The Commuter

“Beauty Spell,” by Simeon Mills

“If you were my child, I’d never tire of watching you sleep”

“Beauty Spell,” by Simeon Mills

(Disembodied voice speaking to human.) Close your eyes It only works if you close your eyes. And you want it to work, don't you, child?
(Human closes eyes.) Thank you. Now it'll just take a -- (Human has become a bird) See, you opened your eyes too early. It takes a moment to work.
Go ahead and close them. (Bird changes back into a human, closes eyes.) Just a few more moments. Done. Yo can open them now.
(Human becomes a monkey) Huh. That's weird. How did I--
(Monkey changes back to human, closes eyes.) Good idea. Ah. I know what happened. (Human changes to cat.) A minor mistake.
(Cat changes back to human, closes eyes.) An easy fix. (Human changed to snake.) But I wish you could see your face. (Snake changes back to human, closes eyes.) With your eyes closed, that is.
(Human changes to horse.) You're stunning with your eyes closed. (Horse changes back to human, closes eyes.) If you were my child, I'd never tire of watching you sleep.
(Human has changed into a mosquito.) But you want to be beautiful with your eyes open. (Mosquito changes back into a human, closes eyes.) Give me another moment for that. (Human changes into a catfish.) I lied.
(Human, closing eyes, touching face.) Two moments. (Human, eyes still closed, taking a deep breath.) Open. (Human, eyes open, face looks the same as the beginning of the comic.) See? You're beautiful.

COMIC: Turning Japanese (excerpt) by MariNaomi

About the Author

Simeon Mills is a cartoonist and writer living in Spokane, Washington. His graphic stories are included or forthcoming in various journals, such as The Florida Review, RiverLit, and The Pinch Journal. His graphic novel, Easy Reader, received a 2012 Artist Trust grant. You can see his work at www.simeonmills.com.

More about the author

About The Commuter

The Commuter, arriving every Monday morning, is our home for flash fiction, graphic narrative, and poetry. Sign up for The Commuter newsletter to get every issue straight to your inbox, or join our membership program for access to year-round submissions. EL’s lit mags are supported by the Amazon Literary Partnership Literary Magazine Fund and the Community of Literary Magazines & Presses, the New York State Council on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Commuter

Subscribe

Strange, short, and diverting writing delivered to your inbox every Monday..

Read Next
Switch On Symbol

My Brother and Me at the World’s Largest Gathering of Twins

The narrative of identicalness at Twin Days

Mar 20 - Joe and Sam Eichner Read
Switch On Symbol

More Like This

Art from Let’s Not Talk Anymore by Weng Pixin
conversations

A Graphic Novel About 100 Years of Matrilineal Family History, From South China to Singapore

Weng Pixin on reimagining the lives of five generations of her female ancestors in "Let’s Not Talk Anymore"

Nov 4 - Samantha Cheh
conversations

“Dear Scarlet” Is a Graphical Memoir of Postpartum Depression

Teresa Wong uses visuals to convey a "silent time"—and a silent suffering

Apr 16 - Pooja Makhijani
conversations

Mira Jacob’s Graphic Memoir “Good Talk” Makes Awkward Conversations Beautiful

The author on surviving difficult interactions about race and politics—and turning them into art

Mar 28 - Jennifer Baker
Thank You!