Cherry Coloured - Alex Turner

1. Into the Garden of Evil

  "Ready to go on C?"

A rolled paper bill traced the surface of a cluttered makeup desk, vacuuming up a thin line of fine white powder. A head of synthetic white hair tossed back with a sharp inhale and tiny flecks of glitter shimmered down like soft rain.

"Yeah," the girl with the white wig nodded, standing from her seat and stepping away from the hypnotic bulb-lined mirror before her. She wiped her nose and glanced at her silhouette in that same mirror.

"Okay, you're up," a woman with spiked green lashes announced. She looked the girl up and down and clicked her tongue in approval. "I like the new suit," she nodded.

Cherry smiled and fixed the plastic white fringe over her forehead, "thanks. Five pounds from a deceased estate."

The woman with the green lashes raised a pencilled in brow and rolled her eyes. "You're not a comedian, go out there and shake your tits. Try not to be smart tonight as well."

Poking her tongue at the other woman, Cherry pushed passed her and made her way out of the comfort of the backstage dressing rooms and up onto the raised platform focal to the venue as the lights dimmed from blue to red.

  The cheers made her stomach recoil. The beaming faces made her eyes roll. The only thing that made any of it worthwhile was the paper notes that would gather on the floor or by her hips. Cherry would think of pretty much anything other than what she was doing to keep herself busy as she kept the visitors excited. Last night it was planning a trip to Amsterdam. Tonight it was reciting her morning ritual from back when she was in high school:

  Wake up at six, sleep in till seven. Trudge downstairs and pop bread in the toaster. Make a hot chocolate in the meantime on cool mornings. Take out the marmite. Avoid cranky mum and dad. And so on. Anything to distract from the greedy, seething, horny men hollering at her like she was a horse at the races.

  It was a skill to have mastered. The ability to seduce with the eye, body and lips whilst being completely mentally absent from those enticed by such seduction. She twirled beneath beaming red and white lights, elevated by platformed heels that gave her blisters every night she wore them. Her skin glittered like crystals in the sun, coating her in a layer of plastic reality. She could be anything. Anyone. Whatever all those wide eyed men that sat in snake pits around her wanted her to be. Everything from visual stimulation to the poor lad who hoped he could be the one to make her fall in love.

  For forty minutes, she became the glimmering star of the night. The venue glowing like rubies as she danced by a polished pole and counted how many cars used to pass before the bus arrived to take her to school all those years ago.

  "Alright mate, now's yer time to forget her and have some fun," a man said, arm slung over one of the four young men that were accompanying him. The band of men trudged through the front doors, glistening eyes scanning the room and landing on whatever they could find first.

  "Right," the other man said with a tone his friend chose to ignore. His expression stood out sore in comparison to the company filling the venue he'd found himself in. Not so much as a smile nor curious eyes.

"Lighten up mate," his friend said, patting his back and squeezing his shoulder. "Look," he said and mentioned to the crimson red stage.

"I'm not really in the mood, Matt," the other man groaned, shoving his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket.

"That's the whole point," Matt said, leading his friend towards that glimmering red stage. "You sit there and you watch them, then you get in the mood and hey? Maybe you even have a good time?"