The Stone Woman Whose Head was Covered in Pearl Necklaces

For my entry I lay with presented a stone woman whose head was covered in necklaces of pearls that were strung across her face and around her ears.

My entry, along with others from two more writers, was rejected.

‘Too purile’ was the reason given for the rejection.

After the rejection the judge, a man with short black hair, flicked his two forefingers by his temple as if to whimsically say, ‘I got ya’.

To fix my entry it would require a change to the title, two words which would need to be found to replace the previous two words.

Also, me and the stone woman would need to be separated split up and instead, I would need to move to another house which had darker colours and which had the atmosphere of loneliness.

‘Before you carry out the move,’ added the judge, ‘I have discovered that there may be a woman in one of the rooms in the new house, a dark red room. I don’t remember any more details except perhaps she is younger than your stone woman and she has dark hair.’

Photos of Rufina Cambaceres’ mausoleum and as well as others in La Recoleta Cemetery, Buenos Aires.