the threads in her head

To know a person over the web-

Somehow establish contact. Say hi. Talk. And talk some more. Small talk, words of care, a joke, stories. Talk.

Get a feel for the words. The quirks. Determine whether you like him/her or not. Form an image the words give in your mind. Form it with gentle care and attention. Shall it be bright eyes, due to the playful lively words? Of course. Certainly.

Ask for a picture, one day, when you feel ready. Ask for one only when you feel ready.

And then either feel disoriented because it was not what your mind created. But you don't have to. You can choose to ponder quietly, numbing, not allowing yourself to feel anything. Slowly, slowly alter your imagined features to the real.

Alternatively, if time has been short, leave your mind as a blank canvas, only tinged by quirks and personality. Ask. And let the image splash onto the canvas you had chose, wet wet, heavy. Ponder quietly. Wait for the paint to dry.

Attach the real face to the words.

And one day, if you feel ready.

Attach the voice too.

Take it step by step, because you're reversing the conventional way a person used to get to know a person. You're getting to know the thoughts, the quirks, and building from there. So take it slow, because your own mind is interprets the words using your own definitions. And you have formed an image.

You see, that blank canvas is never really blank.

There would already have been one stroke on it.