You may recognize the name Susan Helene Gottfried as a book blogger from West of Mars, fame. She has several blogs there but she is also an author. April 12th was her birthday and for her birthday she asked people to buy her short story for $.99. When I read the description, I knew I wanted to read it.
Lynne liked to go with her father to Elite Threads, his favorite clothing store. It was nice to have the one on one time. She felt special because he would hold her hand. Her favorite part about going with her father was the mannequin that was there in the men’s department.
“He looked like Mom’s Ken doll, the one who was never allowed out of his display case to play with any of Lynne’s Barbies. This mannequin’s hair wasn’t brown plastic waves like Ken’s. It looked real.”
While her father tried on clothes, Lynne would sit at the Mannequins feet and daydream about what it would be like if he was her father.
“Ken would pay attention to her. Well, more attention than visits to Elite Threads, where she sat under Ken’s feet and daydreamed about someone who wasn’t even real. It wasn’t like Lynne’s dad talked much to her while they were in the shop. Just on the way there and back home again, and even then, he mostly talked about clothes while she stared out the window and pretended to listen.”
While at the store another man came in and tried on a shirt. He looked more like Ken too.
I found it amazing how Susan wove this story together. All the different layers of powerful prose that added up to a little girl who had to dream about having a father in who life because her real one was just too busy for her. This story took my breath away! You can buy it Smashwords or Amazon for $.99. This gem is worth every penny, actually more.
If you read it, please be sure to come back and tell me what you think of it.
If you would like to participate in Short Story Mondays, go to John of The Book Mine Set. He has a short story review every Monday and a place for you to link your short story review. Come join in the fun and add to my short story TBR!
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