Written by Lori Cramer
As April leans against the doorway, a pigtailed tot sitting in the sunlight plunks a dark-haired
doll into an empty plastic basin and scrubs her with a faded handkerchief. “Doesn’t it feel good
to get clean?” the little girl asks in a tender-mommy tone. She lifts the doll out of the makeshift
bathtub and, using the handkerchief as a towel, pats pretend water droplets off the doll’s
synthetic skin. “Now let’s get you dressed.” She shoves the doll’s arms through the sleeves of a
pink-polka-dot nightgown. “I know you hate this part, bambino, but we simply must get the
tangles out of your hair.” She scoops the doll into her lap and forces a tiny comb through the
doll’s stiff curls. “There, there,” she soothes, setting down the comb. “All finished. What a great
job you did, staying so still!” She lays the doll on the carpet, blanketing her with the
handkerchief, and kisses her on the forehead. “Good night, sweet girl. Mommy loves you.” A
sudden beep startles April. She glances around the vacant room, then down at the message on the
phone in her hand. Tears clouding her vision, she types, Was just thinking about you.
.
Lori Cramer’s short prose has appeared in Fictive Dream, Flash Boulevard, Flash Fiction Magazine, The Mersey Review, Scaffold, and elsewhere. Her work has been longlisted for the Wigleaf Top 50 and nominated for Best Microfiction. Links to her writing can be found at https://loricramerfiction.wordpress.com X: @LCramer29 Bluesky: @loricramerwriter.bsky.social.