Anything Goes

It didn't matter now what Mama Sarah thought about her hair or her white slip or her choice of a husband or anything at all. Mama was just a severed head sitting in front of the mirror on the vanity table. Mama's things were hers. She grabbed one of the silver combs and twisted her hair on top of her head. She pulled several wisps forward so that they would fall seductively in front of her ears.

A fly appeared and landed on the nose. Donna watched, fascinated as she fit the edges of the comb into place and snapped her mother's sapphire earrings onto her alabaster lobes. The insect seemed to be licking up the blood. Was that possible? Or was it simply her imagination? Certainly the fly was buzzing excitedly all over the green and yellow room that always whispered of gardenias. That was Mama's favorite scent. As she watched the fly land on the canary yellow drapes, she wondered if that scent would ever fade away.

This room with its high ceilings and textured wallpaper held many memories for Donna. It was in here that Mama Sarah would read stories to her. In that Queen Anne chair in the corner she would often sit and watch her as she prepared for evenings on the town with her father. It was also in here where she spent many hours talking to the voices. When they were with her, she was Rapunzel, Snow White, maid Marion, Joan of Arc and Lady Godiva.