smile I'm sure is spreading there.
"You're not laughing, are you?
Laughing is Forbidden."
"No." I rearrange my face,
smooth out the lines, return to impassivity.
"Maybe your Transformation isn't
complete."
"I dream of oceans blue and
forests green," Lenora says, and her eyes have a dreamy look as
she squeezes the red rubber ball in time with her words.
Ray tears open a syringe, flicks a
finger against her arm like he's biffing the nose of a cat.
"Ouch," Lenora flinches.
"What are you doing?"
"Got to get a vein." Ray
allows an illegal grin to flash across his grimy teeth as he holds up
the needle. "We're going to infect your dreams with bitterness
and despair. Turn your star-shine into sorrow. We're going to grey
your blues and chop down your forested dreams."
"Why?" Lenora has stopped
squeezing the ball. Her eyes are wide.
"Dreaming is forbidden." Ray
pinches Lenora's forearm, jams in the needle. She lets out an
involuntary giggle. Nerves.
"Stop laughing," Ray says.
And Lenora does. Her eyes flutter and
flicker and finally close.
But when Ray turns his back, she opens
her eyes and gives me the signal.
I smile.
I smile broadly.
I am ready.
Kelly Garriott Waite on Google+
Labels: fiction Trifecta Writing Challenge