By Prospero Dae
An august light shone on her obsidian-hued hair and all the other dwarfs were jealous of the little minx. And so they tormented her.
They poured pebbles into her gruel and watched her spit out shards of teeth and bits of bloodied rock. Sometimes they would filch her books or put toads in her pillow. One evening they glued her jonquil dress (glorious percale) to a chair! It tore when someone yelled “Fire!”
Hardened, she years later became a grande dame of the theater—always declining interviews, never wanting to intimate that she owed her success to a brood of brats.
Such writing is what I’ve come to expect when I read a post by Prospero Dae: superbly literate, sensual, and highly original. I especially love that jonquil dress glued to a chair! For idiosynchratic reasons I found this particular story—lump in the throat, trembling lip, eyes welling up—-very moving.
Yes, there’s something about dwarves that is very moving. Snow White thought so, but then again her dresses were never stapled to a divan.
Beautifully descriptive, Prospero. ‘Obsiduan-hued hair’ and ‘jonquil dress (glorious percale)’ are delightful images. And how sad that such a lovely garment should be glued to a chair! It’s such a shame, though perhaps not surprising. that her success as a hardened grande dame was due to many miserable years of being tormented by those brats.
Thank you Millie. I’m glad that you like percale and the color jonquil (who doesn’t?). And thank you for your kind words. And one more thing–I don’t give interviews.
Our little princess had the last laugh over those little brats. Yes, if they only knew what they gave her in the end – a spine, backbone and a little **** to them all, in the end she persevered . Loved your writing in this piece
Lady Macbeth played by a midget is certainly interesting. But that’s the genius of the thing. It’s not what’s outside that counts–it’s the darkness within that matters.
So beautifully descriptive and wildly creative.
I think I can also relate to the diminutive heroine: for certain things must occur in order for one to become tough and unflinching in the face of adversity.