perfection

she clicked the "checkout" button on the screen of her computer without any hint of hesitance. this time, 3 days from now, the screen on the monitor states that the moleskin gucci purse would arrive at the harrington place. ms. kimberly was ecstatic. the prospect of a new item of beauty arriving to add to her splendor is euphoria. such fervid emotions quickly caused her to be predictably restive. anticipation coupled with anxiety and impatience for the object to arrive, she strolled back and forth her room staring all the time at the mirror on the wall where a reflection of her haughty face consisting of a pair of blue exotic almond-shaped eyes and a sharp hooked nose stares back into the room nonchalantly. her lucious lips is perfect, never without the addition of an exceptionally glossy pink lipstick. even her cephalid features are flawless as blond streaks of hair flow towards the pair of well-groomed sharp elfin ears. although she portrays a supercilious demeanor it is often a facade of her naturally sanguine face.

this time though, neither arrogance nor cheerfulness is apparent on her face. she simply could not wait for the purse to arrive. pirouetting from the mirror on the wall, she walked towards a sophisticated 3-level closet that contains hundred of clothing articles. on one side of the closet is a small panel that gives you the feeling that you are operating an airplane with its many buttons. one of these, when pressed, causes the closet to rotate revealing a different side of the closet that contains even more of her superfluous designer collections. she decided to put on her favorite halter top as she grabs the keys to her car in one of the nooks of the closet.

arriving at her favorite mall barely three miles away, she quickly walked through the arched entrances to the commercial and fashion heaven of the 21st century. The 8th Wonder of the World was not only a heaven for shoppers around the globe, it was a giant. standing as the largest man-made building in the short history of humanity, its total volume spans well over a million square feet. the sheer size of this building dwarfs even the largest aircraft hangar. it is the epitome, the culmination of the insatiable human hunger for material wealth. every year, millions all around the globe visit its famous silver archetypal buttresses which lined the entire building from the outside propping up the dome-shaped structure. its raised vestibule along with a giant plasma screen in between the arched doorway of the main entrance is a sure sign of the rising affluence of all the people around the globe.

it is only natural for ms. kimberly to be living at the heart of the fashion center of the world. as the only daughter of a billionaire and an aspiring fashion designer, she requested, no, insisted that her father buys her a penthouse at the very top of the posh harrington place positioned just next to the 8th wonder. ever since moving in last january, she has been on a shopping spree, obtaining new garments. her sedulity of the constantly changing fashion never falters. she would often shop with her wealthy friends but even these affluent companions find it hard to keep up with her insatiable hunger for fashion. it has become an obsession.

as she enters the mall, a looped recording of the mall announcement for donation to the charity of eliminating global warming elicited a smug smile from ms. kimberly. she knows that her father, an oil-tycoon frequently donates to the cause of reducing global warming but yet ironically, he is the one who caused the problem in the first place. to her though, she could not care less. to her, trees and plants are for cotton and linen while animals are for wool and pelts.

with haunting elegance and grace, she took the escalator up and walked to her favorite department store. an overly convivial store assistant greeted her as she entered the store but she nonchalantly yet at the same time maintaining an air of pride waved him away. he scurried away like a sewer rat scuttling from the blinding light. in his place, the store manager arrived promptly.

"what would you like to have on your lovely self, today ms. kimberly?" he had said. he knew her. of course, who wouldn't know ms. kimberly? the obnoxious, the rude, the arrogant daughter of an american billionaire oil tycoon.

"ask that once more and i will have you joining the increasing number of the jobless. i have told you before and i will tell you one last time. my body only deserves the best, so bring out the most expensive and newest article that you have in your joke of a shop," she castigated in reply with malice dripping on each of her word.

the manager took flight and within a minute returned with a ten-thousand dollar dress made by hand from a famous designer. she lambasted the quality of the design and her querulous tirade went on for a good couple of minutes before she finally bought the dress. she bought it not because she liked it but because she wishes to own the most expensive fashion and her selfish self would not allow anyone else to compete with her for this.

store managers know about this particular obsession. they each know that if they can survive her diatribe long enough, they would be able to make sales worth a month's fortune. all except for one store manager who has a deep resentment for the pampered child. and it was on one fateful day that ms. kimberly decided to visit this manager's store for her shopping indulgence. the encounter started off with her customary derisive remarks but as soon as the manager told her that he has what it takes to make her the most beautiful person in the world, she was immediately enthralled. he had promised to make her perfect. what's more, he even promised that he can help her overcome aging altogether, that she would never have wrinkles and her face would remain as it is 100 years from now! all she had to do was to follow him to the back of the shop where there is a modern factory that makes the clothings and other oddities.

with utmost obedience characteristic of a child promised an ice cream treat, ms. kimberly walked apace, all thoughts of pride thrown aside, into the back of the shop. it was fairly dark but quite visible with the light shining through the door from the front of the shop. inside, a myriad of half-complete dresses hung on the shelves. several half manequin heads were laid out next to some of the dresses. above it all a word carved in gold and red at the far end of the wall spelled "Perfection", the name of the shop she was in. as she was looking from side to side, settling down on her initial excitement of the promised flawlesness, she began to open her mouth to demand for her promise but it was too late.

she was being pushed towards the human-shaped cast she saw earlier. she struggled and pushed with all her might but it served no purpose. her frail slim body could not defy the stalwart arms of the store manager. as she approached the cast, she realized that it was not a cast at all, but a half-open manequin and she was being forced into the manequin. in the split second she was struggling, she also saw that the word Perfection was not really coated in gold and red paint but rather, red bloodstains. at last, she was forced within the confines of the manequin and the manager promptly brought the other side of the manequin to close.

the last ms. kimberly heard of the outside world was a lock clicking as the manager secured the manequin.

the last the world heard of ms. kimberly was her muffled screams from within the manequin.

the promise that the manager initially made to ms. kimberly was upheld. she was indeed perfect and would not age a single day.