Hotel by Masticadores«Letters to Alegra» by Alexis Araneta
«Letters to Alegra» by Alexis Araneta
1 February 2022
Dear Allegra,
I know you have no idea who I am; if you were to list everything you know about me, all you’d come up with is a blank page. Why is it, though, that every Austen heroine rolled into a divine being would still pale in comparison to your splendour?
Right now, I watch you saunter in front of me, each stiletto-clack step tuning the pavement gold. As if from a scrupulously conceptualised film script. Your sumptuous Yves Saint-Laurent maxi dress and those perfectly coiffed burgundy waves jeté in the winter breeze, only to fall back into its properly assigned place. Your long, lithe legs float on concrete, every glide a note in the rhapsody of your radiance. You greet the newsagent with that aria of a received pronunciation-laced voice. Even the low-hanging sun insists on crowning you with its rays, just so you can rival Aphrodite herself.
Of course, whilst you play in the cinema of my mind, you will never turn your eyes on me. Why would the muse that dictates even my every breath ever hold me – wiry frame, mousy patches of hair, lips perpetually trembling with unspoken sentences — ever spare a single thought for me?
I can only dream, I guess.
Always with you in the world of words,
M
**
26 May 2022
Dear Allegra,
Congratulations on the Pulitzer; I knew it was as certain as letters threading themselves together to form this missive that you’d bag it.
No, I’m not surprised at all, you brilliant, intrepid travel journalist. Phileas Fogg would cower in shame at the way you have traversed the heady cosmopolitan haunts of ol’ London Town, the pristine, powder sands of the Philippines, the russet sacred lands of Outback Australia, the cacophony of sound and colour of the South American jungle — all whilst seeming as though you walked out of a film set. Your musings on the massive stage that is the world have undeniably captivated continents of wide gazes awaiting your next voyage journal.
If that’s not enough, though, I heard that you will be starting your first novel soon. Once more, to be surprised with that news is to be blinder than Tiresias to the luminescence of your writing skill. I can not wait to nibble at every single morsel of every single syllable of that tome.
Of course, the more you step into your divinity as Calliope, the more I realise I’m but a mere mortal basking in the beacon of your splendour. Will you, one day, bestow me a smile?
Always with you in the world of words,
M
**
16 August 2022
Dear Allegra,
Well, he’s lovely. Enjorlas’ passion meets Dorian Gray’s stellar beauty meets Colonel Brandon’s steadfast, kind heart. I’m happy for you; I truly am.
Leo Victor-George. Critically acclaimed novelist of ‘The Perfection’ Leo Victor-George. Leo Victor-George who kisses your mouth with plush lips and kisses your ear with poetry just to encapsulate your wondrous light.
Even his name inks a bridge to you; Leo Tolstoy, Victor Hugo, George Elliot – authors whose tomes I’ve seen you languidly savour amongst the verdure of Green Park. The smile playing on your mulberry-painted lips is but a synopsis of the joy you feel by his side.
…a joy I can’t have. As your souls harmonise in a glorious duet with every encounter, a wailing lament rings out in mine. You and Leo get to swing into each other’s arms in technicolour; my insides submerge themselves in black and white.
But perhaps, you can string together even just a line of dialogue between you two mentioning me?
Always with you in the world of words,
M
**
30 June 2023
Dear Allegra,
Wow, you are launching your second novel already! I know that any sentiment from me would be muffled by the acoustics in the theatre of your attention, but can I just say how proud I am of you?
Of course, it’s only fitting that the woman who could be crowned the fairest of all Olympus would celebrate her new tome’s debut in Greece. Greece, cradle of civilisation and the gods. And yet its ancient marble statues and its sprawling temple ruins were no match to your oceanic eyes in the Mediterranean sun. Even Helen of Troy would gasp at the image of you in Athens in your delicately purple silk empire dress, its ruffles transforming you into a wild iris. Your publisher might as well officially call you The Face That Launched a Thousand Shipments.
Yes, you had every reason to beam. After all, the entire time, you were next to Leo, inseparable as if your names were already inscribed in myths passed by tongue through generations. He stares at you mesmerised as you perform that ballet of press tours, sightseeing, and Sylvia Plath in the park I am miles away, begging for a single second of your bliss.
Maybe, Hermes can deliver a whispered message to you, forged by my tears?
Always with you in the world of words,
M
**
19 October 2024
Dear Allegra,
That’s it. You’re married now. Like the end sequence of a 1950s MGM blockbuster, you kissed Leo as the sun set on New York and the minister declared you both husband and wife.
I’m not surprised he bawled as you walked down the aisle, you know. You were a vision in your lace wedding gown, fairy tale princess wedding every hero with Cupid’s arrow in their arsenal. And oh the way liquid crystal dripped down your stunning face as you stared at your besotted fiancé! Vivaldi might as well descend from the heavens to play a melody worthy of you.
So, it’s final. It’s with Leo you’ll explore every denotation and connotation of ‘Happily Ever After’. It’s with Leo you shall cuddle on the sofa as Catherine Deneuve grins at her mother’s umbrella shop for the twelfth time on your television screen. It’s with Leo that you shall build a library of all of the titles you have collected. It’s with Leo you will write the final chapter of your story with.
Will you spare even just a line or two for me?
Always with you in the world of words,
M
**
28 June 2025
Allegra,
They found them! They found my letters to you! Now, they’re going to move me away, dry up the well of sentences I want to fill yours with!
What am I to do now?
M
**
Local Woman Found Dead in Kitchen, Suicide Suspected
5 July 2025
Pleasant, AL – Police are investigating the death of a local woman who was found by emergency services with her head in an oven. Mary Luncroft, 45, passed away due to gas inhalation. According to reports, the kitchen windows had been sealed by two layers of towels and the doors were locked when the rescue team arrived at her home.
Authorities have taken a few of Mrs. Luncroft’s belongings to aid in the investigation. Among her possessions are her journal, a ‘UK English for Dummies’ book, and a USB drive containing a novel draft written by one Allegra Victor-George, confirmed to be Mrs. Luncroft’s nom de plume by a journal entry dated 1 January 2022.
Mrs. Luncroft was due to move to the neighboring town of Lacrima next month with her family. She is survived by her husband Jeremiah, a Baptist minister, and her five children.
Author’s Bio
Alexis Araneta is an aspiring short story writer and poet from Tagaytay City. Enchanted by the taste and feel of words since she could speak, she began writing at the age of nine. Her flash fiction has been featured in anthologies such as Tagay by San Anselmo Press and Marbles by Blue Marble Storytellers. Encouraged by a friend to experiment with verse, she has also been exploring the world of poetry.
When she’s not crafting advertising copy, tormenting protagonists with unrequited love, or deftly inserting the word “deftly” into every stanza, Alexis enjoys reading classic literature, listening to jazz and soul music, and studying European languages.
Follow her (and prepare for a generous dose of selfies) on Instagram and Threads: @cestmoiallie
