My Brave Face

MThis is my fifth April A-to-Z Challenge. The past couple of years, I’ve written 100-word flash fiction each day. This year I’m doing the same, only with a twist: each day’s story will be inspired by the title of a Paul McCartney song. So let’s continue the fun with…

MY BRAVE FACE

Misha’s frightened eyes stared back at her from the mirror. She grabbed at her hair, thin, pale, like the rest of her.

“I can’t do this,” she said.

With trembling fingers she grabbed the foundation and dabbed some onto her face, then spread it into a thin layer of color. Misha stared at the effect.

“I can’t do this.”

She went for the blush, more color. Red lipstick. Black eyeliner.

“I can’t…”

Misha took a black pencil and darkened her eyebrows. Then the final touch: a black wig.

She frowned at herself.

“You will!”

A knock.

“Curtain in five, Misha!”

Check back tomorrow for “N”…

“My Brave Face” is a track on Paul’s 1989 album, “Flowers in the Dirt.” He co-wrote the song with Elvis Costello. It was released as a single in May of 1989, reaching number 18 on the UK charts. It got to number 3 in Italy.

cds

Colin D. Smith, writer of blogs and fiction of various sizes.

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14 Responses

  1. An actress preparing to go on stage? This echoed Sunset Boulevard to me somehow, her hair thin, pale like the rest of her.

    Swimming in the Reef this morning, you mentioned that you struggled with description. Well, this was very good. I personally don’t like overly long descriptions as it can destroy the pace of a story. Finding clever minimal descriptions like the one you did are best – and they stick. James Joyce’s “Stately plump Buck Mulligan…” – seriously, you did not need anything else. From that opening sentence, the reader knows exactly who Buck Mulligan is in three words. From your flash fiction, I think you are quite good at this clever little minimalist descriptions.

    • cds says:

      Thanks, Elise. 🙂 Yes–you got it. Hopefully, you also got that I was deliberately playing with description. From the start, maybe you might think she’s a victim of abuse, perhaps forced into prostitution, someone trying to gain strength by changing her appearance to look stronger. That’s the idea I took from “My Brave Face”–wearing bravery to help you feel brave. Of course, she *is* drawing strength from her appearance, so she would have the confidence to face an audience.

  2. Yes you can, and that final touch to the make-up and you’re ready! Great flash, as always!

  3. Celia Reaves says:

    You go, Misha / you’ve got this!

  4. julieweathers2014 says:

    Well, my brain went a completely different way. She’s putting on makeup in the mirror because she’s a vampire who is losing her reflection in the mirror.

    Perhaps she is! The main character in the Rain Crow game is a classical actress and vampire.

    • julieweathers2014 says:

      Well, boo. I loved this story as always. You did a great job. I love people who can do so well with flash fiction. I hit send accidentally.

      • cds says:

        Thanks , Julie! As I said on a previous comment for a previous story, I’m not at all disappointed when people create a backstory for these pieces of flash that never crossed my mind. It fired your imagination, and that’s cool with me! 🙂

  5. I love your story, Colin! Like Elise, I don’t like overly long descriptions. But if you had to write a long description, you would do a great job! You can do anything, dear friend! You have an amazing talent. 😀

  6. ddeepa says:

    Loved reading it, hopping on to more! Visiting here from the A-Z Challenge! Good luck with the rest of it! And inspiring to know people who complete so many A-Zs! This is my second, I crashed out with F on the 1st! See you around!

    Cheers,
    Deepa
    Deepa’s Kaleidoscope

  1. April 17, 2016

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