Issue 7:
Sky
Theryn Fleming
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Slivers
At the church, they trade hugs and greetings with once-familiar faces. The
men smell of cologne and hair gel, fresh-pressed shirts and new leather. The women glisten, salon-cut hair and glossy tans accentuated by sleeveless sheath dresses.
The groomsmen hand the guests white candles. Flickers caper across the shuttered windows and vaulted ceiling. Strawberry blond wood. Dusky light. The feel of an upside-down boat. Wax drips onto her hand, cooling and congealing. She picks it off and rolls it between her fingers.
The ceremony is brief, tears minimal.
They follow the newlyweds through the foyer, extinguishing the flames, exchanging warm wax for silver balloons. Stream into afternoon sun. Hide shocked pupils behind sunglasses.
The guests release the balloons as the bridal party glides away in a limousine. The taut orbs wriggle into the cerulean sky, trailing silver ribbons. Three catch on the power lines. Flutter and squirm.
While the men fuss over the transport of chairs, the women compare rings and
shoes. Their conversation rolls over her, mercury on glass.
A gust releases the snared balloons. Silver merges into blue, vanishes. She wonders if they'll reach bursting altitude and explode or if they'll slowly shrivel and sink back to earth.
~Theryn Fleming
Off-line Theryn resides in BC with an Ironman and a cat; on-line she's an editor at Toasted Cheese, the writing site and ezine she co-founded. Email.
© 2001 by Theryn Fleming. All Rights Reserved.
© 2000-2002 by Cayuse Press. All Rights Reserved.
This page updated April 30, 2002.