Beauty (standard:drama, 2146 words)
Author: Hulsey	Added: Oct 28 2006	Views/Reads: 3886/2470	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
A woeful tale of a young girl.

The howling wind in its wake brought a multitude of leaves, spreading
them on the sodden ground like a carpet of fallen confetti. Another 
miserable autumn day greeted Janet as she jogged gracefully around 
Stewarts Park, an area renowned for its association with Captain Cook. 

Janet was twenty-eight years old and had the body of a fashion model.
She would always attract the admiring, sometimes leering glances of the 
males, fellow joggers, or men out walking their dogs. Unfortunately, 
the face did not compliment the figure. It was like an engine of a 
Reliant Robin inside the body of a Rolls Royce. 

Janet was not a plain girl; she was downright butt ugly. Her
imperfection affected her mundane social life. She felt like a 
caterpillar, striving to break out of the cocoon; only she was not sure 
she wanted to. 

Janet had long, red, lank hair, her eyes were too close together and her
eyebrows looked as if they were trying to merge with her brow. Her 
teeth were protruding, and she could not walk to the end of her street 
without the “what's up doc?” jibes from the cruel children. To complete 
her mask of horror, she had acne. “Don't worry, it'll clear up when 
you're out of your teens,” her few friends had told her. Well it had 
not. 

Janet had understandably never been involved in a relationship. Her face
was her Alcatraz, from which there was no escape. 

“Get cosmetic surgery,” was the advice. If she could even afford it, the
thought of the surgeons staring down on her ugly mug never filled her 
with elation. Janet was paranoid. Walking in the town had become a 
terrifying ordeal. She had resorted to wearing sunglasses. They gave 
her the feeling of added security, as she viewed the cruel world from 
behind her dark lenses. 

It had not always been like this. In her early twenties, she had the
confidence to arrange a couple of blind dates, both which ended 
disastrously. Timothy had approached her from behind, as she was seated 
at the bar, and thought he had gone to heaven. That is until Janet 
turned to face him. He bought the drinks; excused himself as he paid 
the gents a visit, and the last that was seen of him, he was still 
sprinting down Linthorpe Road. 

Brian had not been so discrete; he just came out with; “What the hell is
that?” and departed, leaving Janet in tears. 

Janet had a heart of gold and worked for several local charities. She
often wondered if there was a charity for the ugly. She could relieve 
them of some of their funds. 

Janet jogged the same route every morning, but this morning she wanted
some time to herself. The following day, she was to appear on the Good 
Morning programme with hosts Richard and Judy, and she was terrified. 
Her friends had set up the opportunity for her to have a makeover and 
she was dreading it. How could she face all those strangers? She had 
trouble talking to people she knew without turning away. 

Her mother had reassured her, telling her that her face had character,
and the makeover would show her in a real light. It was all right for 
her to say that. Janet had not inherited her Quasimodo looks from her 
mother; her father being the culprit. 

Janet exited the park, the strong gale blowing into her face. How she
wished the wind would blow strong enough to remove her features. Janet 
had no intention of making her commitment to Richard and Judy... No 
way! 

Janet was shaking. Her mouth was dry with her nervousness when she
prepared to meet the famous couple. Her natural instinct told her to 
turn and run, but her mother and best friend Nina barred her way. Janet 
looked down the line of other girls, who were looking and probably 
feeling just as terrified as she was. As her eyes took in each girl, 
her childhood trip to Madame Tussauds reflected in her mind, notably 
the Chamber of Horrors. Janet felt a little better after examining each 
frightened girl, but only a little. 



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