Flash prose: The Moustache

The Moustache

by Lila Ahitov

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I tiptoe into my older brother's room. His sheets crinkle as he shifts in his sleep. I hold my breath as my heartbeat amplifies and my hands shake. I gather my courage and creep to his pillow. Regret fills me, I should have opened the Sharpie earlier. I first draw the lines under his nose, then on his chin. Facial hair added to his smooth eleven-year-old skin. I run out of the room, leaving the door ajar. Tucked into my covers, I’m able to take a breath. Safe and grinning until morning.
 

 

A brief note about work

Me and my brother have always been close. I chose this particular memory because as he is now in college, I find myself wandering into his room. I half expect to find him there. He would be reading a book, on the phone, or asleep, waiting to be a victim of my next prank. There have been many times of us recounting our night's adventures or me pestering him while he’s with his friends in his room. One of my oldest memories is me drawing a mustache on him in permanent marker the night before his school field trip.

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About the author

Since a young age, Lila has loved writing. Both reading the French books that her mother put her to bed with or attempting the lyrics of her dad’s favorite childhood Turkish songs, she noticed words. Heavy emotions can sometimes be burdening, and writing things, like her submission, helps release it. She is filled with gratitude for the freedom of choice in her future, which she hopes to include writing, travel, and law. Lila lives in Los Angeles, CA and is in 11th grade at Windward School.