Using the Five Senses to describe the characters

Aunt Peggy

A pair of slender legs encased in a skin-tight pants first emerged from the taxi. The rest of the svelte figure then followed. Lily pale hands adjusted the brim of her wide sun hat to protect her porcelain skin from the harsh rays of the sun. Tendrils of curly hair that had been highlighted a warm honey brown escaped from the confines of the hat and framed her heart-shaped face like a halo.

“Aunt Peggy!” a trio of voices chorused aloud. The lady glanced up and a smile lit up her serene features. Three dark haired children bounded forward and clasped the lady in a fierce hug as they inhaled her familiar scent of roses.

“My my …look at all of you. You’ve grown so big!” Aunt Peggy gushed in her deep sultry voice. Dark soulful eyes gazed affectionately at each of her nephews. 

The New Maid

Rosie gawked in bewilderment at the ingredients placed in front of her. She had no inkling what some of them were at all. Anxiety crept slowly over her like a slithering snake that would strike her heart any moment and cease her existence in this world. If she was unable to whip up a sumptuous dinner within the hour, she could foresee her own impending state of unemployment. Given her desperate state of finance, that was as good as sending her to the gaols. She grasped the chopping knife in a death grip trying to still her trembling fingers. The handkerchief tied round her homely black hair did nothing to soak up the perspiration that flooded her forehead and nape like a broken dam.

               Unwilling to be sent back home with her tail between her legs, Rosie attacked the first ingredient with a vengeance. The reddish flaky skin gave way to a translucent pearly white flesh. A sharp stinging odour greeted her nostrils and tears started brimming in her eyes. “This can’t be happening to me!” Rosie bemoaned desperately. “Why can’t I stop crying?”

Grandmother

Grandmother laid a hand on my shoulder and gave me a gentle squeeze. I glanced up only to find her face deathly grey and showing signs of fatigue. Furrows were etched deeply into her wrinkled forehead.

                “Are you all right, Grandmother?” I questioned as I hastened to lend her a helping hand. “Let’s rest for a while on that bench over there.” Clutching her dampened gnarled fingers,  we shuffled our way an excruciatingly small step at a time to the bench. Her limbs wobbled like jelly as her legs threatened to give way any moment.

                Grandmother sank gratefully into the seat. Her gasping and wheezing sounded abnormally tight and harsh as her chest fought a valiant battle with her lungs and heart for oxygen. A sheen of perspiration coated her papery skin turning it almost translucent. Despite her own discomfort. Grandmother tried to put on a brave front by giving me her trademark toothless smile as she patted my shoulders to alleviate my worries.

The Aged Father

Mike sat forlornly by the bedside of the elderly man. A single tuft of snow white hair at the top graced the otherwise bald crown. Gazing at the sleeping form of the old man did he then realise how much his father had aged over the years.

                Green protruding veins were visible all along his rail thin arms where the intravenous tubes pierced. His once robust body had now been reduced to a shrunken shell that was practically consumed by the bed. The monitors beeping constantly in the background and the slight movement of his father’s chest were the only consolation that his father was still alive and breathing.

                Mike recollected how his father had dropped to the ground without warning. He remembered the brief astonishment at how light his father was when he carried him to the car. It was like carrying a ragged doll.

The Proud boy

                Kenneth strode assertively to the front of the class. There, he paused and adjusted his poise. Kenneth smoothed out the creases in his uniform and straightened his pants. Then, he ran his fingers through the wild mop of his curly hair hoping for some semblance of style. The class burst into boisterous laughter at the comical sight. However, Kenneth was not one to be easily put down. Sunlight reflected off the gold rim of his glasses which accentuated his owlish eyes. Determination and authority exuded from him in waves as he raked the entire class. Gradually, the sniggering and laughter subsided before finally ceasing completely. Inhaling deeply, Kenneth started his speech. However to his embarrassment, his usual strident voice came out in a mousy squeak as saliva accumulated in his larynx.

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