Whispered Tales

Intolerable Incision (899 words)

Maddy squealed when Lissy got out of the car wearing the exact same braids. Her mum pulled out a new bag. Thomas the Tank Engine. As Maddy put it on her back, her mum got in trouble.

"Ma'am, this is a kiss-and-drop zone. No getting out of your car."

Lissy's mum gave Lissy a kiss on her head. "Oh look. There's Maddy," then hopped into her car.

Maddy rushed to greet her but the grumpy lady held up a hand. Maddy stopped dead still, like her body had been turned into stone. Then Lissy collided into her, giving her a great big hug and breaking the spell. "You got here first."

"Didn't they have any more girl school bags?"

Lissy turned a slow circle, trying to see her bag. "Thomas is a girl bag too." Then seeing Maddy's bag, "You got Elsa. Mum said I couldn't have Elsa."

They were interrupted by the grumpy lady. "Good morning first-graders, there's Ms Claramine. She's your teacher. Now follow her."

Lissy squeezed Maddy's hand, "She looks like a witch."

Maddy watched the woman approaching along the concrete path. Brown shoes, heavy brown skirt, and pearls around her very wrinkly neck. She had little dark eyes, a man nose, and a brown scarf.

"Follow me. Don't forget your bags."

Lissy stood still, staring, until Maddy tugged her along.

In class, they huddled together on the floor. Big desks and chairs loomed behind them and Ms Claramine towered in front. There were two words in the middle of the whiteboard. Maddy leaned over to Lissy and whispered, "That's her name. It starts with M for Mzzz."

Instantly Ms Claramine leaned over the pair, "No talking. Are you two going to be trouble?" They both shook their heads in unison. "Then stop holding hands."

They let go, and dried their suddenly sweaty palms. A girl behind them began to cry, "Mummy". Neither of them turned to look.

After that, even when at their pair of desks, Maddy and Lissy spoke to each other only with their eyes.

A bell rang for short-break. "You'll all sit on the chairs near the little play yard. Now scoot."

Ms Claramine stopped Maddy and Lissy. "Not you two. I've got something special to show you." They followed Ms Claramine to where she'd sat behind her old desk. She opened a heavy draw and lifted out a beautiful box. Deep carvings were sliced into the dark wood to show children playing.

It thudded onto her desk, then she slowly turned it towards the two girls. "Don't be scared. Come closer. I'm showing you my enchanted scissors so you know what they do." She slowly tilted back the hinged lid to reveal red, felt lining and an ancient pair of scissors. The handles were silver, like twisted leaves and flowers, but the blades were perfect-black like stone.

"Do you know what these enchanted scissors do girls?"

Maddy and Lissy shook their heads in unison. Eyes wide.

"They cut the bonds of friendship. Cut them right apart. For. Ever."

Snap! The girls flinched as the box lid slammed shut. Then, "Scoot."

As they dawdled back into the classroom after break, talk of escaping fell silent.

They were drawing balloons, and Ms Claramine wasn't even speaking when Lissy leaned close. "We could cry like that boy did. His Mum got him."

"No. If we annoy her, she'll cut us in half." Then Maddy fell silent as Ms Claramine walked past them, eyeing them carefully.

After she'd passed, Lissy whispered, "We can run along the veranda instead..."

Ms Claramine swung around and glared. "That's enough. You'll both stay back at lunch."

Maddy remained silent. Lissy cried. Her tears made the ink on the balloons run. Little blue rivers smeared across the paper.

Everyone else had left for lunch break. Ms Claramine pulled out the carved box. "Now come to the front little ones. Turn to face the whiteboard. Closer. Now look away from each other." Lissy was sobbing. "Shush that pathetic noise. Now with each snip, you'll feel your bond of friendship being cut.

Snip.

"The ache of homesickness.

Snip.

"The fear of being left behind."

Snip.

"The good memories fade away."

Snip.

"The secret promises broken."

Snip.

"Nothing left to say."

Lissy had stopped crying. The enchanted scissors clunked into their box. "Melissa. Find somewhere else to play and don't talk to, or even look at, Madison again. Scoot." Lissy's footsteps faded away.

"Madison, you caused this. Don't talk to, or even look at, Melissa. Find someone else to play with. Scoot."

Maddy turned, and walked, eyes down watching her feet. When she got to the little playground, she sat near a corner, staring at the grass.

Then her heart leapt as she heard someone walking up to her. But her little shoes were wrong. It wasn't Lissy.

"You crying?"

"No."

"Want your mum?"

"No."

"Want to see my fairy charm?"

Maddy looked up to see a girl with two plaits holding out a jewel in a circle of shiny plastic. "Look through it to see fairies."

Maddy accepted it, put it to her eye then looked around. The world was broken up into hundreds of bright triangles full of children. As she turned, the children shifted across the triangles, then one sitting child filled all the triangles. Hundreds of Lissys, sitting on the ground. Staring at the grass. Lissy turned and smiled.