A Day of Happiness

On this day of happiness the crinoline skirt entered the room. It was so vast the chocolate man melted leaving a puddle on the floor. The white skinned, black haired twins, with their impeccable coifs, dicky bows and white shirts crawled on all fours to lap at the chocolate, like dogs at a puddle, revelling in the moment. A spiky cackle burst forth, fearful, passionate, anarchic with malice, as the witch stepped forward. A halo of red dust fizzed like crazy over her head.
‘Bella!’ she exclaimed.
Bella the beautiful turned slowly, swishing her wide skirt round. She was equal to the witch, or better than, as she had no need to achieve reflected glory. Her glowing face promised new life for the coming times. The twins, Spank and Spunk, paused in their greedy licking and looked up, two identical faces happy at the promise of a battle.
Bella arced her arm and tears fell from the glass domed ceiling. The dancers stopped to kiss each other in the warm rain, equipping themselves with happiness for what would be. Nobody knew what would come to pass at this moment, this equinox of light and life. The tick-tock of each of their beings was a metronome pushing its way through space into the unknown.
The crinoline lifted to form perfect crenulations and out poured an army of dwarves waving spades.
‘We dig to reach victory,’ they cried as one, rushing at the witch.
Sensing defeat her halo wobbled and flew away in a v of dust.
‘Bend,’ shouted Bella, ‘or break.’
‘I am not bendable,’ the witch retorted, snapping into two pieces, which took flight shattering the glass ceiling as they escaped. Surrounded by the red dust they flew away like woody, winged sticks flying into the setting sun of a hot horizon.
With a noise like the crack of thunder the glass fell from the atrium roof in rainbow sparkles. Bella muttered a softening spell so the shards were transformed to melting ice. She turned to Constantine Merryman, who was sandwiched between the twins, a bright spot of purple velvet, between their dark towers.
‘Go,’ she said. ‘Quickly find me the blue book which holds the golden story.’
Before he hurried away One Eyed Melvin, the witch’s’ cat, guffawed loudly.
‘Ha, ha, all the magic is held within the halo. You don’t stand a chance, she will be back.’
Bella beckoned. From behind Spank and Spunk came Epsilon and Cosima. Epsilon glowed as brightly as a shimmery, glimmery star forcing the twins to don their Raybans. Cosima spoke first but her voice was so soft the air swallowed it whole. Epsilon spoke for them both.
‘There is always magic. Mystery is a life force. Our happiness is within us. Look for the mirror within mirrors, step inside and retrieve the magnifying glass, for there lies the book hidden in the frayed pouch. Bring it to Bella.’
‘Be quick,’ urged Bella, ‘for this is an inside out house with eyes on every window.’
Constantine darted off on his mission. Slow music started up to embrace those waiting on the ballroom floor. They clung to each other tightly, soft lips meeting in a gesture of solace. All, except the twins, who were tainted by theft. They jumped in and out of the puddle of chocolate,
laughing ecstatically, unconcerned while chocolate splattered up their carefully creased trousers. One Eyed Melvin nipped between the dancers causing chaos as they tripped and parted from each other. Particles of red dust dropped through the hole in the ceiling and One Eyed Melvin mewed with satisfaction.
Bella was on the point of tipping her crinoline in another direction, to summon further aid, when Constantine returned blue book in hand.
She began to read and the red dust bent its head to listen…
‘Once upon a time on this day of happiness…’

the copyright of this post belongs to Moira Cormack