Aunt Peggy
A pair of slender legs encased in
a skin-tight pants first emerged from the taxi. The rest of the svelte figure
then followed. Lily pale hands adjusted the brim of her wide sun hat to protect
her porcelain skin from the harsh rays of the sun. Tendrils of curly hair that
had been highlighted a warm honey brown escaped from the confines of the hat
and framed her heart-shaped face like a halo.
“Aunt Peggy!” a trio of voices
chorused aloud. The lady glanced up and a smile lit up her serene features.
Three dark haired children bounded forward and clasped the lady in a fierce hug
as they inhaled her familiar scent of roses.
“My my …look at all of you.
You’ve grown so big!” Aunt Peggy gushed in her deep sultry voice. Dark soulful
eyes gazed affectionately at each of her nephews.
The New Maid
Rosie gawked in bewilderment at
the ingredients placed in front of her. She had no inkling what some of them
were at all. Anxiety crept slowly over her like a slithering snake that would
strike her heart any moment and cease her existence in this world. If she was
unable to whip up a sumptuous dinner within the hour, she could foresee her own
impending state of unemployment. Given her desperate state of finance, that was
as good as sending her to the gaols. She grasped the chopping knife in a death
grip trying to still her trembling fingers. The handkerchief tied round her
homely black hair did nothing to soak up the perspiration that flooded her
forehead and nape like a broken dam.
Unwilling
to be sent back home with her tail between her legs, Rosie attacked the first
ingredient with a vengeance. The reddish flaky skin gave way to a translucent
pearly white flesh. A sharp stinging odour greeted her nostrils and tears
started brimming in her eyes. “This can’t be happening to me!” Rosie bemoaned
desperately. “Why can’t I stop crying?”
Grandmother
Grandmother laid a hand on my
shoulder and gave me a gentle squeeze. I glanced up only to find her face
deathly grey and showing signs of fatigue. Furrows were etched deeply into her
wrinkled forehead.
“Are
you all right, Grandmother?” I questioned as I hastened to lend her a helping
hand. “Let’s rest for a while on that bench over there.” Clutching her dampened
gnarled fingers, we shuffled our way an
excruciatingly small step at a time to the bench. Her limbs wobbled like jelly
as her legs threatened to give way any moment.
Grandmother
sank gratefully into the seat. Her gasping and wheezing sounded abnormally
tight and harsh as her chest fought a valiant battle with her lungs and heart
for oxygen. A sheen of perspiration coated her papery skin turning it almost
translucent. Despite her own discomfort. Grandmother tried to put on a brave
front by giving me her trademark toothless smile as she patted my shoulders to
alleviate my worries.
The Aged Father
Mike sat forlornly by the bedside
of the elderly man. A single tuft of snow white hair at the top graced the
otherwise bald crown. Gazing at the sleeping form of the old man did he then
realise how much his father had aged over the years.
Green
protruding veins were visible all along his rail thin arms where the intravenous
tubes pierced. His once robust body had now been reduced to a shrunken shell
that was practically consumed by the bed. The monitors beeping constantly in
the background and the slight movement of his father’s chest were the only
consolation that his father was still alive and breathing.
Mike
recollected how his father had dropped to the ground without warning. He
remembered the brief astonishment at how light his father was when he carried
him to the car. It was like carrying a ragged doll.
The Proud boy
Kenneth
strode assertively to the front of the class. There, he paused and adjusted his
poise. Kenneth smoothed out the creases in his uniform and straightened his
pants. Then, he ran his fingers through the wild mop of his curly hair hoping
for some semblance of style. The class burst into boisterous laughter at the
comical sight. However, Kenneth was not one to be easily put down. Sunlight
reflected off the gold rim of his glasses which accentuated his owlish eyes.
Determination and authority exuded from him in waves as he raked the entire
class. Gradually, the sniggering and laughter subsided before finally ceasing
completely. Inhaling deeply, Kenneth started his speech. However to his
embarrassment, his usual strident voice came out in a mousy squeak as saliva
accumulated in his larynx.
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