A Beautiful Lie

• Gloria Limas, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2020

She struggled but she made it over. She looked over the fence, this time from the forbidden side.
Toadstools lit up, exuding a mellow indigo light that illuminated the forest floor. The willow trees swayed in the gentle breeze, softly hitting the girl’s face as she ventured through the mysterious place she had stumbled into. A silent hum from ahead guided the girl on an indistinct path, her senses dulled as she was simply just happily confused at the weird adventure she was on. The carpet-like grass muted every step as if to purposely muddle up the girl’s tiny brain.
After a little while, she floundered into a small glade. The sound leading her seemed to have settled upon a little pond in front of her. The pond was like crystal; a reflection of the beautiful night sky was painted upon it. After marvelling at the masterpiece before her, she finally spotted her own reflection. She stared some more at her rather scrawny physique, her arms were like splintered wooden chopsticks. She sighed as her eyes began to wander to another figure in the reflection. The figure was drenched in dark shadows that hid its face; its silhouette almost unclear. Then there was a rustling noise behind her.
Coming to the rather obvious conclusion that someone was behind her, she froze. The enigmatic figure slowly came forward, emerging out of a blanket of shadows. An elegant hand peaked out, then another. One slender leg, then another. Soon a dress was revealed, it’s pure white skirt swaying back and forth gently like a sailboat atop placid waves. A smooth elongated neck, then its face. A pointed nose, dewy lips, eyes as deep as the ocean… everything considered perfect.
“Hello.” The lady approached the young girl, staring at her hawk-eyed. The girl remained quiet.
“Out here all alone are you? My, my, what a brave little soul you are.” The lady bent down, so they were face to face. The girl admired the lady’s beauteous complexion.
“Well, I should introduce myself. I’m Kaira, keeper of, uh, beauty. I’m the keeper of beauty.” The girl continued to drown in her prettiness.
“So maybe I should tell you about where we are.” The lady stuttered slightly.
“Uh, this is the pool of reflection. You can see your reflection in it.” Her uncertainty was clear, yet her looks were extremely mesmerising; they blurred every word she spoke, and the girl didn’t even notice. Not the most intelligent but a nice person, nonetheless.
“So why don’t you have a look at your own reflection?”
The girl stared down at the pond. She had colonies of pimples growing all over her face. Her lips were a desert and her hair a plethora of tangled vines, yet the image was a haze with the lady behind her.
“Would you like to go on a little journey?”
The girl nodded and within seconds she was sinking in the pond. Kaira, youngest daughter of Deception, chuckled with glee.