The Shirt

 

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            When Emmaline saw the shirt on the rack, she knew it would be perfect for her pirate costume. The lacy white sleeves would accent it nicely. She quickly grabbed the shirt and held it against her chest. It looked like it would fit, and the tag said it was only three dollars. She put it into her cart with the long black skirt that she had found earlier. After only ten minutes inside the secondhand store, she’d found the base pieces for her Halloween costume. As she walked up to the checkout stand, a silk scarf caught her eye and she put that into her cart as well.

            After paying for her purchases, she walked outside. Her house was only a few blocks away, and she walked home quickly. Hurrying upstairs to her room, she laid out her new costume on top of her bed. To her surprise, the white lacy-sleeved shirt she’d purchased now appeared to be purple. Was the light in her room different from the light at the store? How could she have thought it was white before? Oh well. Purple would still be okay.

            Shaking her head, she pulled on the shirt to see how it fit. As she had suspected, it fit perfectly. Studying herself in her mirror, her eyes widened. The shirt had turned blue! What was going on here? The soft blue shirt continued to transform before her eyes.

            Hardly daring to even blink, she watched the shirt as it continued to change. It was lengthening and nearly reached the floor. The lace became more delicate and lovely and beautifully accented the shirt, which was now a dress. More fabric appeared and grew into more layers for her dress. Small gems and rhinestones bordered the neckline in a star pattern, and a thin, silver necklace appeared with a sapphire pendant. Delicate white gloves grew on her hands, and her hair drew itself into an elegant bun on her head.

            Emmaline gaped at the reflection in the mirror. Was that really her? She was still staring when a deep voice sounded behind her.

            “Greetings, your majesty.”

            Emmaline whirled around to see a smartly dressed man bowing down to her. His tuxedo sparkled with silver cufflinks. His kind face turned to her, as if he were waiting for something. It took her a few minutes to find her voice, and when it did, it came out small and scared. “W-what? Who are you?”

            The man smiled. “My name is Jeffrey, and I am your royal advisor.”

            Emmaline’s eyes felt like they were going to fall out of her head. “What are you talking about?”

            Jeffrey held out his hand, which held a thin, silver tiara with a sapphire that matched the one on her necklace. “You put on the Queen’s dress. It’s been lost for centuries, and only one who is worthy can find it.” His serious eyes looked into her bewildered ones. “By the magic of Telar, you are now its queen.” He gently set the tiara on her head.

            Emmaline gasped. “You mean that shirt that I bought at a secondhand store was a magical queen’s dress?”

            A chuckle sounded from Jeffrey. “Is that where it came from?” He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. It only appears when it senses a ruler who is up to the task and has the proper qualifications. It seems like you fulfilled those qualifications.”

            Shaking her head furiously, Emmaline sat down on the edge of her bed. “Well, I think you must be mistaken. I’m just a normal girl trying to make it through high school. I don’t have any magic, and I’m pretty sure this must be a dream.” She threw her head onto the pillow and closed her eyes, waiting to wake up.

            A hand gently touched her shoulder, and she opened her eyes. Jeffrey gestured to her window. “Why don’t you look outside and tell me what you see?”

            Slowly, Emmaline pulled herself up and over to the window that looked out into her backyard. After nearly tripping over her new dress, she took a look outside.

            Her backyard was gone. She was looking down from a great height to a castle courtyard. Beautiful gardens dotted the landscape, and she spied a lake a short distance away. There were birds flying over it, and she glimpsed farmlands beyond. But wait—those birds were huge, and they looked… different. She gasped. “Are those dragons?”

            “Yes, your majesty. Telar is a land of magic and a home for all magical creatures.”

            Emmaline didn’t know what to say. As she stared openmouthed out the window, a blue and silver dragon flew low over the lake, creating a spray of water. The resulting rainbow didn’t immediately disappear and it shimmered in the sunlight. The dragon flew up to Emmaline, hovering just outside her window. Instead of feeling afraid, she sensed the dragon’s playfulness as it winked at her. She waved weakly in reply.

            Jeffrey had come up to stand behind her. “It looks like you’ve already made friends with Chester. He’s the leader of the dragons here at the castle.” He smiled proudly at her. “Just one of the many reasons that you are now Queen Emmaline, Ruler of Telar.”

            Emmaline had a hard time swallowing past the lump in her throat as she tried to take everything in. Earlier that day, the worst thing she had to worry about was what she was going to do for her Halloween costume. Now, it appeared she had a whole kingdom to look after. She forced herself to take a deep, calming breath before she turned to look at Jeffrey. “Okay then. Tell me everything.”