Zan by Suzi Ehtesham-Zadeh

Author:Suzi Ehtesham-Zadeh
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781950539932
Publisher: Dzanc Books
Published: 2024-09-15T00:00:00+00:00

One Saturday morning, as Zohreh drew the curtains aside to let in the early morning light, she had a vision for a stunning new burlesque number. It came to her when her eyes fell on an Iranian doll that sat on her bookshelf, pushing forward a memory that played in her mind with cinematic intensity.

It was summer, and Zohreh was in Iran with her mother to visit her grandparents. The day was sweltering, as summer days in Tehran often are, and Maman and her mother Madar-jaan wanted to take Zohreh and Ladan out for faloodeh, the cold rosewater and cornstarch confection both girls loved. Despite the heat, Maman and Madar-jaan had to dress in full hijab, but Zohreh and Ladan were still young enough to go out uncovered. The warm breeze caressed Zohreh’s bare legs and blew through her long, dark hair as she walked down the sidewalk.

Just as they were nearing the faloodeh stand, Zohreh’s eyes fell on a doll in the window of one of the general stores that lined the streets of Tehran. The display in the window was cluttered and dusty, but she could see the doll peeking out from behind the jumble of wastebaskets, tablecloths, notebooks, and other household items. She was made of cheap plastic and dressed in a glittery tribal costume of garish mismatched fabrics. Her crude, painted-on features were frozen in an unnatural stare, more of a grimace than a smile.

When Zohreh asked her mother if she could have the doll, Maman instantly refused. “That is the ugliest doll I have ever seen, Zohreh! Why on earth would you want to have a doll like that when you can have all those beautiful dolls that they sell in the States?”

Ladan, a full year older and no longer prone to such childish desires, laughed at Zohreh for wanting such a foolish toy. “I thought you were too old to play with dolls,” she said derisively.

But Zohreh looked at the doll and she knew with certainty that the doll was looking back at her, crying out to her. She begged her mother again, and this time, thanks to Madar-jaan’s gentle prodding, she gave in.

Back at her grandparents’ house, she lifted the doll from her box, held her at arm’s length, and examined her. The more she stared at the doll’s rigid expression, the more she felt her softening, coming alive. The doll seemed to be pleading with her for release. On a sudden whim, Zohreh began to undress her.

She started with the outer skirt, which had an elasticized waistband and came off easily. Then she proceeded to the trousers the doll was wearing beneath her skirt, which were loose fitting and also came off with no difficulty. Underneath these garments, the doll’s plastic legs glistened on either side of a sexless trunk. It startled Zohreh to discover that her doll was not wearing underwear, and she resolved to get some for her as soon as she could.

Next she turned her attention to the upper

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.