She stopped me just as I was about to walk out the front door..
‘Wait! Your skeleton is showing.’
There was a not so subtle hint of condescension in her tone.
'Come here’,
She grabbed me by the back of the neck with one hand, and with the other tore out the rest of my spinal cord, whipped it with a flourish and just before I could drip through her fingers jammed it painfully back into the socket, dabbing at the bloody edges with a tissue before straightening my collar and buttoning the moment with a tilt of the head and the emptiest of smiles.
'Now what are we going to do about these horrible old things?’
She was staring down at my fingers with disgust. I’m not sure how it happened exactly, but the flesh on both of my hands had grown transparent and gelatinous. With skin like decaying latex, you could see the blood struggling through my veins but even more offensive were the creaking little bones underneath.
'You’ve really made a mess of yourself haven’t you?’
She shook her head and crossed the room. Kneeling down by the bed and pulling out an old wooden sewing box from underneath.
She rummaged around in several of the compartments until she found what she felt was necessary.
'You’re a very lucky boy’
..
'I am?’
With hands tucked behind her back she approached me, slow and deliberate, smiling like a little school girl.
'Close your eyes or no surprise!’
Nervously, I closed them and felt her pulling something very dry and coarse over my hyper sensitive digits. It sent a horrendous shiver up my freshly adjusted spine that was almost unbearable.
'You can open your eyes now’..
I looked down to discover I was wearing what seemed to be gloves, but made from the skin of somebody else’s hands. Much too nervous to appear ungrateful or rude. I faked my best smile.
'Wow. They are really awesome..
Thank you so much’.
Her eyes were wide and teary and so proud that she had to step backwards just to properly take in her handiwork.
'Those were your grandfathers’.