When Fairytales Don't Come True- Digital Collage 4" x 6"

Farm life can be so tedious, especially for a girl in China. So it should come as no surprise that I fell under the sway of literature.Being far from a city, there was little for me to read except a well-worn copy of Perrault's Fairytales. Each night after finishing chores found myself transported to this magical world where beautiful girls found love and happiness in the kiss of a poor enchanted creature who in turn changed into a handsome prince.

One day feeding our chickens I noticed how proud our rooster, Rex carried himself.'Could it be,' I wondered, 'that our Rex is really a cursed King?' After all, Rex is latin for King. I began spending more time in the yard studying him. I observed his haughty demeanor, his regal carriage, the way he didn't peck at any old corn kernal, but selected only the choicest morsels. This went on for weeks and then one day I found my heart filled with a wave of emotion. "Oh my." I whispered, "I'm in love with Rex." It was all I could do to get through school just so that I could race home to spend time with Rex. Unless I was scattering feed, he paid not the least bit of attention to me. His indifference fueled by insecurity and obsession. I found myself spending hours before the mirror, primping, trying to make myself more alluring to him.

After spending another sleepless night thinking about my knight in shining feathers I resolved to take matters into hand. Rising at dawn, I walked out into the yard in my nightgown crawled into his coop. I found him sleeping on a throne of straw. I bent down and kissed him ever so gently upon his beak. He awoke with a great flutter, jumped out of his nest and trotted out into the yard to announce the day.

A few days later I lost my appetite and grew listless. My parents urged me to go see the doctor, but I knew there was no medicine for what was ailing me. What I didn't realize at the time was that I was both heart sick and ill. When I came down with a fever, my mother fetched the doctor. He took one look at me and diagnosed me with bird flu. So, here I lay, languishing, knowing that in time I will recover, but shall never get over my first love.