Sneaky Tricks

Everyone thinks I’m sad because of the midnight wailing and slamming doors. They think my heart hurts when I see holes in the door and rusty red specks on the carpet. They think I hide under my duvet to drown out funny words like bitch and pig, and that I don’t like it when people come over asking me to draw pictures of my family. But they are wrong; I’m fine. In fact, I am more than fine: I eat ice-cream cake for lunch, and I’m finally allowed to wear lipstick. But despite these obvious facts, everyone insists on thinking that I’m sad. For instance, stupid Mr. Van Vuuren. After class he calls me to his desk. When he asks if things are alright at home, I do a crafty thing. I start to cry, tricking him (the fool!) into feeling sorry for me and forgiving me for the drop in my grades and my terrible new habits of plucking out single strands of hair and hiding in cupboards or trees.

Emelia Steenekamp is a South African writer with a background in film-making, film scholarship, and digital art. They have been published or have work forthcoming in The Gravity Of The Thing, Strukturriss, trashheap, and Datableed.

A Song for Emelia