Her skin was flawless, just like the porcelain doll that rested in my mother’s handmade cradle. She told my sister and me that she used “magic dew” on her face. We were always mesmerized by all of the stories she told, and we wanted to be just like her.
We hardly slept on the night of April 30th, waiting to climb out of our bed before the sun rose on May 1st. We cautiously opened the front door and walked out across the cement patio to place our hands in the wet morning dew. We wiped our hands across our faces, so our skin would be magically transformed.
Our grandmother is no longer alive, but she lives in our memories and in the reflection of our porcelain skin that gets clearer with the magic dew we wipe on our faces every year on May 1st.
Ashley E. Kauffman 