La Mascara -

She tried to scream, but the mask had learned her mouth. Outside, the bakery downstairs stayed closed. The fern finally died. And on Tuesdays, the postman sometimes left a brown paper package at the wrong door.

The first time she tried to take it off, the velvet clung to her skin like a second layer. La Mascara

People treated her differently. They filled in the blank spaces of the mask with their own fantasies. She was mysterious. She was tragic. She was beautiful in a way that required no proof. She tried to scream, but the mask had learned her mouth