Short Stories Volume 2

How Many Times Have You Died?

Everyone has something they don't like about their body. It can range from certain looks, your height, hair color and eye color etc. The one thing that has always been a major factor for me wasn't my height or body figure. For me, it was these large brith marks that littered my body.

The first one was impossible to hide. Even if I applied more make up than a clown would. It ran from my left temple down and across my eye to the right side of my nose. The coloring of them were about three to four shades darker than my skin tone which was a sienna shade, therefore making them a bronze color.

There was no hiding that. It stood out more than an elephant did.

As I said, I had numerous others. There was one, right in the center of my back. Two on my right side just above my hip. Those actually make me smile a little because they look like puncture wounds, so I just pretend that I had a little rendevous with a vampire. However there's this patch of them running down my left leg behind my knee all the way down to my ankle. It easily has about ten.

The strangest part of it is that they're as tender as bruises. Obviously not a fresh bruise because then it would hurt but one that is already starting to heal yet aches to touch. Every single time I run my fingers over them, I can feel the slightest bit of pressure build up. Almost like something's underneath even though I know nothing is.

Oh, there's this other thing that I forgot to mention.

It's both annoying and strange that my birth marks are very stubborn. No matter what skin oil, cream, lotion or product I use or even how many cosmetic surgeries I have, they refuse to go away. The healing process of the one on my face took forever. It felt like someone was rubbing salt after peeling my skin. And yet, the mark was still there!

I stopped after the second attempt. It was too much for me to handle and since the damn mark was once again still there there was no way I was going for the third. So I just gave up.

The only thing that made has made any of this easier to ignore or accept was my current date.

I was reluctant at first with this ridiculous plan of it being a blind date but I promised myself that I wasn't going to let my insecurities control me anymore. Boy was I glad that I agreed.

Undoubtedly, I was a nervous wreck as I waited alone at the table. Almost certain that I had been stood up until the waiter led a man to where I was seated. Despite the two scars that ran across his cheeks, he was very handsome. Dangerously so. He did look out of place with the nice suit he had on but I'm positive is you take him back a couple thousand years ago and give him a sword he's fit right in.

His charisma wasn't all that like one would see in a celebrity but his confidence was alluring. What I mean was that he was no poet for sure but when he would talk he could hold my attention.

Normally at this point in a date I would excuse myself for one of two reasons. One, my date would or rather could not look past my birth marks. Especially the one on my face. So they would end up trying to tell me all the things I could try as if I'm their patient of some sort.

Or two, my date would not even look at me at all at an attempt to not be rude by looking at my marks thus making them rude for never even making eye contact throughtout the entire time we were there.

But with him, none of that occured. There was no awkwardness or shying away of any kind. In fact, by the end of it, I was sure there was going to be a second date. When he walked me home he held my hand until he pulled me in and kissed gently. His hand cupped my face as his thumb lightly traced my mark.

His words were almost romantic if not for the last bit.

"Your birth marks are the most beautiful marks I've ever seen. I'd love to give you one of my own."

Before I could even ask him what he meant by that as I felt the sensation like a really bad cramp hitting me in the stomach. When I peered down, I saw only the hilt of the knife in his hand.

I still hadn't made a sound. Not even when he turned the knife and slid it across my left side. All I could do was look up at him as tears filled my eyes and my legs began to give way. I tried speaking but all that would come out were broken breaths.

"Just close your eyes beautiful." He held me, craddled me almost lovingly. He hushed me as one would a child, rocking me back and forth.

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Everyone has something they don't hide about their body. It can range from many things. The major one for wasn't my height or my body figure. It was these large birth marks that littered my body.

I have them all over by my two largest ones are the one that's on my face that starts on my left temple and runs down my eye to the right side of my nose. The other one was at the center of my stomach and drifted off to my left side. Frustratingly, no matter what I try or how many surgeries I have, I just can't seem to get rid of these birth marks.