She bent over, and her manicured nails chipped as she struggled to extend the hanging straps, inching them farther toward the stockings, now shrivelling, rolling down her legs like the uncasing of a sausage. As she twisted, a pin fell from her head, tinkling on the tiled floor, and a strand of hair came loose. It hung before her, bouncing like a spring. She was muttering, swearing, and someone knocked at the door.

