Narrative Text : Mannequin Manner

Mannequin Manner

  “Make it stop! Please, make it stop! I can`t hear that anymore. Her scream, her hair . . .” He woke up from his nightmare. He took a long breath and exhaled it slowly. Then he sat and bent his head down while the TV was babbling since his first delusion.

“It was 14 years, 14 years ago,” he muttered.

“I can`t forget how she was killed. Culprit! If I was brave enough to help her, she might have been saved from that tragedy,”

Long in his tragic fantasy, suddenly he heard something. With a faithful face, he said, “Yes, you are right. Thank you for your useless advice,” he looked at the mannequin that stood next to door while he nodded his head.

He nearly smiled while he was listening to the voice. With a small period of nod he said. “Just kidding, you are my friend. My best friend, stand by me and be my only friend,”

Then he stood facing the mannequin tried to wipe his sadness out. He said. “let`s go to your birthplace,”

He brought that pale creature with his sinewy hand. Then, he sang “Whiskey Lullaby” with a high tone. Not for a long time he sang, he heard the bell pealing his door, and with a high curiosity he opened up the door. There stood an old woman with a brown jacket and a bonnet on her head. She greeted him with a warm voice.

“I am sorry to interrupt your sleep, I really am. Is it a mannequin shop?”

“It`s okay Ma`am, yes it is. A small happy mannequin shop, come in and let me show you all of my mannequins,” he said.

“Yes my dear, please,” the old woman said.

Then, he led her to the shop. In astonishment, she stared at hundred mannequins that laid in the shop.

“How incredible you are Mr  . . . “She said.

“Wakerstone Ma`am, Mr. Wakerstone,” the man said

“How detail it is . . . the nose, the eye, the skin, they all looked different than the mannequins that I bought from the shop across the street. But . . . What is this? No hair?” she said frantically.

“I have a terrible trauma about hair; it gave me an old pain that always haunts Me.” said the man in a low voice.

            “I am sorry to hear that honey, how it happens?” said the woman

“It happened 14 years ago, when my mother was murdered in my bedroom. The murderer cut down her scalp and just went away.” said the man.

“Your mother is fine now, God will protect her in the heaven.” said the woman.

“Yes ma`am I hope that so . . . now, I am sorry to say this, but it`s already dark outside and umm . . . I need to sleep too, umm . . . do you want to buy my mannequins or just digging my past?”

“Actually I want it both, I want 100 mannequins for my fashion contest, but the mannequin must be haired first.” said the woman

“Okay, I will hair them all on Sunday.” said the man

“Thank you my dear, I will take my mannequin in Sunday. See you soon . . . Have a nice sleep my dear,” said the woman while she walked out the shop.

In the morning, in front of the man shop there stood an information board about wigs artisan vacancy. No any clue or any trace from jobseeker, he just sat in his cashier desk, took care of customer and nothing more.

            “Today is Thursday, but I still can`t find my wigs artisan.” he said. He quite tired because he waited for a wigs artisan for 2 days and it got no success. Then he went out to close the shop, but there stood a big-stomached man with a tight long shirt, he wanted to close his shop too.

“I hate him, I don`t know why . . . I just hate him, it`s not because we are a business rival like my father was, or tempted my mother . . . I just hate that guy, no matter how kind he is . . .”

“But I need to finish this job, maybe cooperating this business with that guy won`t be that bad. He good in making wigs, I don`t know how he make it, I mean he is the mannequin artisan but he can make wigs better than wigs artisan”

“He`s odd also, look at his head . . . I mean . . . How it can be? He`s not a professor, I am sure about that, umm . . . How he can be that bald?”

Then he approached the man then he said,

“How`s the shop Mr. Philip?”

“Oh . . . William, glad to meet you, like always, no customer come this day, “

“Umm . . . Sir, I am sorry to hear that,”

“Ah, it`s nothing. Come on in, let`s have some tea,”

“Thanks Sir, but I have another business right now . . . I need to make a hundred of mannequins, and the customer wants hairs for all the mannequins. . . Oh yes! You are good in hairing mannequins. Would you like to handle those bald mannequins?”

“I would like to, but I have a business too, I need to handle those hairs before it killed me with it smelly scent,”

“Umm . . . Just handle those hairs first, and then come to my shop . . . I`ll let the lock open,”

“Okay, I`ll come to your shop then, “

            The night came, but his job wasn`t done yet. He hurried himself up to finish the job, and then the door squeaking.

            “Sir?  . . . Come on here!! Help me with this job,” said William

            *Squeak . . .

            “it`s not funny . . .”

            *Schloook!!

“Ah!! God damn it! “He groaned in pain while the knife was impaling her ribs.

He fell down, nearly fainted. He looked at a big black shaped guy that stared at him, but the lamplight blinded his eyes. He couldn`t see exactly who he was. Then the man crouched and pulled out his knife, and then he said,

“William, I come in a right time, How are the mannequins? Are they done? Nope? Don`t bother yourself. . . “

He fiddled his knife, and then he whispered in a small frequency.

“I will make you eternal as your mother was”