Ficlet: Cage And A Bird
Title: Cage And A Bird
Fandom: Smallville
Character: Lana Lang
Prompt: Smallville, Lana Lang, Stendhal syndrome
Rating: G
Words: 170
Summary: Lana comes across unusual piece of art.

Written for Character Study Challenge.

In China, Lana sees a man sitting on the street. There's a bird cage next to him.

She first assumes that there's also a bird in the cage, but when she steps closer for a better look, she sees a doll instead of a bird, sitting on tiny cushions, dressed in red. The smiling mouth that's painted on the white face is also red, as are the plastic flowers that are all over the cage, acting as house plants between the small furniture, as decorations in little vases. Everything in the cage is very tidy and small and perfect, but what strikes Lana the most is the open door of the cage, the complete absence of lock.

Her blood floods too fast, turning her legs into butter.

"It doesn't cost much," the man says.

At home Lana puts the cage out of sight, but takes the doll out, traces the brush-stroke thin smile. Later she makes a wig out of yellow thread and sets it firmly on the doll's head, covering every dark hair.