Red Dress

Undecided what to do, she took another look. It was as incredible as she thought. What to do!? Amelia crossed her arms as she paced back and forth looking at the floor in her path.

Determined to make a decision she stopped in her path and looked at the dress. When doing so, her first thought is always how gorgeous it looks. The bright candy red color makes her smile. The soft velvet ribbons keeping the dress from being strapless caressed her skin. There was an all over red-on-red design completely covering the fabric with the subtle drape at the neck hugging her curves and falling well below the knees.

This is the most beautiful dress ever created not because she thinks so but because everyone else does.

Backing up to sit in the chair, she beheld the soft fabric hanging flat against the cold, hard surface of the mirror.

She remembered the first time she wore it. There was a reception for a new exhibit at the art museum. A handsome man in an Italian suit, tailor made, approached her asking about the designer. "Let me guess, Vera Wang" were the first words he spoke to her, before even introducing himself.

"Excuse me?" Amelia looked at him with innocent eyes. No one would mistake her for the Vera Wang.

"The designer," his eyes moved over her from head to foot, "I must know who it is. It's Vera Wang, am I right?" The look of anticipation was all over his face.

"No. It's an Amelia Hart."

"Amelia Hart? I don't know Amelia Hart?" Anticipation turned to a frown. Disappointment played across his face, his eyes and his voice.

She held out her hand. "Pleased to meet you. I'm Amelia Hart."

At once, his expression changed to delight. Both his hands grasped hers and shook it with pleasure. "It's my pleasure to meet you. I must know who you design for. Do you have your own house? No, of course not or I would have heard your name before tonight." He still hadn't introduced him as he talked effervescently.

"I don't design for anyone. I mean, I'm not a designer." That wasn't true really. The red dress was her only inspiration that made it from the page to the hanger.

That was when everything started. Nothing in her life was the same after that night, after slipping on the red dress.

Michael put up the money for her to open a dress shop. It didn't take long to learn the fan of her dress was named Michael. The shop would be an exclusive boutique. There would only be three or four made of each garment she designed. Michael wanted her to recreate the red dress and hang it in the window. `

Amelia didn't doubt for a second that doing so would bring in clientele, but she held fast, there would be only one of the red dress.

She was wearing the dress the day she met Paul. They met in an antique shop when they simultaneously moved to pick up the same clock. They laughed about it and he invited her to lunch. It didn't take long to discover he was her soul mate.

Amelia was wearing it again when she found her dream house. On her way to a wedding, she stopped in the middle of the road when she saw the for-sale sign. The house took her breath away.

Again, she had the dress on when she met a designer at an auction and was invited to study with in him France, at his expense.

Each day was a dream come to, because she had the dress on.

Her boutique will probably have to close. None of her other designs were magical like the red dress and sales were never what was anticipated.

Paul broke her heart. She hasn't been on a date since he ended their relationship.

Her dream home turned into a money pit. What appeared as minor cosmetic changes turned into extensive renovations. The Victorian home wasn't cared for inside as the outside promised.

Her time in France would have been a marvel if she wasn't robbed her first day there, then had an accident which landed her in the hospital for days.

While wearing the dress, all her dreams came true. After she took the dress off, her dreams turned to nightmares.

What should she do?

After the last stitch was sewn, she knew instantly that the garment was special. That was why she resisted in even making a second one.

With her boutique in dire straits, she has been contemplating cutting the piece and making scarves to sell. Maybe, there was enough magic left in the dress for one more miracle.

The sun went down and still Amelia sat not knowing what to do. If bad things happened after removing the dress, maybe, she could keep it but just never it again. That would be crazy! Why own the Mona Lisa but never look at it!

She was mentally exhausted when it was time to sleep. She pulled the comforter up to her shoulder, lied her head on the pillow then drifted off.

Amelia was aware of feathers touching her skin. Starting at the top of her head, down the side of her face and across her shoulder caressing her like a sleeping child. It felt like the wing of a large bird. Comforted by the sensation, Amelia's eyes remained closed to not lose the peace it brought her.

A soft voice whispered in her ear. "The magic was in you all along. With each stitch you sewed the magic flowed from your fingers into the needle, the thread and into the red dress.

Amelia awoke to sunshine streaming into her window landing on her pillow. There was a picture-perfect blue sky outside her window. She stretched, her fists reaching towards the heavens. It was a beautiful day and she felt confident, happy and motivated.

Excitedly, she ran towards her drawing board in her pajamas and started sketching her new line barely able to keep up as the ideas came.