VisDare 31: Paperdolls
Here’s a short story I whipped up a few minutes ago. The photo prompt seemed a bit too obvious to me. I didn’t want to end up in the same place n other writers did, so I used it solely for inspiration and not topic. I let it lead to a completely different mental image. Is that cheating? Probably not. The photo prompted the idea for this story, and I wrote the requisite 150 words. So there. 🙂
Click the (prompt) photo to be lead to the host page for VisDare.
Paperdolls
Passersby stop, lingering for a while. It’s hard not to gawk at them. They look ridiculous, all dressed up and lined off like that. Some people pose with them for cutesy touristy pictures.
It’s funny, the idea of powerful paperdolls. They’re well equipped for whatever may transpire, on the off chance that anything ever does. This is downtown. Central Nassau. Crowded and full of life, no one ever dares to step out of line here. Not even the paperdolls.
They wear those impractical uniforms with pride. The long, dark pants, long-sleeved high-neck tunics, limp belts, and white gloves make no sense. It’s hot. Sweltering, really. The funny looking hats barely fit. All it would take is one swift wind and they’d take flight.
Wave lines of traffic through the intersection. Smile at tourists. Pose for pictures. Sweat.
Horrible job. I guess that’s the trade-off for the right to bear arms.
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Yes, this is making fun of the local authorities. Well… Their uniform. Because it’s my story, and I can do that. And they look silly. Arrest me. I (vis)dare you. Hehehe.