January '26 Short Story: "Anatomy"

By Belle Grooves

Mr. Ahahah floated above the world, swaying gently on a bed of clouds. He was, quite literally, a giant mouth. His lips stretched wide, his teeth gleamed like rows of polished stones, and his tongue rested lazily inside. He had no nose, no eyes, no ears, no arms, no legs. He was a talking, laughing, endlessly hungry mouth who wanted only one thing.

To be human.

Each day he gazed down at the people below, watching them stroll through streets, wave to one another, and eat with delicate little bites instead of his booming chomps. He loved their chatter, their songs, their silly little dances. He longed for shoes. He longed for hats. Most of all, he longed for a name better suited to a man thanto a mouth.

“Mr. Ahahah,” he said to himself one morning, the words rattling across the sky. “You are a ridiculous thing. You are a floating joke. You must change.”

So he set out.

The first step was a nose. A mouth could hardly pass for human without one. He drifted through the clouds until he found her. She was a lonely nose resting on a puff of white mist, sniffing the breeze.

“Hello,” said Mr. Ahahah, his voice echoing across the sky.The nose twitched. “Who speaks?”

“I am Mr. Ahahah. I am looking for companions. Tell me, Nose,

would you like to be human?”

The nose tilted upward as though trying to see him. “Human,

you say? I have smelled humans. They smell of soup and rain and sometimes socks. I would like that. Yes. I shall join you.”

“Splendid!” Mr. Ahahah beamed. “You shall be known as Miss Sniff.”

Miss Sniff wiggled happily and floated closer. Together, they laughed. It sounded odd, a giggle with a snort.

Next came the eyes. He could not settle for one. He wanted both. The left eye hung in the sky like a pearl, blinking at birds.

“Good day,” called Mr. Ahahah. “I seek friends. Do you wish to be human?”

The eye rolled dramatically. “Human? Their sight is so narrow. Still, I am bored of staring at clouds. Yes. Take me with you.”

“Wonderful,” said Mr. Ahahah. “You shall be Lefty. Now, do you know where your brother is?”

Lefty squinted. “Righty never goes far.”

Sure enough, Righty hovered nearby, glaring suspiciously.

“A talking mouth?” Righty grumbled. “And you want me to be human? Humans stub their toes and forget birthdays. Why would I want that?”

Mr. Ahahah chuckled. “Because they also see the stars, and they wink at friends, and they cry when they are happy. Do you not want that?”

Righty blinked once, then sighed. “Oh, very well. Call me Righty. Let us be done with this.”

The two eyes settled beside Miss Sniff, and the mouth felt giddy. He was shaping up.

He still needed ears. He could not possibly ignore music or gossip when he became human. To his relief, the ears came as a pair, inseparable.

“Hello, hello!” the left ear shouted before he could speak. “Yes, yes, hello!” shouted the right. Mr. Ahahah widened in surprise. “My goodness, you are noisy.” “Of course we are,” said Left Ear. “We are made for listening,

not silence.”

“Would you like to be human?” Mr. Ahahah asked.

“Human?” the ears chorused. “Oh, yes, yes! We long to hear the

clatter of dishes, the stomp of feet, the hush of whispers!”

“Then you shall be Echo and Recho,” declared Mr. Ahahah.The ears flapped their approval and nestled in.

Piece by piece, the body grew. Arms came next, introduced as Stretch and Reach. Legs followed, named Stride and Stomp. Finally, the rest of him appeared all at once, as if his longing had completed the puzzle. Shoulders, chest, spine, hands, toes. Everything arranged itself in a glorious rush of light.

The sky quaked, the clouds shivered, and Mr. Ahahah was no more.

In his place stood a man. His features gleamed with the parts of his friends. Miss Sniff rested proudly above his lips. Lefty and Righty gazed out with curiosity. Echo and Recho listened eagerly. Stretch and Reach swung at his sides. Stride and Stomp planted themselves firmly below.

The man stretched his arms to the heavens and laughed. “I am whole. I am beautiful. I am—” He paused, searching for the right name. “Anatomy,” he whispered.

The name fit perfectly.

Anatomy leapt from the clouds and landed on earth with a joyous thud. Birds scattered. Children gawked. Dogs barked and wagged their tails.

He wandered to the nearest shop. A bell jingled as he entered. The shopkeeper nearly fainted at the sight of a man without hair.

“One wig, please,” Anatomy said with dignity.

The shopkeeper, too polite to refuse, fetched a curly brown wig and placed it on his head.

“Marvelous!” Anatomy admired himself in the mirror.

Next, he purchased a robe of deep blue, which swished around his ankles as he walked. He looked exactly as he had dreamed, ordinary enough to pass for human.

-Belle Grooves