Mannequin

"Beautiful." Rosa's face pressed against the cool windowpane of a luxurious store. Her eyes scanned the mannequin. She marveled at the burgundy silk dress on display. "Oh to be the mannequin wearing that. I'll never be able to afford it." A sigh escaped her mouth before turning away from the shop. Rosa walked home that day. Encompassing the scenery, she felt a sense of serenity that filled her awareness. The sun warmed the pale skin on her body. The smell of freshly cut grass and blooming daisies quickly averted the feeling of hopelessness she had earlier. Birds singing songs. The sounds of distant laughter echoed through the streets. A smile danced across Rosa's face. Her limbs swung freely.

Engrossed in the setting of her suburban town, she barely noticed someone walking in front of her. Judgingly, Rosa inspected the appearance of this person. The man was tall and wore a tailored grey suit. He carried a brown briefcase made of leather. What is he doing in a neighborhood like this? Before the girl could finish her judgment, the man whipped around, almost having her collide into him. "Hey! Watch out!" Rosa took a step back and attempted to regain her balance. As she scanned his face, she met with eyes darkened with immorality. He stared deep into her soul, causing chills to erupt. Rosa's body stiffened. Breaking his piercing stare, the girl glanced down at his briefcase. "Want to know what's inside?" the man said deviously. Her gut told her to run away, but that curious nature of hers combated those instincts. "Uh..." The energy between them had Rosa's already pale face even whiter. " Trust me it's what you need." A smirk enveloped his face. The smell of a cherry cigar escaped from his mouth. "I suppose..but we need to be in public." Despite his dangerous undertones, what if it was something she needed?

Scanning his environment, he invited her to sit on a park bench across the street. The girl peered out into the scenery of her childhood park to try and forget her stomach doing somersaults. The buttons of the briefcase are unlocked one by one. Click. Click. Once opened, she slowly diverted her gaze from the park to his case. What sat in it, was a little black book.

What the hell? Her brows furrowed. "Is this some joke?". Her eyes narrowed as they approached the man. Why did she expect something serious? A moment of silence fell between them before he handed Rosa the book. " Before I give this to you, let me ask you a question. If you were to obtain a large sum of money, how would you use it?" That same sinful smile appeared on the man's face. "Well...I saw this dress on a mannequin that I've wanted at a fancy store not far from here. Every time I walk home from work, I'm captivated by the shade of red. The fabric. The way it falls on the silhouette." Her cheeks flushed from rambling over a dress. "I know. I'm the owner." The man broke out into a chuckle. "Always seeing you admire it from within the store made me compelled to give you this opportunity." He finally handed her the coal-black book. "What do you mean?" Rosa's hands inspected the book. The velvet casing was soft between her fingertips.

He pulled out a pen from his suit pocket. " All you have to do is write your name and the money is yours." His voice trailed off into temptation. Rosa raised an eyebrow. " There's gotta be a catch. This seems too good to be true." The man twirled the metal pen in his hand. " Well dear, you must use some of that money to buy from my store. That's my only condition." With a sigh of hesitance, she nodded in agreement. Opening the book, it appeared to be just a regular checkbook. With closer inspection, there were multiple checks already ripped out prior. Not only that, but a set amount was written on the line. Her pupils dilated towards the price shown. "$20,000?!" Grabbing the pen from the man, she eagerly wrote her name without a second thought. As she thanked the man for his random act of kindness, she sprinted home with the check in her hand.

"Car payment. Done. Rent. Done." She went through a list of all her debts. "That leaves me with...$1,000. Damn, I hope I have enough for the dress." Rosa fled from her studio apartment in hopes of returning with the burgundy garment.

The chime of a doorbell echoed throughout the store. " Well, look who we have here. Jasmine, please come and greet our customer." The man crushed his cherry cigar against an ashtray. An employee emerged from a door behind the counter. "Welcome! We're so glad you could stop by." Jasmine was around Rosa's age. Her dark natural curls contrasted beautifully against her rouge dress. Giving Rosa a warm smile, she escorted her to the burgundy gown. "The price is...more than I can afford. It's over $1,000." "Why don't we try it on then?" Jasmine eagerly gave her a nudge. "But..." "Come on what's the harm in trying it on." That sincere smile made it hard to say no. Plus this is the dress she's been wanting for so long. Jasmine grabbed the dress carefully off the mannequin and handed it to her. "The changing room is down the hallway and the last room to your left."

Rosa's footsteps echoed throughout the hallway. With every step she took, the more anxious she grew. "Why am I feeling like this? Snap out of it Rosa." She said, giving her face a small slap. She approached the oak-wood door. Once opened, the room revealed itself to be small but spacious. All that lied in front of her was a mirror.

"Wow, I look so pretty! I could die right now if only to have this dress for my own." Rosa spun around, leaving the gown to twirl in the same direction. The silk caressed her frame perfectly. "It's a perfect fit to-"

She began to feel a little dizzy. "Woah, maybe I should calm down for a bit." Once again, she looked into the mirror only to find something horrific. "What the hell?! Why can't I feel my legs?" Her heart began to race. What once were legs, are now ceramic. " I have to get out of here...NOW. WHAT IS HAPPEN-" Before she could finish her sentence, she glanced down at her shaking hands. The white ceramic slowly crept up her arms. "HELP. HELP ME PLEASE. ANYONE. HELLO?!" Salty streams fell down her face. With the attempt of reaching for the door, Rosa's now paralyzed body embraced for impact to the floor. Wails of pure terror reverberated through the hallway. "Hh-he...lp." Before long, her lips became stiffened with the same material. Rosa's eyes glossed over into shallow holes that once inhabited sight.

"Jasmine dear, doesn't my new mannequin fit the dress better?" With the help of Jasmine, he puts the mannequin on display. "You sure did outdo yourself, sir." The doorbell chimes. Their eyes set on the customer. "Hello, sir are you looking for anything special?" "Oh I'm just looking around, unfortunately these prices are a little too high for me." Jasmine grabs his hands encouragingly. "Let's try on this blue suit! It looks like it fits you perfectly as well. Come on just try it on." She gives him a sincere smile.