my lot? It was my birthday after all. A new year and new start for me. Perhaps for the first time in my life I shouldn’t go looking for answers, I should just see things as they first appear to be.
But even as I headed toward a shop where a dress that hung in the window had caught my eye, I knew that it wasn’t in my nature not to go searching for the truth – however dangerous the truth might be.
“I won’t let you leave the shop without it,” the assistant said. “The dress looks beautiful – you look beautiful.” She almost seemed to dance about me as she gently tugged at the straps over my pale shoulders, then leaning down to ruffle the hem. “The dark blue really compliments the colour of your hair. Are they highlights, dear?”
“No, the colour is natural,” I smiled.
“Really?” the woman frowned, then smiled, like she didn’t know if I was teasing her or not. “I’ve never known anyone to have natural blue hair before.”
“It’s a genetic thing,” I smiled back at her.
“Of course it is, dear,” she said, preening the dress again, then turning me around so I could see myself in the full-length mirror attached to the shop wall.
I stood and looked at myself. It was the first time I had seen myself in a dress for as long as I could remember. It was a dark navy in colour, with straps over the shoulder. It was cut fairly low over the chest, but not too low. The dress stopped just above my knees. I had taken off my boots and was standing barefoot. I thought that the heels I had arrived wearing in this world would match the dress perfectly.
“I wish I had your figure,” the woman smiled at me over my shoulder and patting her hips. She turned me around again and took another look.
“I’m not sure,” I said. It wasn’t that I didn’t think the dress was pretty, it just felt a little odd wearing it. For so long now I had hiked about in boots, denims, and my long black coat, that anything else made me feel as if I was wearing an unfamiliar skin.
“Not sure!” the woman cried, throwing her hands to her face. “You look astonishing!”
I couldn’t help but think the term astonishing was somewhat melodramatic, but the woman was just trying to be kind and make a sale.
“Okay, I’ll take it,” I smiled, a bubble of excitement bursting inside of me. I couldn’t remember the last time I had treated myself to anything. It felt good.
“What’s the special occasion?” the woman asked.
“It’s my birthday today,” I smiled. “I’m twenty-one.”
“Twenty-one!” the woman cried, somewhat over the top. “My twenty-first birthday seems like just a distant memory now. Married and divorced twice in that time. They were both pigs. But I’m happy now. Got me a toy-boy.” She winked back at me. “Going anywhere nice in your new dress?”
“Just out for dinner,” I told her.
“With your boyfriend?” she smiled knowingly.
“He’s not my boyfriend,” I smiled back.
“He will be once he sees you in that dress, dear,” she said, ushering me back toward the changing room. “Any man would be a fool not to see how beautiful you look wearing that dress.”
Perhaps I should wear it in the office when Potter returns , I thought to myself, closing the door on the changing room.
I parked outside the Crescent Moon Inn and fetched my shopping bags from the backseat. After leaving the shop with the dress, I went a little mad. And why not? The agency had kindly donated a credit card to me, and if I was going to stay in this where and when for a while I would need some new clothes, underwear, and other little luxuries, like some new perfume. It was my birthday after all, I smiled, heading into the inn. I looked about but I could only see one other person – a pretty looking woman sitting alone in one corner writing in a notebook. She wore a short-sleeved dress and I could see a black tattoo in the design of a flower at the top of her right arm.
“Good evening,”
But even as I headed toward a shop where a dress that hung in the window had caught my eye, I knew that it wasn’t in my nature not to go searching for the truth – however dangerous the truth might be.
“I won’t let you leave the shop without it,” the assistant said. “The dress looks beautiful – you look beautiful.” She almost seemed to dance about me as she gently tugged at the straps over my pale shoulders, then leaning down to ruffle the hem. “The dark blue really compliments the colour of your hair. Are they highlights, dear?”
“No, the colour is natural,” I smiled.
“Really?” the woman frowned, then smiled, like she didn’t know if I was teasing her or not. “I’ve never known anyone to have natural blue hair before.”
“It’s a genetic thing,” I smiled back at her.
“Of course it is, dear,” she said, preening the dress again, then turning me around so I could see myself in the full-length mirror attached to the shop wall.
I stood and looked at myself. It was the first time I had seen myself in a dress for as long as I could remember. It was a dark navy in colour, with straps over the shoulder. It was cut fairly low over the chest, but not too low. The dress stopped just above my knees. I had taken off my boots and was standing barefoot. I thought that the heels I had arrived wearing in this world would match the dress perfectly.
“I wish I had your figure,” the woman smiled at me over my shoulder and patting her hips. She turned me around again and took another look.
“I’m not sure,” I said. It wasn’t that I didn’t think the dress was pretty, it just felt a little odd wearing it. For so long now I had hiked about in boots, denims, and my long black coat, that anything else made me feel as if I was wearing an unfamiliar skin.
“Not sure!” the woman cried, throwing her hands to her face. “You look astonishing!”
I couldn’t help but think the term astonishing was somewhat melodramatic, but the woman was just trying to be kind and make a sale.
“Okay, I’ll take it,” I smiled, a bubble of excitement bursting inside of me. I couldn’t remember the last time I had treated myself to anything. It felt good.
“What’s the special occasion?” the woman asked.
“It’s my birthday today,” I smiled. “I’m twenty-one.”
“Twenty-one!” the woman cried, somewhat over the top. “My twenty-first birthday seems like just a distant memory now. Married and divorced twice in that time. They were both pigs. But I’m happy now. Got me a toy-boy.” She winked back at me. “Going anywhere nice in your new dress?”
“Just out for dinner,” I told her.
“With your boyfriend?” she smiled knowingly.
“He’s not my boyfriend,” I smiled back.
“He will be once he sees you in that dress, dear,” she said, ushering me back toward the changing room. “Any man would be a fool not to see how beautiful you look wearing that dress.”
Perhaps I should wear it in the office when Potter returns , I thought to myself, closing the door on the changing room.
I parked outside the Crescent Moon Inn and fetched my shopping bags from the backseat. After leaving the shop with the dress, I went a little mad. And why not? The agency had kindly donated a credit card to me, and if I was going to stay in this where and when for a while I would need some new clothes, underwear, and other little luxuries, like some new perfume. It was my birthday after all, I smiled, heading into the inn. I looked about but I could only see one other person – a pretty looking woman sitting alone in one corner writing in a notebook. She wore a short-sleeved dress and I could see a black tattoo in the design of a flower at the top of her right arm.
“Good evening,”
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