Herr Bischoff

Valeria Lukyanova, the Human Barbie Doll

Valeria’s pointy talons have meanwhile been stripped into fuzzy half-transparency; I can see the outline of the real nail, shorter and darker, under the acrylic. She pulls her cashmere sweater’s sleeve farther up, baring an elbow. It is dry and flaky, a flaw that, for some reason, imbues me with joy. This is the first and last moment of our brief acquaintance when she looks genuinely beautiful. Then she smiles the studied Barbie smile, and it’s gone.