Synaesthesia Magazine Red | Page 9

The first time he saw her- the girl in the wall- he knew he had to have her. He named her Annie. Her blemished layers and rough jacket seduced him. Her wrinkled skin oozed across her face like custard through a sieve. Her lines he traced with his erect finger - wet and ready. Her many faces, so angular - rectangular. Her symmetry amazed him and she always knew what to say; nothing.

He caressed her in public. He was careful not to embarrass her or take it too far. But he couldn’t help himself. He would go for days without seeing her. He travelled for work, often miles away, and sometimes he had to leave the country altogether. This caused him distress; the days he had spent separated from his muse; the inanimate object.

Boys threw eggs at her. Pissed on her. Spat at her. Embellished her with chewing gum. Poor Annie - ever the victim. He did what he could to stop them. He scrawled ‘private property’ across her belly with chalk, but the words washed away in rainfall. He covered her body with sheets of plastic to shield her from the sleet and snow. On weekends he spent all day with her, to keep an eye out and teach the thugs a lesson. On Saturdays he packed a lunch of tuna fish sandwiches and carried with him a collapsible chair. There he'd sit quite happily for hours, with his Sudoku puzzle book and Mills and Boon novels - he loved to read about romance. This became a regular thing, come rain or shine. On Sunday evening, he was sad to leave. Before his departure, he left a trace of kisses down her spine and told her how he loved her so. He rubbed his torso up against her edge which left him hot and ready; his arousal made her blush.

by Natalie Claire Baker

Weeks had passed since the lover last touched the girl in the wall. He missed her. He had aged considerably since their last meeting; his skin had softened and his hair had grown coarse, leaving patches where the rest had fallen. His bones creaked; he could have sworn he sometimes heard them rub together as if in protest...

Natalie Claire Baker is a recent graduate from Kingston University with a BA (Hons) degree in Creative Writing with Drama. She currently works as Product Editor in children's entertainment publishing and drifts between poetry and playwriting.