Morning all. These next two weeks are going to be rough on my psyche. I just don’t like starting my day in the dark. I’ll be better after the time change, but I know there will be morning grumbles until then. I’ll try to keep them to a minimum and if you could just ignore them I will appreciate it. And now on with the morning prompt. Timers at the ready and off we go…
Okay this is a story start I think I can sink my teeth into. It has a fairytale-esqe quality to it, but I think I can take the traditional elements and shift them in non-traditional ways. Which is one of my favorite story types.
Tuesday, October 24th: The dress fit perfectly.
The dress fit perfectly. It hugged her body where she wanted and it fell in loose folds where it should. She had never tried on a dress quite like it before. It felt as though it was tailor made for her.
‘I even like the color,’ she thought to herself. She turned slightly looking at herself in the semi circle of mirrors. With heels even the length of the skirt would be absolutely perfect. ‘Best take it off before looking at the price.’
The dress shop may have been a second hand one but she somehow suspected that this dress would still be out of her budget.
‘Just a little while longer,’ she reassured herself. Her long term plan was about to pay off and soon she would be able to relax her budget just a little. Unfortunately her step sister’s wedding would be before she could afford to relax her budget. ‘And I am not going into debt for her.’
Caroline carefully removed the dress and hung it on it’s hanger. Once she had the armor of her own clothing back on, she looked at the price. She blinked at the tag. That couldn’t be right. It was far to low, even if the dress was second hand.
Caroline gathered up her things and carefully picked up the dress. She tried not to hope that the price was right. She stepped out of the dressing room and one of the clerks looked over from one of the racks and smiled at her.
‘Everything okay?” she asked.
“Yes, I just wanted to check the price of this gown to make sure the tag hadn’t gotten switched somehow.”
The clerk frowned slightly and walked over. She looked at the tag. Her face cleared. “Oh no that’s right,” she said. “we just started our annual sale. We put any dress that has been here more than eight months on deep discount as a way to clear them out.”
“I didn’t see the sale sign” Caroline said.
The clerk pointed to the counter. “The signs actually go up in the morning, but we have to change the tags before the rush. It is a mad house during the sale. You just happened to fall into the window where the sale prices are live and the crazed crowds have not arrived. Trust me, there will be lines in the morning.”
Caroline laughed. “So I get the sale price without the sale crowd?”
“Seems like it. Is this the dress you want?”
“Yes very much so,” Caroline said. “It fit me as though it was made for me.”
“Then let’s get you rung up.” The clerk said smiling brightly. “I love it when the right dress finds the right owner.”
They moved over to the counter and began the process of the sale. Caroline’s debit card went through with ease and the helpful clerk began sliding the dress into a protective garment bag for travel.
“So,” she asked. “Are you and the perfectly fitting dress going to somewhere special?”
“Step sister’s wedding. Not really looking forward to it, but at least I will look good while I am there.” Caroline bit her lip. She usually didn’t share much about her family and wasn’t sure why she was doing so now. ‘Guilt for getting such a great dress on discount maybe.’
“Well perhaps it will turn out better than you think,” the clerk told her. “Maybe the perfect dress is a sign of good things to come.”
Ten til Midnight 