Half-smile and Pinch-face

Karlee Rene

illustrations

This fantastical story explores the idea of interface through an imagined dialogue between two of the plastic masks used by cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy. Using literary imagery and visual illustrations, the piece introduces a sense of enchantment to the cold, sterile clinical environment defined by technology and synthetic materials. The conversation between two masks dramatizes the search for meaning, hope and communion in a world in which our faces are often obscured, and our stories distorted.

 

Click below to listen to this short story read aloud by the author.