Over The Top: Flat Out

I held the beetle in the palm of my hand. It was bright pink, with yellow spots on its wings. It looked like a flower. I held it close to my face so I could see it and it waggled its antennae at me.

"What a sweet little fella you are" I said.

Then it bit me.

Ouch!

I dropped me beetle in pain and hugged my nose. I could feel something spreading into my face, going through the blood. I danced around for a while, squeezing my nose to get the poison out but it was already too far in. Now I wondered if I was going to die or not.

The beetle crawled across the floor away from me. I wanted to stamp on it. Crush it into a wet pulp on the floor. Get my revenge. But I knew Dad would be angry, so I picked the beetle up and threw it back into its case.

I started to cry.

"Dad! Please hear me! Where are you!?"

But the room stayed empty. Just like the rooms at home.

I went back to the lift doors, which had shut. I was still hugging my painful nose as I swiped the card. It took ages to come. When the doors opened I was feeling better. My nose had stopped hurting, but now there was a tingly feeling all round it. I pressed the button for Level one and waited.

As the lift went up I looked at myself in the mirror on the wall. What I saw gave me a fright. I wiped the glass to make sure it was real. What was happening to my face? Was I dreaming?

My nose had changed to an even colour. Both nostrils had gone flat, and one eye was changing into a flat shape with a flat pupil in it.

I put my hands to my face and felt it. Smooth, like plastic. The tingly feeling was spreading outwards in a circle, taking the other eye with it. Now I had two flat drawings for eyes, and my mouth was turning into a pair of lightly shaded lines.

By the time the lift reached the car park the smooth, flat skin was all over my head and spreading down my arms. My hair went flat too, like polished metal. I squeezed my neck to stop the poison but it went under my fingers.

Where was Dad! I needed him desperately but he was somewhere else as usual. Didn't he know I was his daughter? Didn't he care? Why should his work be more important than me!