The Scars Behind My Golden Dress

ice was steady, though her knees fel

It slid across the floor and hit the wall with

off, a stack of photographs fell from the inside pocket. Th

d down. She co

. In Tokyo. Dates stamped in the corner corresponded to th

of them laughing, their foreheads touching. On the ba

ped. He lunged forward and sn

nausea rolled through her stomach. "All those times I was here, managing t

ckson lied. His face flushe

tina pointed to another photo on the

ed the photos into his pocket.

s door leading to the terrace. Hanging there was a mobi

tal for pneumonia. Legend said a thousand cranes

istina said. She reached up

d at her high-collared coat. "Just like those ridiculous sweaters you always wore, hid

. The stri

Pink, blue, yellow. They fluttered

t the mess. "You

the cranes. She walked to the kitchen counter wher

n. The machine

dropped the first crane into the teeth of the

on said. He lo

one. Then handful by handful. The nois

n shouted. He rea

s she had used on the painting. She did

d. Her eyes were dead. "Trash

as if he didn't recognize her. Th

e last pile of cranes. As she shoved them in, the sh

d. It dripped onto the whi

put the finger in her mouth. S

lp, but his feet were rooted to the spot. The guilt was the

d his wet coat. "If you wa

ut, slamming the door s

e slid down the kitchen cabinets until she hit the floor, sitting amon