Mask
115 Mask M y father is reading the Times, Prince Richard is wearing the crocodile mask. It has a long red and yellow checkered snout and black teeth. He brought it from the war as a present. After he takes it off he says to my mother, “She has your eyes, my dear. She’ll be quite a beauty when she grows up. Just like her mother.” I feel my mother squirm. She smells like seaweed. He crouches down in front of me, his face sweaty from dancing around the room, and on his cheeks there are red lines where the mask pressed down. His eyes grow big. “Little Anna, if I wait for you will you marry me?” I can’t stop looking at the marks on his face. His lips are wet. “Say yes, beautiful Anna, say yes.” Everything smells green and slimy. He turns his eyes away for a moment. He looks at my mother. I do too. The middles of her eyes are big and black. “I’m not going to get married,” I say to her and my voice comes out loud but I can’t move. “I’ll wait for you,” he says, “you’ll see, I’m patient.” 116 “No,” I say, “I’m not going to get married.” Tears are in my throat. My belly hurts. “Don’t be silly,” my mother says, “a prince just proposed to you.” She is still looking at him. My father turns the page of his newspaper. C y c l e 2 ...
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