30 Days: "Fairy Clothes"

FAIRY CLOTHES

By Larisa Hobson

Princess Freda hated clothes, especially if they were fancy. The only dress Freda could be persuaded to wear was a plain cotton gown.

The King and Queen were horrified by Freda’s lack of fashion. Clothing styles were never simple in Showler. The Queen’s elaborate clothing always set the trend for the entire kingdom.

The Queen often criticized Nurse Neva for not taking advantage of Freda’s vast wardrobe, so Neva would try every bit of clothing she could onto the princess. Freda found the lace scratchy, and the material itchy. The colors and patterns made her dizzy, and the decorations just got in the way. Soon Neva and Freda would be frustrated to tears. Then Freda would escape to the large courtyard garden that led off of the nursery. The Princess loved the beautiful trees, the soft grass, and the fragrant flowers there. But most of all she loved the fairies that attended to the gorgeous garden. The garden fairies were not normally fond of humans, but they loved Freda.

After one dreadful dress-up session, Freda flopped down among the flowers and complained to a small white daisy, “You don’t have to wear clothes to be pretty, so why do I?” She looked across the garden and noticed a flurry of fairies tending to a withering bush. The fairies’ glistening wings formed hypnotic patterns that moved slightly, like leaves in a soft summer breeze. Freda’s mind caught hold of an idea.

When Freda returned to the nursery, she was garbed in the most amazing attire Neva had ever seen. The nurse wondered how the dress could shimmer with so many marvelous colors. Then Freda drew closer, and Neva noticed the hundreds of tiny fairies clinging happily to Freda’s gown.

At dinner that night, admiring eyes were all on Freda. Everyone was so impressed by her dress, that she was soon setting the styles.

The tailors tried their best to copy Freda’s fairy clothes. When the fairies formed a polka-dot dress, the people were soon wearing spots, and when the fairies were feeling silly and dressed Freda in zigzags, zigzags became the fad.

Freda was surprised by how light and comfortable fairies were to wear. She liked the soft breeze of their fluttering wings, and the little giggles and conversations that often issued from her dress. She especially loved having friends with her wherever she went.

The Princess was glad that the fairies were with her at her Birthday party. She was excited to sing a special song in front of everyone, but she was also nervous. Wearing an extra fancy fairy dress helped her feel calmer, as she stepped onto the stage to sing. The guests looked pleased while she sang, until they were distracted by a large crashing noise. Several men stood and started for the door, but the fairies made it out of the room first. When everyone looked back at Freda, they found her standing awkwardly in only her underclothes, her cheeks bright red with embarrassment. She ran from the room.

Freda felt so humiliated, that she did not leave the nursery all the next day. Finally Neva persuaded her to attend the formal dinner. The fairies created a sensational outfit, as an apology. But when Freda entered the great hall, she was stunned to see that everyone was dressed only in underclothes, with their cheeks painted scarlet.

Copy write 2009 by Larisa Hobson; author retains all rights to this story.