The woman's vivid eyes caught his attention. Unafraid, unlike Akhito's last girlfriend.
Akihito smiled. He could change that.
The woman approached and asked, "Am I pretty?"
Weird, but okay. "Very."
She pulled down the scarf covering her mouth. A jagged scar split her face. "Am I pretty?" she repeated.
His smile froze. He'd been warned about Kuchisake-onna in this neighbourhood. If he said no, she'd cut him to pieces. "Yes?"
Sharp steel flashed and he screamed as her scissors ripped into his face. His cheeks dripped blood.
"Now you're pretty, too," the demon taunted. "And women will know to beware."
Author bio: Alison McBain is an award-winning author with more than fifty short stories and poems published/forthcoming, including work in Litro, Flash Fiction Online, and FLAPPERHOUSE. When not writing fiction, she is the Book Reviews Editor for the magazine Bewildering Stories.
Twitter: @AlisonMcBain
Website: http://www.alisonmcbain.com/
Pretty is part of 101 Fiction issue 15.
Ouch!
ReplyDeleteWow! Loved it. And, I am envious. I have received more rejections from Flash Fiction Online than I care to admit.
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