My story

I wrote yet another story for another contest :) tell my what you think!

The Dress Disaster

She glided, twisted and turned her back heel slipping from the stage! She went down, her head hitting an arm of a chair and her body still falling to the floor, her head started to bleed and she was taken to the hospital. I saw the dress silver and shimmering, I winced looking at it, my heart hurt, my head aked and I awoke.

Bella danced. The music stopped and Bella exited the school’s stage. I was up, Lizzy streched up to hug me, “Break a leg” she whispered (in theater it means Good Luck). I had a flash back to the year before when, performing this same dance, she had really broke both her legs. She had fallen just as my mother had years ago but luckily hitting the chair with her legs instead of her head, she had danced beautifully. “Thanks,” I whispered back and took my place on stage. I found myself telling my mother I would do good for her sake. It seemed to flash by, one minute I started the next I was finished. All the girls that had auditioned lined up on stage, we were handed our rolls. I ran off stage, knelt by Lizzy’s wheelchair and looked at my paper telling what part I would play. It was the main roll, the roll that my mother had danced, the roll that Lizzy had danced, and the roll that so many other girls wished for, and I had it. I told my mother I would do well, and I planned to keep my promise!

That night I had another dream, I don’t remember much about it but I remember the words “It’s a dress disaster. Dress Disaster! DRESS DISASTER!” The face was not clear, and the voice seemed to be mixed, in one sentence it sounded like my mothers, the next like Lizzy’s and then it sounded like Bella’s! I was telling Lizzy about it on our way to the theater to get fitted for my costume. When we got there Mrs. Lingertin met us at the door. “Welcome girls. Lizzy, if you would like to sit here you can tell us what you think. Amber, you come this way while I get the dress.” I waited, I glanced at Lizzy, Mrs. Lingertin came back holding the dress. It was the silver dress, I don’t know what I was expecting, I knew it was going to be that same dress but I guess I didn’t want to believe it. It was the same dress Mother had worn when she fell, it was the same dress Lizzy had worn when she fell, I had a sudden thought that I might fall, the words “Dress Disaster!” flashed in my mind, I was scared. My face must have shown it for Mrs. Lingertin exclaimed “What’s the matter dear? Don’t you like the dress? I believe all the young ladies like it, your mother liked it when she was young.” I stammered “Oh… No… I like it, I really like it… it’s… very pretty.” Lizzy must have figured it out for on our way home she asked “It was the warning wasn’t it, the warning ‘Dress Disaster’.” I sighed “yes that’s it. I looked at the dress and those words flashed in my mind.” I sounded scared “here, someone dropped this on the floor at my feet while you were waiting for the dress.” She handed me a note, I read.

To Amber and Lizzy,

I have been looking back on past performances, mainly the disasterous ones (the one with Amber’s mother and the one with Lizze). It seems to me that both times they were wearing the same dress, the silver one with all the sparkles. I don’t know but I think there is something about the dress. I will keep investigating, I think you should do the same.

The note was not singed. I turned to Lizzy “I think this person is right, we should investigate.” She nodded “yes.”

I wrote down some things we could do to investigate the dress. “There done” I sighed. “I’m done too,” Lizzy had been drawing a sketch of the dress. We planned to take a thorough look at the dress tomorrow when I went for my next fitting.

I stepped in to the dress, it was light but my feet felt hot, it was scoop necked and the sleeves were long and tight fitting, it reached a little past my knees, it felt fine. Lizzy was examining it she seemed to take a long time on the bottom, then she looked up, I noticed something in her eyes and her face glowed againss blond hair. “Mrs. Lingertin,”

“Yes Lizzy, do you need something?” “Well exactly how many times has this dress been worn?” “Twice. Once by Amber’s mother when she was a girl and then once by yourself. Other than that no one has, till now.” “OK thanks.” “Well what did you think?” I asked when we were on our way home. “I think it was all the hem, your mother said when she fell it was because she was doing the low turn and she felt like she stepped on something and tripped, that’s exactly how I felt when I fell. Again I think it has to do with the hem.” “What do you mean?” “It didn’t look like Mrs. Lingertin had cut the fabric, it looked like she just hemmed it and left all the extra fabric on, which must have been why we (your mother and I) tripped.”

The next week we spent sewing, sewing the hem just as Lizzy had said. We sewed, and sewed, and sewed. Finally it came time for the recital. I got into the dress, Lizzy helped with my make-up and piled my curly brown hair on top of my head and I went on stage. I danced, and I danced, and I came to the low turn. I was scared but stayed calm. I finished without falling! I came off stage, Lizzy hugged me. I was happy. Bella came up, her red hair glowing against her white dress. “I knew you would take the hint.” She smiled, Lizzy and I looked at each other, “You wrote that note!” I whispered “Yes, don’t seem so surprised.” “Thanks”.

Afterword: Bella danced the main roll the next year, she deserved it, for helping with the dress. A few years later Lizzy was able to dance again, we all celebrated. We all have our differences but we all helped so that there would never be another Dress Disaster.