A Study in Charatcer

A Study in Character My aunt…. wears jewellery that winks as she walks and she always has a sharp, shivery look that you pay attention to …just in case! She makes the world around her nervous and I can hear it in my own voice; it’s as though I have a secret that she is about to discover, one she won’t like! My aunt…. has eyes that are shadows, dark, hidden… stretching to intimidation because it’s always difficult to tell what lies in shadows! She is also an opposite; anger lines track her forehead while a narrow smile rides his lips. My aunt…. always looks pale and cold as if she has never been warm in her life while her voice is a footprint in the sand, light but very noticeable. My voice? Well I keep it prepared. I take my words out and polish them before saying anything in front of her. My aunt…. likes to say to people, “Are you listening or are you listening to what I am NOT saying?” Then she would stare as if it is a challenge, her jib offering a sense of menace lips chewing, fingers fisting. My aunt… sometimes stands very close to me, a face dancing with twitches, temples creased, crinkled and cracked and I stand there as intelligent as my left shoe, the one with the hole in it. Then suddenly I feel highly strung as she plucks me like a guitar that has over anxious strings. My aunt… I remember the first time she asked me something about myself and, suddenly, I couldn’t find my voice. So I sent a speeding bucket deep down to my inner well and I hauled up a meritless reply. Yes my words are like me… shy! My aunt…. yes my aunt… is a very unpleasant headache dressed up in clothes….and jewellery! Ian Souter 10/12/24