Legacy by Calista Anastasia

feeling of hopelessness settled over her. S he stared at the thin stack of dollars h eld together with a paper clip. She didn’t bother counting it, because there was no way she could purchase a suitabl e dress with this small amount.
    She closed the top of the cigar box and folded her hands on top of it. I wish I had enough to buy a dress. I wish I could look g reat Friday night. Maybe I should just tell Greg I can’t go.
    She sighed and started to stand up , but decided that she might want to count the money anyway. When she opened the box, she thought the stack of cash didn’t appear to be as small as it had the first time she looked at it. Maybe she had been mistaken. Maybe there was more than she had originally thought. She took the bills out and carefully counted them. She hadn’t remembered having so many twenties. In fact, she didn’t remember having any twenties. She marveled at the stack of cash in the pile before her.
    Wow! I have so much more money here than I thought . I can buy a dress. I can even buy shoes .
    She pressed her lips together, trying to recall the last time she had put money in the box. It had been a few weeks ago when she had helped old Mr. Knox clean out his shed. He always asked her to give him a hand with chores , like when she pulled weeds in his garden or when she painted the balusters on his porch. She distinctly remembered he had given her two crispy ten dollar bills, but she hadn’t counted the total. S he folded the money and stuffed it in the pocket of her jeans.
    Mercy fed Alistair and tossed some grain for the chickens. She thought that the bucket of grain looked to be at the same level as it was the day before. Perhaps she hadn't fed them as much as she thought. Maybe, like everything else in my life lately, it's a magic bucket? Yeah, right. She snorted and closed the chicken yard gate and ran inside the house.
    S he took a quick shower and got ready for the shopping expedition. She wanted to be ready so she could run out the door and not have anyone come inside the house to discover her grandmother was missing.
    She steppe d outside the gate and immediately felt a little tingle of energy she hadn't noticed before. Not exactly electricity, she decided, but definitely a force of some kind. Good to know .
    She didn't have to wait long. W hen Felicity ’s family sedan slowed in front, she ran to climb into the back seat. “Thanks for the ride Mrs. Porter .”
    Felicity ’s mom greeted her and in a short time , deposited the girls at the main entrance to the mall.
    A troop of gymnastic butterflies were doing back flips in Mercy’s stomach. She patted the wad of cash in her pocket and followed Felicity through the revolving door into the cool air-conditioned interior . It was early, so the shin y surfaces were still gleaming.
    Felicity was brimming with excitement, her eyes wide and a grin fixed to her face. Mercy couldn’t help but catch some of her enthusiasm. S he paused in front of one of the brightly lit store windows and gazed at the dizzying array of dresse s. However , Felicity had a single destination in mind.
    “ Don’t even look! We are not going to shop until we get to the Trends Today store. That’s where all the popular girls shop.” She led Mercy to a particular store where she was sure they would find the perfect dresses .
    Once inside, Mercy stared at the displays aimed at you ng shoppers. Bright colors a nd trendy clothes were on exhibit everywhere she looked. A bouncy rhythm blared through the sound system.
    Felicity grabbed her hand and dragged her to the rear of the store where dressy dresses and formal w ear hung on racks. There was a fragrance in the air and every mirror was polished. Felicity started pawing through the racks and pulled one out to hold up against her. “What do you think?
    Mercy considered a moment. “I think the color brings out your eyes.”

Felicity grinned, threw the dress over h er arm and continued her quest.
    Mercy found her