Storymania - The Fairest Of Them All by Sarah (( S A R A L A R A L ))

The Fairest Of Them All
Sarah (( S A R A L A R A L ))

Sally Fletcher always wanted to be a model. She was not one to beat around in the bush- she wasn¡¦t a smart girl, never any good at schoolwork- but she was a very beautiful girl, and had a way with people that she could never quite explain.
She also had what seemed like more than her fair allotment of luck, and this tended to get her what she wanted most of the time. She became a model, for example, in the most idyllic, fairytale circumstances- she was discovered at the age of 11 by a children¡¦s casting scout from a big-time advertising agency, while simply relaxing on the beach. As a result, she kept modelling and before long she was 19, and just as beautiful as ever.

One would think that this would be the one of most inopportune and unexpected times for Sally¡¦s luck to fail her, if only for a second- but although fate may sometimes seem to favour us, we cannot control it, and this applied fully to Sally.
This particularly unlucky incident occurred when Sally was standing in the middle of a lush football field, working through the very last of a long afternoon of photo shoots. She was posing in front of a team of training footballers as part of a ¡¥Sporty Girl¡¦ story for a fashion magazine.
The day was coming to a close, everything was working out fine- when a stray football flew out of the blue and struck Sally flush on the nose.
Her face was numb for a moment, and her vision went red. When the numbness cleared into a throbbing pain in her nose, she was already being loaded into the back seat of her mother¡¦s car and driven to hospital.

Once Sally reached the Mercer Hospital she was rushed to a doctor and began to have x-rays and tests on her broken nose. The injury was not mortally threatening by any means, and to you or I it would only be a bit of a nuisance. Sally was a model, however, and the cosmetic threat to her career was very important.
She spent the next few hours very aware of the dull ache of her face, sitting still on the surgeon¡¦s low table. She watched doctors and her modelling bosses bustling in and out, having hushed conversations and looking at x-rays for what seemed like a lifetime. Finally, a man in a white coat entered and sat down opposite Sally.
    ¡§Good afternoon, Miss Fletcher. I am Dr Herman Vass, and I am a plastic and cosmetic surgeon for the hospital.¡¨
Sally had to lean forward to hear him properly- he spoke in a whisper that was barely audible. His voice was high-pitched and coldƒ{ something about it made her shiver.
    ¡§Miss Fletcher,¡¨ he continued, squinting at her from over his round glasses. ¡§I am pleased to tell you that the damage done to your nose is minimal, in that you will have very little difficulty breathing and smelling and the like.¡¨ He paused. ¡§However¡Kthe structural damage could be quite disfiguring if left without immediate treatment.¡¨ He held up a picture of a woman with a lumpy nose, hooked and angled to one side.
Sally gasped, imagining facing that reflection in the mirror. ¡§Give me whatever treatment you have, right away!¡¨ She was thinking of her appearance, but she also knew that she would probably never see another camera again in her life looking like that.
    ¡§Are you sure, Miss Fletcher? This may involve putting metal plates in your nose, or rods.¡¨
Sally gulped, but no matter how little she liked it, it was going to have to happen. ¡§I¡¦m sure.¡¨
    ¡§Ok then,¡¨ said Dr Vass in his odd, quiet voice. ¡§I¡¦ll call in your mother, and we can organise a plaster for now and an appointment for tomorrow.¡¨ With a slight nod, he left the room, his white coat rustling behind him.
And so it began.

* * * * * *
Sally came back to see Dr Vass almost every day over the course of the following week, and he changed her plaster and poked and prodded, looking at the way the cartilage was healing and trying to shape her nose to best improve her appearance.
    ¡§That looks much better than yesterday, don¡¦t you think?¡¨ Dr Vass enquired, standing back to look at Sally¡¦s face properly. ¡§You¡¦re looking prettier every day. You know, you¡¦re a very beautiful girl, Sally,¡¨ he added softly, gazing at her.
Sally frowned. Normally she would like compliments, like most human beings, but this was about the tenth time that he had made this particular comment over the past week. He had also taken her picture almost every session, but he had told her that these would be documented for ¡¥reference¡¦. Sally had a strong suspicion about where the pictures would go- often Dr Vass showed her a folder full of photos of his past clients. There were ¡¥before¡¦ photos of most of the people, but the ones that the doctor liked to dwell on were the ¡¥after¡¦ shots. The patients looked stunningly beautiful in these ¡¥after¡¦ photos- any blemish on their face, however slight, had been fixed to perfection.
    ¡§Miss Fletcher?¡¨ Dr Vass asked quietly, snapping Sally out of her reverie. ¡§Are you alright? You¡¦ve been silent.¡¨
Looking up into the doctor¡¦s face, Sally shrugged away her uncomfortable thoughts- Dr Vass was simply a kind man, who prided himself on his ability to help others. So what if he liked to keep his little trophies?
There was nothing wrong with that.

* * * * * *
Brring brring. Brring brring.
The sound of the telephone echoed through the Fletcher household.
It was two and a half weeks since Sally¡¦s broken nose, and she was healing rapidly. With Dr Vass¡¦ help, Sally¡¦s face was almost fully restored to it¡¦s former beauty- perhaps even improved- without the surgical help, and she only went to see the doctor every four days or so for quick checkups.
So Sally was surprised to hear, when she raised the phone to her ear, Dr Vass¡¦ high-pitched, whispering voice on the other end.
    ¡§H-hello?¡¨ she said cautiously.
    ¡§Oh, hello Miss Fletcher. You¡¦re just the person I was after. I was wondering if you¡¦d mind dropping by my house some time this afternoon to pick up those x-rays we took yesterday.¡¨
    ¡§Er¡Kreally? You want me to come over to your house?¡¨
    ¡§Well, it¡¦s my day off, so I¡¦m not going in to the hospital, but I thought perhaps you and your mother would like to see the excellent state that your nose is in now as compared to the last x-rays we took.¡¨
    ¡§Oh, I guess so.¡¨ Sally glanced around- her mother had appeared in the doorway. She pointed to the phone and mouthed ¡¥Dr Vass¡¦ before continuing. ¡§So, you want me to come this afternoon?¡¨
    ¡§Yes, I live quite near you, so there should be no need to bring someone else along,¡¨ he said smoothly. ¡§I¡¦m at 24B Masterson Drive; you know it?¡¨
Sally murmured her assent.
    ¡§Great. I¡¦ll see you there soon.¡¨ There was a click as he hung up.

After briefly explaining the conversation to her mother, she put on her coat and scarf and left for Dr Vass¡¦ house.
It was only a short walk there, but by the time Sally reached the peeling brown front door, she was freezing cold thanks to the chill winter winds. Pulling her warm clothing closer around herself, Sally knocked on the door.
She heard shuffling footsteps behind the door getting closer and closer, and with a muffled sound of a key turning in a lock the door swung open to reveal the doctor.
Herman Vass looked shorter and more diminished without his important white coat and name tag, and Sally surveyed him at a distance, suddenly reluctant to go inside.
    ¡§Ah, Miss Fletcher.¡¨ He gave a thin smile. ¡§Do come in.¡¨
Sally glanced around her, and stepped into the house. Looking around, she noticed that it was not much warmer inside than out- the interior of the house was not at all cosy; the peeling wallpaper was stained and there was a large mildewy patch where water had leaked down the wall from the roof.
Walking further inside, Sally felt her eyes adjust to the dingy lighting, taking in the mismatched furniture and debris that littered the floor in front of her.
Dr Vass stepped over a couple of piles of loose sheets and letters. He appeared to look around for a minute, then, staring at the floor, said quietly, ¡§I think I must have left your x-rays in the basement. Just follow me; it¡¦ll only take a second.¡¨
He led the way down a dim hallway to a small door with a heavy lock. Pushing the door open wide and ushering Sally in, he flicked a switch on the wall and a row of fluorescent lights flickered to life, illuminating a room at the bottom of a short flight of stairs. As Sally began to descend, she noticed a definite drop in temperature. Huddling into her quilted coat, she stepped down the last of the stairs and looked out at the room before her.
She froze.

The first thing she saw was a row of faces. Each perfect, startlingly beautiful face was set in an unmoving smile- each hand and foot was still, and each arm and leg motionless¡K¡Kbehind a layer of glass.
Sally stared, horrified, at the flawlessly preserved people, each in their own glass showcase. There was a nameplate at the foot of each smooth prison- Sally read silently the names of ¡¥Christie Newman, Soap Actress¡¦, ¡¥Damien Connolly, Male Model¡¦, and ¡¥Bella Trelaw, Pageant Queen¡¦ before tearing her eyes away. She had read enough.
She turned slowly to face Dr Vass. He was lingering at the foot of the stairs, watching her. His eyes glinted.
    ¡§Enjoying my collection?¡¨ he whispered softly. ¡§Sally?¡¨
It was the first time he had said her Christian name. Sally felt an involuntary shiver judder through the length of her body- a shiver that had nothing to do with the frosty temperature of the vault-like basement.
He took a step towards her. ¡§These people are all very beautiful, are they not? But you, Sally- they have nothing on you.¡¨ He paused. ¡§People speak of inner beauty, qualities of the heart and soul. However I believe in the beauty that we show the world, day in, day out. The world has shown me that it will not accept my values of beauty, so I have preserved beauty at its finest, within my very home.¡¨ He spread a hand in front of him, gazing across the room. ¡§This is indeed a fine collection already, but, Sally, you would be the jewel in the crown. You would be the fairest of them all.¡¨ He paused, raising his eyes to stare into hers.
He made a sudden lunge for her, his hands outstretched, a hungry look contorting his usually emotionless face. Sally jumped to one side, crying shrilly. ¡§Get away from me, you- you sicko!¡¨ Her voice rose feverishly.
She glanced behind her, and noticed something that she had missed earlier- an empty glass case, looming ominously, its door ajar. She shuddered to think of its nameplate¡X ¡¥Sally Fletcher, the fairest of them all¡¦¡K¡K
Suddenly Sally knew what she had to do. She took a backwards step towards the empty case just as Dr Vass regained his balance. He took another threatening step in her direction. Their eyes locked for a moment, and he made a second lunge at her. She side-stepped him, and this time he plunged headfirst into the waiting glass prison.
It looked for a split-second as though the doctor was going to react- to throw out a hand, somehow prevent the door swinging shut to trap him- but he did no such thing, and he was entombed in the smooth showcase. Sally stood and watched warily as the freezing mechanisms in the cabinet kicked in. As he got colder, the doctor¡¦s frantic scrabbling at the glass gradually slowed, his clawed hands falling silently by his sides, and his features locked in an expression of hate. With a final glance behind her, Sally Fletcher was free to escape the eerie statues, leaving Dr Vass locked in his ghostly, icy domain with the beauties he so loved.