Victoria's Reflection   Victoria's Reflection 

by Jane Aldred
 
         Victoria stood in the cheap motel room's dingy bathroom and
 studied her reflection.  "I look awful"  she thought.  Her long curly
 tresses lay in heaps at her feet,  and the rich dark color had been
 traded in for a garish red.  It wasn't supposed to be this color,  the
 box had said "dusty blond" but the chemicals in the cheap dye
 had reacted strongly to her hair.  "Well at least no one will recognize
 me;  how could they, I don't even recognize myself."  Ben had loved
 her hair;  the color and the feel of it.  Which was one of the reasons
 she felt she had to cut it. 

         It had been one week since that terrible night at the train
station
 and for the hundredth time she wondered if Ben was dead.  One day
 when the waters had calmed she would look into it. 

         If he was dead,  so what. 

         If he was alive...... 

         I don't know what I'll do.  Maybe I could go back; if nothing
else
 Ben was a good lover.  It had felt so good to hurt him.  So right. 

         Her eyes wandered to the piles of hair at her feet and, kneeling 
 down,  she pulled over the trash can and started putting handfuls of
 hair into the bin. 

         She felt her eyes start to burn and her stomach tighten with
rage. 
 She was angry.  Angry at Ben for loving her and sending her to prison,  
 angry at Ray for shooting him.  She was angry at the stupid hair color
 and at the unfairness of the world. 

 Suddenly she grabbed the trash can and hurled it at the mirror 
 screaming: "NEVER, I NEVER GO BACK!!" .  And with that she fell
 the floor sobbing,  the mirror a reflection of Victoria's soul. 

THE END. 

 
 
 This story is dedicated to Diana Leigh Edwards who in a very 
 Benton-like manner sent me a copy of Victoria's Secret.  IMHO 
 the best DS ever.
 Jane Aldred
 trebor2@airmail.net