Teardrops and fanfares.

Only the gray water saw the girl’s gray, watery eyes, but it dealt admirably with the honor. To cheer its short life’s one witness, the basin of water reflected the images of the eyes back to their owner. She ignored the courtesy. Suddenly the girl’s face plunged into the water, splashing sparkling bits of it all over the table. The water wrapped itself around every curve of her face, exploring her – it dove into her nostrils, rushed the length of the great rift between her lips, and whispered to her eyelids to open up. Soon, though, she pulled away, and, with a cloth, gently scrubbed her still-wet features. The basin reflected this, too, hoping to entice her back with its tender caricatures. The girl soon acquiesced; her dark ringlets floated on top of the water, gathering the suds in their black tendrils. They tickled the water with their extravagance. In too short a time, the girl was done. She pulled the plug in the bottom of the basin, and, as the water swirled down and away from the light, it gave a faint gurgle of gratitude and farewell to the girl.