The Dream

Written by Heather Schultz

There I was sitting on an unfamiliar floor. It glistened of gold and silver marble swirls and felt cool and clean as though it had just been waxed. The intricate designs were perfect as they wove in a circular pattern throughout the foyer. I gazed up to a beautiful white staircase that seemed to have no end in sight. I wondered where so many steps could lead in such a miraculous place. The room was filled with a light as bright as the sun. I squinted my eyes to focus more into the light only to see a large opening that resembled a glass door. When I looked up to adjust my sight, a flaming chandelier hung above me trickling small rainbows on the white walls surrounding me. Admiring this incredible mansion, I got an all-knowing sense that this was my home.

"I must be in heaven," I whispered to myself.

"Heather, why aren't you ready for the ball?" a strange lady asked as she burst into the foyer.

She looked to be in her early 50's, was about 5'4 in height, and wore a dark baggy button down shirt with flowing black pants. Her hair was a dark brown color that fell just below her ears in a stringy fashion. Her face was tan with wrinkles in her cheeks as though she had been smiling for many years. Her voice was rough and stern when she spoke, and she seemed quite annoyed.

"Excuse me?" I replied, "What ball?"

"Oh, Heather, the ball! Why aren't you ready yet? Why don't you have your dress on?" she ruffled.

Immediately, my eyebrows crinkled downward in confusion.

"What dress? What are you talking about?" I asked.

The strange lady's tarnished hands grabbed me at once and jolted me off the floor into a dark room that contained a varnished wooden mirror that stood taller than me.

"Here, put this on. Hurry up, he is waiting," she grunted.

An exquisite light pink formal hung from a wiry hanger. It was doused with sequins from head to toe. The neck of the dress had a sweetheart cut while the remainder flowed closely to the body as if it were made for a mermaid figure.

"I can't wear that!" I exclaimed. "That won't fit me! You don't understand...only pretty girls can wear stuff like that!"

Disturbingly annoyed, the lady said, "Heather, it...will...fit. Put - it - on! Hurry up! He is waiting!"

"Alright.  I'll just show you it's not going to work," I said realizing there was no convincing this woman.

Ready to be disappointed, I carefully slipped into the gown.

"See? I told you it wasn't going to look right!" I said justifiably.

"It fits you just fine. See for yourself," the lady said.

Terrible visions of my outward appearance danced through my mind. What does this lady know? I wondered. I've tried on countless dresses like this one before and they've never worked out. Bewildered, I held the train of the dress in my hands as I tiptoed to the mirror. My eyes slowly glanced at the reflection before me. I stood amazed. The person in the mirror did not match the vision in my mind.

"Uh, that's not me!" I gasped under my breath.

"Yes, dear, that is you," said the woman.

"B-b-but that cannot be me! Because...because...that girl is beautiful!" I exclaimed in unbelief.

I gazed at myself for what seemed like an eternity. My face was gorgeous! It had clean, pure skin without any blemishes. My cheeks were naturally rosy, and my lips were red as wine. My hair was long and silky and its blond curly locks bounced off of my shoulders. My figure was perfect, much like a supermodel in a magazine. The beautiful pink dress fit me like a glove, as though it had been tailored to only fit me. Softly, tears rolled down my cheek.

"I can't believe that is me," I whispered.

"Heather, this is what I see when I look at you," I heard a voice say. "You are my child. I have created you and you are beautiful. Know who you are and walk in it."