Fourteenth story in the Angel Girl series.
You can blame … ah… I mean… thank Marian for this one as she came up with the title and asked for a story to fit it. Vin´s actions in this story came from an idea by Marian and Phyllis. Thanks ladies. This is what happens when I don´t get enough sleep.
Thanks to MOG for the loan of her ATF AU.
You know, this is not the way I imaged my new life was going to start. I was so happy when I was taken from the rack at the Garden End Costume Factory where I hung with all my sisters. I was so proud to be chosen, and my sisters enviously whispered their goodbyes and wishes for luck as I was lifted to the mobile rack and rolled away. I had such dreams and now look at me, stuffed into a box with a bunch of rowdy vampires, soldiers, and witches. Stop it! You´re crushing me! Would you please stop whining, and show a little dignity! I am used to associating with a better class of costume, let me tell you.Ah, I can finally see light again as the shop clerk takes me out of the shipping box and hangs me up on a new rack. Oh, it feels so good to stretch out again. It was so cramped in that box! Oh, no! Look at me! I´m a mess. The pink net of my attached tutu is wrinkled and crushed. This will not do at all. Miss, oh Miss! Something needs to be done at once. Oh, THANK YOU. A little steam and a warm iron on my net and I know I´ll feel good as new.
Now this is more like it. I finally take my rightful place on the display rack in the front of the costume shop. Maybe this won´t be so bad after all. Wait, what are you doing? Put me back. I am taken off the rack again by a sour-faced woman who shoves me into the dirty hands of an equally sour-faced young girl, who whines, “But I don´t to be a ballerina! I want to be a Powder Puff Girl!” before being told to behave and try me on. What do you mean try me on? There´s no way I´m going to fit on that body! It´s way too big. She´ll stretch me out of shape! Well really! Such an unpleasant emotional display. Imagine throwing a tantrum in a public place that way, how rude. Thank heavens they put me back and leave the shop. That was a close call. I don´t know if my nerves are up to this.
This looks promising. “How ‘bout this one, Angel? Would you like to be a ballerina for Halloween?” the handsome dark haired man asked the adorable little girl in his arms. I can see the little blue eyes light up as she looks at me and says “Daddy, it´s so pwetty!” and she reverently strokes her soft little hand down my front. How sweet. It´s so nice to be appreciated at last. I see the man smile at the child and ask again if she wanted me and the little girl eagerly agrees and hugs me to her chest when the man takes me off the rack and hands me to her. Oh joy! I have found a home at last, and my new owner´s name is Angela.
I arrive at my new home and I am welcomed by the other occupants of my little Angela´s closet. I am surprised to be surrounded by such an eclectic group of garments. Blue jeans and tee shirts and western shirts rest next to velvet and lace dresses in cheerful camaraderie. They all have such wonderful stories to tell of their adventures with Angela and Daddy and his friends. I can hardly wait to start having my own adventures with Angela.
This is so exciting! Trick or Treat! Yes, thank you, we are adorable. So good of you to notice. Yes of course we can dance. Shall we dance, Angela? Angela hands the plastic bucket to Daddy and we twirl and dance and have great fun showing the nice lady at the door how wonderful we are.
Uggh, I hate chocolate! It looks so nasty smeared across my front that way. Really Angela, couldn´t you have waited until you were back in Blue Jeans to eat that? You know they don´t mind whatever you stain them with, but its sssooo uncomfortable having Daddy try to remove that awful brown stain from me. Angela watches me closely as Daddy rubs the stain remover into my fabric saying, “Can you fix it, Daddy, pwease,” so tearfully. Don´t cry, sweetheart. I know you didn´t mean it. I shouldn´t have been so snappish. I´ll be alright, I promise. “It should be just fine, darlin´” Daddy reassures her. There, listen to Daddy. He wouldn´t lie to you. We´ll be dancing together again before you know it. Dry your tears, love.
Oh the horror! I can hardly believe he just did that! I am laying across the bed watching in stunned disbelief. The long-haired blond man my Angela calls Unca Vin had been trying to get Pink Tights (who I usually partner with when playing with Angela) onto Angela´s little legs. When several attempts to get Pink Tights on properly failed, he took a pair of scissors and cut the feet off Pink Tights!!! Then he slipped the remains over her legs and pulled them up to her waist. My Angela yells, “Unca Vin!” and he looks embarrassed as he pulls a pair of socks with lace ruffles on top of the mutilated Pink Tights and says, “It´s the new style, Angel. All the ballerinas are wearing them now.” Oh, who do you think you´re kidding? You Apparel assassin! You clothing murderer! Don´t let him near me Angela! Help, Daddy, Help!
Ow! Would you please watch where you´re grabbing! I´ll only stretch so far, you know. Silly Unca JD, why should we stop dancing for something silly like a bath? OW! Stop that this instant. Angela is not ready for a bath yet, can´t you see? We´re right in the middle of Swan Lake, you Plebeian! “I´m dancin´, Unca JD,” my darling Angel says as she slips underneath his arm and twirls away once again. Excellent move, my Angel, so clever and so graceful! Unca JD makes another grab but misses once more. Ha, silly man, thinking bathing is more important than dancing! Oh dear, he caught us. Well alright if you insist. Shall we dance again tomorrow, Angel?
There´s my little Angel. Yes, dear, I love you too. By all means, put me on again. I do so love it when you wear me. We stop in front of the mirror to admire ourselves. Aren´t we beautiful? We are a perfect fit you and I. Daddy comes into the room and stands by the door smiling at us. He catches Angela´s eye in the mirror and she turns around to face him. She says “Look at me, Daddy. I´m a bal´rina.” Daddy nods and says, “So I see, darlin´, and you are the most beautiful ballerina I have ever seen.” How true. He is certainly a discerning man, I must say. My little Angela looks up at him with a smile and holds out her hands to him. Shall we dance? “Dance with me, Daddy,” she begs. Daddy takes her hand and we dance and whirl around the bedroom in joyous abandon. What glorious fun! Daddy stops and pulls us up into his arms for a hug. It feels so warm and safe in his arms. I could just stay here all day.
Oh, no! It can´t be! How could this happen. We no longer fit. Angela is too big. Our hearts are breaking. “But I don´t want to get rid of my ballerina dress, Daddy. I love my ballerina dress!” she says tearfully as Daddy folds me and puts me in a box on top of Purple Sequined Evening Dress with Matching Feather Boa. “You can´t wear it anymore baby because it doesn´t fit you. It´s too small now.” I hear the patient sympathy in Daddy´s voice as he tries to console my Angela. “But we don´t have to throw it out. See, we´ll pack it in this box and put it in the attic. You´ll never have to get rid of it, I promise.” Goodbye, my Angela. I´ll miss you. I´ll never forget you. Goodbye. The lid of the box closes and everything becomes dark. I´m back in a box again, just like I began. I´ve come full circle now. Oh what a wonderful adventure it has been. I lay quietly in the box, content with my memories.
What? Oh its so bright! How long has it been since I saw sunlight? I´ve been in this box for so long I´ve lost track of time. That´s Daddy´s voice! What is he doing? I see his face appear over the top of the box. How it has changed since the last time I saw it! The lines have deepened on the beloved face, and it now holds unfamiliar wrinkles. Has it been so long? His once dark hair is now heavily sprinkled with grey, but those eyes! They still sparkle in that oh so familiar way. “There it is,” I hear him say as he reaches in and lifts me from the box. “I knew it was in here somewhere.” He gently shakes me out and lays me across the box, lovingly smoothing the inevitable wrinkles from me. “This was your mother´s, little darlin´, ” his cheerful voice says. “That was really Mama´s, Grandpa?” asks the tiny blond child standing at his knee with blue eyes that exactly matched the shade of his own. “Yep, darlin´. She wasn´t much younger than you when she first got it. She loved to play dress up in this. Would you like to have it?” “Oh, Grandpa, do you mean it! Can I really have it?” “Absolutely. Let´s go show your mama.” Daddy hands me to the child and I am hugged to her chest as he stands and lifts us into his arms. I have a new owner! I can hardly believe it. Another chapter to my adventure is about to be written when I was sure the book was closed forever. I´m so happy! Hello, there! What´s your name? Shall we dance?
The End
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