#148 The Orchestration of Elena

by Katherine A. Strickland

She stood across the room intently reading a book she held in her tiny hands as she gently leaned against a stark white wall. At first glance, she was a mishmash of color—a total discombobulation an “odd ogg” of sorts. A mutual friend approached her, leaned down and spoke quietly in her ear. She looked up at him with surprise, snuck a peek in my direction and laughed; as she removed her purple rimmed oversized glasses. I could hear that chuckle from across the room—it sounded like the soft music of a light and airy wind chime. Then I saw her china doll face come to life—with porcelain skin, blue eyes that reminded me of the Atlantic Ocean on a sunny clear day and a grin of perfect teeth—perfect, that is, in their imperfection. Her right front tooth overlapped her left one and two others were just a bit crooked.

She stepped forward and her green shoes, red stockings, lacy white smock and orange band in her dark wild curls no longer clashed. Rather, she transitioned into a work of art in motion. She approached me and extended her wee hand, which I took in my large one. Then she spoke “Hello Jesse, my name is Elena” and this vision that was “her” became orchestrated.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Very mysterious. So many questions about Elena. She would be a fun character to follow.