Poly O'Keefe's Halloween Adventure
I knew something was wrong the moment I woke up. There was something about the way I was lying in bed, how the covers felt on me, how my t-shirt didn't fit. Still, I was too groggy to put things together initially. My hands felt around, almost independent of my brain, touching my hair, my face, my chest. Focusing on my chest. That's when I looked down.
"AAAAAAAAAAA! My breasts are missing!!! Who took my breasts?!"
Later, I counted myself lucky that I was living on my own, and had only met my neighbours in passing. This sleep-addled scream of mine wasn't going to haunt me. I hoped.
So I was not in the best of moods as I stumbled from my hut to the compound, struggling to keep my pants, shirt and dignity on and not to trip. There were a lot of kids in the compound today, I thought. And that's when I realized how widespread the problem was, and what the problem was. A check in the bathroom mirror confirmed my fears: a girl who I hadn't seen for five whole years stared back at me. I cast my eyes heavenward and cursed at the gods of this place. Again.
There was a line-up at the clothes box, and I had to wait fifteen whole minutes while the thing disgorged costume after costume. I get it, I thought. It's Halloween, and now we are going to have to play... Then it was my turn.
The first thing I'd picked out was a pair of fairy wings; the second thing I picked out was an orange felt bag with an image of a jack-o-lantern on it; the third thing stopped me in my tracks.
"Well, I'll be--"
It was my favourite red swimsuit from when I was twelve, last seen in a charity box outside a thrift store near Charleston, South Carolina, but as fresh and new as it had been when I'd first put it on. I stared at it a long moment, as the line-up to the clothes box filed past me, and a smile touched my face. I remembered the beaches of Gaea, our home that had been converted from an old hotel. I giggled, girlishly.
A part of me told me there was no sense in being angry. Before I'd even stepped into the bathroom to change, I'd already slipped on my costume for the day. I was Poly O'Keefe, aged 12. Before my world got a lot more complicated.
Clad in my swimsuit and fairy wings, I grabbed up my bag and went trick-or-treating.
This was Polly's day:
"AAAAAAAAAAA! My breasts are missing!!! Who took my breasts?!"
Later, I counted myself lucky that I was living on my own, and had only met my neighbours in passing. This sleep-addled scream of mine wasn't going to haunt me. I hoped.
So I was not in the best of moods as I stumbled from my hut to the compound, struggling to keep my pants, shirt and dignity on and not to trip. There were a lot of kids in the compound today, I thought. And that's when I realized how widespread the problem was, and what the problem was. A check in the bathroom mirror confirmed my fears: a girl who I hadn't seen for five whole years stared back at me. I cast my eyes heavenward and cursed at the gods of this place. Again.
There was a line-up at the clothes box, and I had to wait fifteen whole minutes while the thing disgorged costume after costume. I get it, I thought. It's Halloween, and now we are going to have to play... Then it was my turn.
The first thing I'd picked out was a pair of fairy wings; the second thing I picked out was an orange felt bag with an image of a jack-o-lantern on it; the third thing stopped me in my tracks.
"Well, I'll be--"
It was my favourite red swimsuit from when I was twelve, last seen in a charity box outside a thrift store near Charleston, South Carolina, but as fresh and new as it had been when I'd first put it on. I stared at it a long moment, as the line-up to the clothes box filed past me, and a smile touched my face. I remembered the beaches of Gaea, our home that had been converted from an old hotel. I giggled, girlishly.
A part of me told me there was no sense in being angry. Before I'd even stepped into the bathroom to change, I'd already slipped on my costume for the day. I was Poly O'Keefe, aged 12. Before my world got a lot more complicated.
Clad in my swimsuit and fairy wings, I grabbed up my bag and went trick-or-treating.
This was Polly's day: