Stones

                          ( Doll by Anne Valerie Dupond)


It took all three men to pull the dead girl from the water and dump her heavy body inside their fishing boat with a sickening squelching thump.
Washed out, white and swollen she was, though it wasn't that fact which made the men pull back in horror..no it wasn't that. What sickened and scared them to death was the fact that her whole body was completely covered in thick, black stitches. These vile, crude lines disappeared inside her frail flesh only to reappear a few inches down or up just to slither back inside her. Her mouth, neck, arms, breasts, thighs and legs were covered in them completely. It was those lines that kept her in one piece, it was those lines that gave her shape. Naked as she was, she looked more like a stuffed puppet than a dead human being.
The fishermen quickly decided to roll her into one of their sheets for they didn't want to have to look at her for the three hours that would take them to reach the coast, only then, did they realise the true horror of the crime; for the young woman was truly stuffed, indeed she was. They could feel them poking behind her skin, they felt them round and smooth inside their palms as they were rolling her over.
Stones.
The young woman was completely stuffed with smooth, round stones.

......................................................................................................................................................

When the last one was taken out of her, she looked like one of those rubber dolls, straight out of the box; sleek, white, rubbery and hollow.
Her killer was nothing less than an artist; he had unfolded the woman perfectly and so carefully, like an ancient scroll only to put her back together meticulously, patiently keeping her shape intact. By placing smaller stones behind her face he had captured its shape completely, her breasts remained full, her waist and thighs perfectly balanced. Longer stones imitated her spine and shoulder blades, rounder ones her buttocks.
Perfect work.
Unquestionably a sculptor.
The doctor placed one stone next to the other on the marble table, trying to make out their patterns or even  form complete sentences. You see even the doctor had made a shocking discovery; all the stones, one by one, were not only carefully chosen for the task but were beautifully carved too. They had things written on them in slant calligraphic letters that made the doctor gasp.

Basting.
Basting is evil. It does nothing for the meat but it does keep the skin in place.
Skin lies in the realm of art so I did it justice the best I could. You found her, you be the judge.

All the rest was food.

   ( Doll by Anne Valerie Dupond)