“We will not be calling her again. She’s useless.” I say as I pull off the dress, aka my friend, and gently lay her across my bed. I pull on the t-shirt and shorts that I had been wearing before ‘the dress incident’ ,and had magically appeared in my dresser drawers freshly clean.
“I guess fairy godmother’s can only do dress-up related magic.” I say gritting my teeth. “Hey, Beth you haven’t said anything.”
I walk over to where I had laid her.
“Beth?” I ask fear creeping into my voice.
I lift up a sleeve.
I’m still here!
“Ah!” I jump back.
Silence.
I reach forward again, touching the emerald green sash.
I’m here.
Beth says quieter this time.
“You scared me! It was so loud in my head.”
I’m sorry. I was trying to get your attention that whole time.
“Really? Sorry about that. So, I have to touch the dress, I mean you, so that I can hear you.”
I guess so.
“I want to hear you, but I don’t want to wear you again. I don’t really want to carry you around everywhere. You’re not really a small dress.”
Yeah, I don’t want you to wear me either, and I don’t want you to have to carry me. You don’t have to hear me all the time.
“But I want to. I’m not going to leave you alone.”
I could cut off… wait no, cutting the dress is cutting you. I think to myself. I plop on the bed rubbing my forehead with my free hand deep in thought.
I don’t know if I can feel pain as a dress yet. Maybe there is something that could be removed?
“Wait, did you just read my mind?”
Yes?
“Duh! Ofcourse you can do that! Ha! That’s so cool! But I think I like talking more. It feels more normal.”
Yeah.
I hold up dress Beth, turning her around.
“The sash is loose! It can take it off.”
I undo the bow it is tied into and slip it out of the loops holding it on.
“How’s that?” I say letting go of the rest of the dress, only holding the sash.
I feel, ok? Can you hear me?
“Yes! It worked!” I jump up clapping my hands together.
“I wonder what body part I just removed.” I shiver. “Magic is so weird.” I say trying to stop myself from gagging.
So weird.
~~~
The next day I woke up to dress Beth staring at me from the open closet where we had agreed to put her, after some arguing that Beth did not in fact need to lay down. I left the closet door open so we could see each other, if dresses can see. I reach for the sash I left on my bedside table.
“Morning.” I say groggily.
Good morning!
Beth says.
“Ugh. Too loud.”
Sorry. I had a weird night. I didn’t really sleep.
“Haha! What an understatement. Weird night…”
I throw off the covers, and stretch my arms up with a big yawn.
I quickly brush my teeth and get dressed, sometimes unconsciously setting sash Beth down and then backtracking through my apartment to find where I put her. I finally decided to tie her around my waist like a belt even though it didn’t go with my basic work uniform of a t-shirt with DogGo’s paw logo on it, and heavy duty jeans to protect myself from being scratched up by overexcited puppies. I pop a piece of bread in the toaster, and a mug of water in the microwave.
“Okay.” I pause standing in the middle of my tiny kitchen. “I need to get to work in 30 minutes what do you need Beth? Do you need to eat? If you can.”
I’m not hungry, at least I don’t think I am. I just feel very weird.
“Yeah, I bet. What about work? Do I need to call your boss or something?”
I don’t know. I guess so? I know school is okay until Tuesday. I guess we should call.
“Okay I’ll call them for you.”
I go into the bedroom and find Beth’s phone somehow still on the charger on my desk after everything. I type in the screen lock password and find “work” in Beth’s contacts.
It rings.
“Hello?” someone answers.
“Yes this is Beth’s friend. I’m calling in sick for her.”
“Why?”
I rack my brain for some reason that is more plausible than reality, and more importantly something to keep this conversation short. I hear the toaster pop up.
“Uh, she’s sick, she can’t talk. Lost her voice.”
“Does she have a sick note from her doctor?”
Ugh.
“No.”
“Then she has to come into work today.”
I groan.
Oh no.
“She literally can’t talk though. How is she supposed talk to customers?”
“Let me speak to her.”
“She can’t talk you idiot!”
Beth gasps.
No I did not just do that!
Apologize! Beth says frantically.
“You’re the idiot! She’s fired!”
“But..”
They hang up.
“Oh no. I’m so sorry Beth. That literally makes no sense! Why would they fire you for something I said?!”
My boss is a little bit sensitive. I can probably get my job back if I catch him at the right time and smooth things over, maybe.
The microwave beeps. I quickly throw a teabag in the hot water and slather peanut butter on my toast.
“Do you need something to eat Beth?” I say mindlessly. Taking a sip of tea that scorches my mouth.
I don’t think so. It smells good though.
“Oh sorry! Ha! How did I already forget? Interesting that you can still smell though. I guess a magic dress friend could do anything and it wouldn’t be that crazy.”
I grab my keys with toast in my mouth, toss my phone into my purse that I left on my bed, and make a u-turn back out the door.
I get into the car and pull into the street, just as the pain on my tongue becomes more annoying and I remember the tea I left on the counter.
