Chapter 1
Hi. I'm Evelyn Caltoose. I am a 35-year-old mother of two. One girl and one boy.
My late husband, Tomas Carlsin, died, but that's not relevant right now.
This is about The Scarfing.
The scarfing is a ritual that affects all female-identifying humans. Between the ages of 8-12, the girl's mother gets a letter.
This is where my story starts.
I was ten years old as I walked home from school. We'd just started our cross-country term and I was exhausted. I grabbed the pile of mail and walked into the lobby of the apartment. I went up the elevator and into my family's apartment. I hadn't looked at the mail, I was too tired. I sat at the table and looked through them. My mother was making dinner. A particular letter caught my eye. It was crimson red with... scabby sealing? I'm still unsure. It had my mom's name written on it so I called her over. She took the pan off the oven and I handed her the creepy letter. Her eyes became glassy and she walked out to the balcony, telling me to look through the rest. "Uh, okay." I had said. I looked through them. Hydro bill, baking letter, a Pizza Pia promotion thing, and a letter from the Landlord. My mother walked back in, to the fireplace and burned the letter. It smelled rancid. She sat me down and looked at me. Her eyes had a look of realization in them that I didn't understand. "Darling, I am gonna teach you about the Scarfing." She had said. I remember cocking my head and asking what that was. I still remember the answer.
"Honey, the Scarfing is a ritual. All girls and women do it." I wanted to interrupt but didn't. "Every night we attach a scarf to our bed so that it drapes our heads. I believe that you are mature enough to start." I asked her why but she shook her head. We had supper, the two of us. Dad was working late, again. We were talking and the particular subject that is the letter came up. My mom said that it was Dad, being funny. I knew she was lying but didn't say anything. She asked me if I wanted to get a scarf. I nodded and said "Sure, mom." We went to Floormart and went to the scarf aisle. A beautiful robin's egg blue scarf caught my eye almost immediately. I walked over to it and took it. I was about as tall as me, so, 5 feet. At had a tiny bit of glitter, just enough to make it shimmer. It flowed to the floor like a bird, dare I say a robin? I'm sorry. Please allow just one pun. My mom smiled at me. "This one." She nodded. We got a few more things and went to the checkout. The cashier, a lady in her mid-40s, looked at my mom with sad eyes, to which my mom shook her head ever so slightly. However, that only made the lady look at her with even sadder eyes, if it was even possible. We walked out and I asked my mom, "What was that? Why was that lady looking at you like that?" Mom gulped. This was a question she didn't want to answer. "Mom, please. I want to know." I pushed and she ended up telling me. I mean, I pushed all through the car ride home, so... Anyway, mom sat me down on my bed, and looked me in the eyes. "Sweetheart, the... The reason you need to use the scarf is because..."
((A/N sorry if my chapters are short. I thought of this while falling asleep if that helps you grasp things.))
