Back-to-School Barbie by Donald A. Ranard

Honey, it’s too tight. Let’s try a larger one. 

It’s fine, mom. 

No, it’s not, sweetie. You need a larger one. Look, see how tight it is. 

They don’t have a larger one. 

Are you sure?

Yes! I looked. 

What about a different color then? 

I like this color.

What’s with pink all of a sudden? Why’s everything gotta be pink?

Barbie, mom. Barbie’s dope!!

Oh, right, Barbie.…Barbie’s dope, who would’ve thought…Hey, how about this? It’s not pink, but it’s pretty. 

Yuck! That’s so last year. 

What about this one? It’ll be cute with the skirt we just bought.

Are you kidding me?! I hate that. 

All right, all right, calm down… Maybe they’ve got your size in the back…Excuse me, miss. Do you have this color bulletproof vest in a larger size? 

Donald A. Ranard‘s writing has appeared in The Atlantic, New World Writing Quarterly, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Gargoyle, The Best Travel Writing, and many other publications. In 2022, his prose poem “5/25/22” was longlisted by Wigleaf as one of the year’s Top Very Short Fictions, and his play ELBOW. APPLE. SADDLE. BUBBLE placed second in a national playwriting contest. He lives in Arlington, VA.

1 November 2024