The child stood up. Her arms at her sides, her face unreadable. Her hair was perfect, not a single strand out of place. Her dress was crisp and pristine. Her eyes were dull and without emotion.
The perfect child.
She never moved her head up or down. She didn't move a muscle. In front of her was a stand. On the stand was another child just like her. Perfect. Only this one was moving her lips.
"On that night, I saw......She was crying, I remember well......." Her voice kept fading. Never once did the child facing the stand let her mask falter.
"She had blood on her....hand.....There were several cuts down her....arm." Again the voice faded.
The judge looked at the girl. He said something to her and without changing expression rolled her sleeve up to show several angry red lines all down her arm.
She then sat down, hands folded in her lap. The judge said something, and her mask faltered for a second. In that second happiness glowed, and then her face was unreadable again.
Guards dressed in royal blue walked to her. One had a friendly face and smiled warmly at her. She wanted to lift her arms out and ask him to pick her up. She nodded and stood.
They led her gently out of the building and away from what she had called life. They never did stop to pick up her stuff. Hidden in a gilded coach the girl slept.
~*~
She was led into a whitewashed room. Then it dawned on her, she wasn't being put into a safe house, but was being frozen!
The forced her down onto the table. She began to cry, and fight them. The friendly faced guard looked down at her sadly.
: I'm sorry little one. It's for the good of the community and for the kingdom.: he tried to tell her, not knowing if she received it.
: I'm sorry little one. It's for the good of the community and for the kingdom.: echoed in her mind as the slid the needle into her arm.
~*~
The friendly faced guard stood and looked at the girl. Her hands folded across her chest, and her dress and hair rippled in the ice as if it were water. Then he realized, it was water.
It was water in the ice! He touched her frozzen face and turned and walked off. He was to see her again, years later. He wouldn't recognize her and she wouldn't recognize him.
The perfect child.
She never moved her head up or down. She didn't move a muscle. In front of her was a stand. On the stand was another child just like her. Perfect. Only this one was moving her lips.
"On that night, I saw......She was crying, I remember well......." Her voice kept fading. Never once did the child facing the stand let her mask falter.
"She had blood on her....hand.....There were several cuts down her....arm." Again the voice faded.
The judge looked at the girl. He said something to her and without changing expression rolled her sleeve up to show several angry red lines all down her arm.
She then sat down, hands folded in her lap. The judge said something, and her mask faltered for a second. In that second happiness glowed, and then her face was unreadable again.
Guards dressed in royal blue walked to her. One had a friendly face and smiled warmly at her. She wanted to lift her arms out and ask him to pick her up. She nodded and stood.
They led her gently out of the building and away from what she had called life. They never did stop to pick up her stuff. Hidden in a gilded coach the girl slept.
~*~
She was led into a whitewashed room. Then it dawned on her, she wasn't being put into a safe house, but was being frozen!
The forced her down onto the table. She began to cry, and fight them. The friendly faced guard looked down at her sadly.
: I'm sorry little one. It's for the good of the community and for the kingdom.: he tried to tell her, not knowing if she received it.
: I'm sorry little one. It's for the good of the community and for the kingdom.: echoed in her mind as the slid the needle into her arm.
~*~
The friendly faced guard stood and looked at the girl. Her hands folded across her chest, and her dress and hair rippled in the ice as if it were water. Then he realized, it was water.
It was water in the ice! He touched her frozzen face and turned and walked off. He was to see her again, years later. He wouldn't recognize her and she wouldn't recognize him.
