The acrid smell of dust, mold and wasted time permeates the long corridor. A candelabra stands sentinel to the right of each door, barely providing enough light to perceive the doorknobs. I stand alone, a dreadful foreboding weighing down on each uncertain step. The third door on my left beckons me, and as I touch the doorknob I immediately feel the heat, and the smell of burnt flesh adds to the pungent odor of the hallway. Nonetheless, the door opens to reveal a scantily dressed woman who resembles a young me. She’s dressed in 4-inch heels and a tight leather dress that barely contains her décolleté. She invites me in the room, motions me to sit on the purple velvet loveseat. A soft rose light begins to mitigate my fear. I close my eyes and breathe deeply, a centering yoga breath in spite of the toxic air. I am open to the cleansing. To the light I envision at the end of the corridor.
Dismembering Resistance
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Please keep going. I’d love to know where we might end up here. What does the speaker need? What are they gearing up to say?
Oh, I love the fraught surreality of this piece! And yes, I want to know more…
Hi Jennifer, ooooohhhhh! This is SO evocative… drawn deeply into this…and, of course, like the others, I am waiting, waiting, hooked into this reveal of younger self before the speaker. YES!!!! More, more, more!
The tension of this piece, how the scents, the images, the use of the soft rose light as a intermediary to calm, wow. I felt the heat on the doorknob, absolutely I was there, watching.
Hi Jennifer! OMG! It’s cinematic and frought with tension and I wonder what the young her says to the older her! Yes, as Dominique, says keep moving and take us further in to this mysterious beauty! LOVE LOVE!
Hi Jennifer. This is really powerful and disturbing. I am fine with knowing more or dwelling in the mystery of it–but with maybe a few more details. Very evocative.
Hi Jennifer.
This was spooky and mysterious and then you add the clever twist halfway through. Love the ending as well.