The Magical Legacy

FAITH 5

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - PRESENT DAY

Faith loved exploring Aunt Dot's exquisite home during the rare occasion she and her family made the trip to her home on Capitol Hill for some unusual event. Most times, it seemed to Faith, these visits only happened following a funeral, when some extended family member Faith didn't even know, had passed away. The expansive house would be filled to overflowing with relatives who were little more than strangers to Faith. And she always felt weird about talking to anyone other than her parents and siblings. Typically, those in attendance dressed in their Sunday best, and people usually gathered downstairs, where the space was more industrial-feeling, with cool, linoleum floors and more relaxed furnishings. Faith remembered hanging out around a banquet table, in a back room, where a variety of dishes filled with casseroles, salads, chips, and crackers brought by attendees were on offer. She giggled, thinking about the dip she'd learned was made from a can of bean and bacon soup mixed with a tub of sour cream, and how she had devoured it! But she was much younger then. This visit to Aunt Dot's was extra special. Because it was just her and Mom. Faith had never experienced such undivided attention from her great aunt before. And even though the ladies encouraged her to wander around downstairs to occupy herself while the adults talked...she was still content. Because this was the first time she had ever had the entire space to herself.

As she strolled from room to room in the daylight basement, Faith paused a moment to bask in the warm sunshine. Golden rays were pouring in through windows that led out to a spacious backyard patio. Out there, she could see a grassy, rolling hill, just beyond the pavement. It obscured the panoramic view of the capitol building, and the rest of downtown Salt Lake City, she had observed upstairs. But it was still a pleasant space.

Turning away from that display, Faith headed back, toward the other downstairs rooms, when she noticed a closet door in the hallway she hadn't seen before. It had a plain-looking, white-painted exterior with a simple brass knob. Inside, she was surprised to discover a stack of department store boxes covered in piles of fancy-looking clothing, lying loose, one on top of the other. Digging through the treasure trove, a single dress, in particular, caught her attention. Lifting the boxes, carefully, out of the way, she exposed a gown made from sheer white fabric. Faith gently extracted it from the other costumes, and shaking it in front of her body, she examined the find. This was, what appeared to be, an actual ball gown. Faith had never seen anything quite like it, in person, before. Sure, Mom had her homemade, gold brocade, long-sleeved gown hanging in her closet at home. That was the dress she wore when attending one of the Gold and Green Balls with her dad, held at the local ward house. But this dress, this gown, was not like that one. This creation had no sleeves; a big no-no in grown-up Mormon culture. The upper section was composed of ivory organza that extended down to form the entire outer layer of the gown. But under the transparent, wispy surface, layers upon layers of a heavier, stiffer fabric made the full-length skirt stand out, full and crisp. There were dainty, burgundy daisies embroidered into the fabric here and there, with a sprinkling of brilliant sapphires, making the dress sparkle and shine with every movement. This dress, Faith thought, seemed like the kind of gown a princess would wear.

Gathering the layers together, Faith, pulled the dress to her chest, and moved quickly up the staircase to the main level of the house.

"Can I try this on?" Faith asked excitedly, as she swished into the living room.

"Oh, that old thing?" Aunt Dot glanced at Faith with a twinkle in her eye.

"Why don't you just take it with you?" the woman smiled at her great niece.

"Seriously?" Faith's brows shot up high on her forehead. "You mean, I can have it?" Her eyes flew open wide, as she held the dress to her body, and spun around in a circle before her mother and great aunt.

"Oh, I think so." Aunt Dot replied. "It's just collecting dust in my closet." The woman waved her hand in the air. "Let's get a box to put it in." And the woman accompanied her niece downstairs to select a suitable, white-cardboard container for the dress.

"I wasn't expecting you to give it to me," Faith whispered under her breath as the two stood in front of the downstairs closet. "I just wanted to try it on...play dress-up. You know?" She sighed as she watched her great aunt insert a paper-covered wire hanger into the neckline, then deftly pull a clear plastic cover over the gown, before folding it in half and placing it into a large cardboard box. Then, closing it up, she turned and handed the gift to Faith.

"It looks like a princess gown." Faith murmured lovingly.

"It suits you." Aunt Dot smiled. "Maybe it will bring you good luck."

"Thank you so much, Aunt Dot." Faith grinned as she wrapped both arms around the box and the two headed back up the stairs.

"I will treasure it always."