short.

Experimenting with flash fiction...

I decided to shut-up. Every morning I pressed glue to my mouth, made the lipstick face and held it there for forty seconds. Every morning. At my job I wore my headphones and sent emails instead of calling. My boss thought I was working harder and he gave me a raise. I nodded at him, my mouth frozen.

I forgot why I’d done it, it seemed like such a great idea anyway. After awhile people stopped trying to talk to me, they got so used to me having nothing to say. My parents called and I sent them letters in response; my mom called it charming.

Then one day I saw you on the street and I felt it again. I ripped open my mouth and my lips bled. I touched your shoulders and said “I love you” close to your ear. Your shirt was marked with my blood. You just looked away.