Strange Times

She Was A Queen.

" I had a sister. "

Anastasia.

Supposedly, she had been named after their mother. He hadn't any clue as to whether or not this was true, though legal documents did support the claims. However, their were many legal documents in existence that were meant to represent him, & there was not a single bit of truth to any of those.

But she was a princess.
She was a queen.

" She, uh ... Really liked crafts. Sewing, specifically. The rest of us — We played rough. We tore holes in our clothes on the daily from playing outside all the time, so my sister, she took it on herself to fix them. But she had this ... Pattern. I don't know, the way her stitches crossed, the patches she used ... It was something only she could do. I remember justlooking at the patches she sewed into the elbows of my jacket once. She had used pink stitches, & the thread crossed over itself so elegantly. It was mesmerizing.
" She always gave them back to us with this smile, one that made her eyes light up whether it was a pair of socks, mittens, a shirt, anything. Her top lip would curl up & show her front teeth, & her cheeks would be dusted a pink color, & her eyes — One of my brothers said they were just like moms. They — They were this really, really bright shade of blue, & it was like — It was like looking into a pair of crystals.

" A couple years ago, when I was working the corner, there was one night where it was really, really cold. There was a bit more business a couple streets over, so I figured I may as well cross over there, but while I was walking ... I passed someone. I didn't really think anything of it, until she brushed past me. Her elbow hit my hip, she mumbled an apology, & kept going. But I turned around, & — & there were these ... PATCHES in the elbows of her jacket. Not a sloppy job, either. It was done so neatly, with such a specific pattern ... I SHOULD have turned around, but I was just ... Standing there. The stitching — The patches were woven in with pink thread. It's ridiculous, but I followed behind.

" She was under a street light when I caught sight of her again, leaning into some guys car window, that typical 'whatever you want, it's yours, for a price,' street walker pose. She was smiling at him. Her upper lip curled up a bit, enough so you could see her two front teeth — But it didn't quite reach her eyes.
" I SHOULD have walked away, right ? SHOULD have minded my own business, but I didn't. I picked up the pace, tried to catch up to her. I guess I wasn't fast enough, 'cause she just slid into the car, slammed the door shut by the time I got to where she had been standing. SHOULD have left, right ? SHOULD have gone the fuck back onto the street,but I looked into the car window where she sat, & —
" — & She was looking right back at me. We both kind just ... Stared at each other. Even when the guy drover her away, & we were fading into each others backgrounds, we just kept looking — & It was like looking into a pair of crystals. "