from The Dance of the Wedding Gown (NaNoWrimo)

Amanda tossed and turned in the four poster bed. It was too quite, she was used to the noise of the city. She sat up, it was no use. Maybe some warm milk she thought. It always worked in the movies.

She picked up her flashlight and made her way down the stairs. She didn’t want to turn on any lights for fear of disturbing her parents and brother. She came to the steep stair case and gripped the hand rail tightly.

“Of course it would disturb them if I fell and broke my neck,” she said quietly to herself. “They’d sure be sorry that they drug me out here though,” she added with a smirk. “Too bad it would hurt too much.”

Amanda reached into the small refrigerator, got out the milk jug and searched around for a mug. “Thank goodness mom thought to bring a microwave.”

She took her hot milk and looked around. “Probably not a mall or a movie theatre with in a hundred miles” she mused sadly.

She noticed a light coming from the parlor. “That’s strange,” she said to herself. She knew that her father had set up his computer as soon as they returned from dinner. Maybe he was still hard at work.

She walked in the room, but saw that the computer was turned off. “Someone just left the lamp on.’ She reached over to turn it off, but something white caught her. She turned around…and dropped the mug. The ceramic broke in three big chunks and milk stained the hard wood floor.

The very same dress that Amanda was only just admiring a few hours before, the dress that she had carefully returned to the cedar chest, was “dancing” around the room. The skirt swayed and the lace sleeves encircled gracefully around and invisible partner.

“Oh my…” Amanda moved closer and reached over with a trembling hand.

“Take your filthy hands off my dress!”

The dress fell to the floor and Amanda, sweating profusely, ran quickly back to the bedroom. “Just another wacko dream,” she told herself over and over. “I was walking in my sleep, that’s it. I’m going to look in the chest and the dress is going to be in there right where I left it.”

Amanda went to shine the flash light in the trunk, but changed her mind. “Of course it’s in there stupid. You don’t need to look.” With that she slipped back into bed and feel into a fitful sleep.

“Amanda Jean!”

“Uh oh,” Amanda said stretching and sitting up. The morning sun was streaming in the window, promising to be a hot day. “I heard the middle name used, wonder what I did this time.”

Her mother stormed into the bedroom, carrying the lace dress. “What was this doing downstairs, on the floor no less?”

Amanda’s breath caught in her throat. “I..I don’t know,” she stammered.

“This gown is over a hundred years old, it’s irreplaceable! Now would you please put it in the cedar chest like I asked you to until I can find a display stand for it!?”

“Yes, I will right now,” Amanda said quickly.

“What were you doing with it anyway?”
“I was…just looking at it,” Amanda said slowly. “I didn’t mean to leave it downstairs.”

She took the dress from her mother who stormed out of the room, mumbling something about old enough to be more responsible. Amanda stared at the dress in her hands. “Maybe I was walking in my sleep,” she said. “But why would I take the dress down there?”

She stood up and went over to the chest. Kneeling before it, she carefully folded the gown and placed it inside. Suddenly the lid slammed down hard, nearly closing on Amanda’s hands. “Hey!” she yelled, scooting back. “What…” She looked around and shivered. “Why is it so cold in here?”

Then she heard it, crying…someone behind her was crying. Amanda felt her spine tingle. Not sure if she really wanted to, Amanda slowly turned around. Standing just a few feet away from where she was kneeling was the same dark haired girl that Amanda had seen in her dreams.

She was wore a long white gown and was wringing her hands. “I’ve made my sister most angry,” she said with tears running down her ghostly white cheeks.