The Moonlight Gown

Once, a long, long time ago, in the days of Princes and Princesses, magic and enchantment there was a young girl called Gloriana who was an orphan but lived with a very powerful Witch called Emeraldine who had taken her as her apprentice.

And one of Emeraldine’s most prized possessions was a magical Evening gown made of Moonlight and magical starlight slippers that she normally wore only on very special occasions like the Witches ball but the dress and shoes were so beautiful that Gloriana, who unfortunately was made to dress in a very plain, grey and dowdy pinafore dress, longed so much to wear them.

One day, however, Emeraldine said that she had to go away on important magical business and she left Gloriana in charge of her mansion.

“But I’ll be back before the cock crows tomorrow morning”, she said, “So just you mind that you keep the house nice and clean; keep my aspidistra watered and my cats well fed and don’t get up to any mischief, magical or otherwise, understand?”.

“Yes. Miss Emeraldine”, replied Gloriana gloomily, nodding.

“And most importantly of all”, added the witch, very sternly, “Make sure nothing happens to my magical Moonlight gown or my Starlight slippers, my most prized possessions in all the world, because if anything does happen to them, well, you don’t want to know what’ll become of you”.

“Yes. Miss Emeraldine”, said Gloriana again.

Then the door of the magical mansion opened and, mounted upon her very chic golden and diamond encrusted broom with red silken bristles, Emeraldine took off like a rocket into the starry evening sky.

But then, as Gloriana was tidying and dusting Emeraldines bedroom, she looked at the fabulous Moonlight gown and glittering Starlight slippers that were kept in a very special crystal display case and, without thinking, did something that one should be very careful not to do if one is a Witches apprentice in a Magical mansion. She made a wish. Three wishes, in fact.

“Oh I wish”, she said, “I wish and I wish that I could wear that magical gown and those shimmering slippers”.

Suddenly there was a loud bang, a flash and a puff of smoke the colour of twilight and, before Gloriana knew anything, she was wearing the Moonlight gown and the slippers made of stars.

“Oh no, no”, said Gloriana, panicking, remembering what Emeraldine had said about looking after her ‘most prized possessions’.

But then she caught sight of herself in the mirror and thought how beautiful she looked, dressed in moonlight and stars and a little voice within her head said, “Maybe I’ll wear them just for a little while. No one will ever find out, I’m sure”.

And whirling around, Gloriana imagined what it would be like to be a lady at a ball, dancing with a handsome prince and, as she imagined this, suddenly her starlight shoes seemed to glow more brightly.

Then, just at that moment, the bell at the front door of the mansion started to chime.

“It’s Emeraldine!”, thought Gloriana rushing around frantically, “What will I do?!”.

But then, looking out of the window of Emeraldine’s room, Gloriana saw that it was not the witch but a glittering golden coach pulled by four pure white horses.

Gloriana tried to take off the gown and slippers.

“I can’t answer the door wearing them”, she thought to herself, “Someone, a friend of Emeraldine, an Owl or a Frog or one of her cats, might see and then word would get back to her”.

But no matter how she tried, she couldn’t remove the dress because its pearl buttons wouldn’t come undone and she couldn’t take off the slippers because they seemed stuck to her feet.

In desperation, Gloriana took a long shawl out of an ottoman and threw it round about her to cover up the glittering dress before going down to answer the door.

When she answered the door, however, she saw that it was a coachman in a three cornered hat which, bowing low, he doffed before her.

“Your coach awaits, my lady”, he said.

Gloriana was startled.

“M-my coach”, she asked, stammering and shaking her head, “N-no. There must be some mistake”.

“You are Princess Gloriana, aren’t you?”, asked the coachman.

Gloriana felt sure then that there had been some sort of a mix-up, “My name is Gloriana”, she said, “But I am no Princess”.

The dress and the shoes seemed to think differently however, because then she felt them start to move as if they had a life of their own and because she was wearing them, she felt her arms and legs pulled by them.

Then, helpless as a marionette within the power of the magical clothes, her arms threw off her shawl
and her legs started to walk and before she knew what had happened, the door of the glittering coach had opened and she was seated within it.

“Please”, she begged the coachman, sticking her head from the coach window, “You have to let me go. There has been some awful mistake”.

But the coachman didn’t seem to hear her and then, suddenly, the coach started to move and she could hear the sound of twelve galloping horse’s hooves.

“Oh what will I do”, sobbed Gloriana, “What will happen when Emeraldine comes home and finds her dress and shoes gone”.

But then suddenly she forgot all about Emeraldine for up ahead she saw a bridge that crossed a shimmering lake but, to her horror, she noticed that the bridge was only half there.

“Oh stop! Stop!”, she cried out to the coachman, “Stop or we are bound to crash into that lake”.

The coachman only chuckled as if she had made a very amusing joke but then, to Gloriana’s amazement, she saw the four white horses start to sprout four large pairs of white wings like the wings of swans and then, in the next instance, the horses, the coach and she were all flying through the air; clouds brushing past the coach window and flapping birds who raised their hats respectfully as they flew by and chirped, “Good evening, Princess”.

But then the coachman said to her, “This next part might be a little bumpy, your ladyship. We’re going to have to hurry if you’re to get to the Princes palace in time for the Boxing Day ball”.

“Prince’s Palace?”, asked Gloriana, stunned by what she’d heard.

But then the coachman tugged hard on the reigns, shouting to his horses, “Hurry up there! You don’t want her highness to be late do you?”.

And, suddenly the coach lurched forward, Gloriana almost bumping her head upon the ceiling of her carriage as it shot off across the sky as fast as if it were drawn by four bolts of lightning.

And then, quick as the click of a finger or the flicker of an eyelash when you wink your eye, they were there; the coach and horses coming to land as gently as a snowflake in front of an immense,
glittering royal palace.

Then the white wings of the horses disappeared and the door of her carriage opened and standing, waiting in front of the carriage door was a tall, handsome prince.

“Thank goodness you’ve come Princess”, he said to a befuddled Gloriana as she stumbled out of the coach, “I didn’t want to start the ball without you. You’re the guest of honour”.

Then the Prince took hold of her hand and, though she tried her best to explain that there had been some sort of mix up, led her into his palace and onto the floor of a gigantic ball room lit by glittering crystal chandeliers and crowded with lots of elegant, finely dressed men and woman who smiled and cheered when they saw her and the prince enter.

“Hooray for Gloriana”, they cheered, “Hooray for the Princess”.

Then an orchestra began to play and, bowing before her, the Prince asked, “Would you honour me with this dance, please Princess”.

Gloriana trembled nervously, not sure what to say. Although it was a dream come true for her, Gloriana did not know how to dance and was afraid that she might embarrass herself.

But then, just as before, her magical Moonlight gown and her Starlight slippers started to move all by themselves and, if she didn’t know how to dance, then her slippers certainly did for suddenly
she was hand in hand with the prince and waltzing round and round the ball room and never putting a foot wrong.

“You dance divinely”, said the Prince.

Gloriana couldn’t help but giggle.

“Thank you, your Majesty”, she said.

Then, when the music had stopped playing, a choir of children entered and bowing and curtseying before her started to sing a beautiful Christmas carol.

“Quiet the night; gentle the night. Stars in the heavens, shine clear and bright”, they sang, “Hail Holy infant, tender and mild. Praise him, oh praise him; the sacred child”.

Then behind the choir, and through a large rose window, Gloriana saw brightly coloured fireworks explode in the night sky and she thought that her heart might explode with joy.

“The Moonlight Gown must have made all this happen. Perhaps it has enchanted them all”, she thought, and stroking the gown, said, “Oh, thank you! Thank you, marvellous, magical Moonlight gown”.

But, just then, she also saw the giant clock on the ballroom wall and heard it chime for midnight and remembered what Emeraldine had said about returning before the cock crow.

Fortunately, then, the coachman appeared and, smiling, said, “Your coach is prepared, my lady”.

And following the coachman out of the palace; into the moonlit courtyard and into the golden coach, it was not long before they were flying, rocket fast, homeward again.

“Thank heavens”, said Gloriana when the coach and horses had landed gently outside Emeraldine’s mansion once more, “I’m back and not a moment too soon”.

Then the door of the coach sprang open and, thanking the coachman, she ran back into the witch’s mansion and up the stairs to Emeraldine’s room.

And this time, when she tried to take off the starlight slippers and the moonlight gown, she found that they came off easily and were soon back in their display case and looked as if they had never been worn.

Not long after that, Gloriana heard the sound of Emeraldine’s broomstick returning, whooshing through the frosty winter air and heard her familiar knock at the door and then the magical metal cockerel upon the weather vane of the mansion roof started to crow as it was struck by the first rays of dawn.

Gloriana did not need to answer the door because it knew the witch’s knock well and, unbarring itself, flew wide open.

“Welcome home, Miss Emeraldine”, said Gloriana, curtseying before her mistress.

“Good it is to be home”, said the Witch, “And I hope that you did not get into any mischief while I was away”.

“No, Miss Emeraldine”, said Gloriana, nervously.

But then the Witch went upstairs to her room and, suddenly, it was as if a volcano exploded.

“GLORIANA!”, she heard the old witch roar angrily.

Then Emeraldine appeared at the top of the stairs and she looked furious; her old face twisted into a terrible snarl; a blazing purple fire in her eyes and purple smoke puffing from her ears and nostrils.

“One of the stars is missing from my starlight slippers”, said the witch.

“One of the stars? Missing?”, asked Gloriana, terrified and backing away towards the door of the house, “Really?”.

“There were Six Thousand, Six hundred and Sixty- Six stars on those slippers”, growled the witch, “I’ve counted every one of them and there’s one missing”.

Emeraldine’s glaring eyes seemed larger than normal, Gloriana thought, and her nose more long and beak like and there was something odd about her hair; it looked almost feathery.

Then she realized, terrified, that the witch was turning into something; a bird; a turkey, with long, red dangly wattles and a thunderous gobble.

The witch’s legs and her neck grew longer; bird like talons burst from her pointy shoes and a fan- like, feathery tail exploded from her bustle and, soon, towering over poor Gloriana was a giant, ferocious and rather ravenous looking turkey.

“I told you what would happen if you touched my moonlight gown and my starlight slippers”, said Emeraldine talking through a giant turkey beak, “Now I shall gobble you up for my Christmas dinner”.

Gloriana screamed and cried in fear.

“No, no. Please don’t eat me”, she begged.

But, just then, from behind the door of the Witch’s mansion she heard the sound of galloping hooves growing louder and louder as if someone on a horse was approaching and then there was a knock at the door.

“Go away”, said the giant Turkey, “I’m busy. Busy having my Christmas dinner”.

But then, struggling frantically, Gloriana drew back the bar of the door and pulled the door wide open.

Standing outside the door was the tall, handsome prince and, seeing the giant monstrous turkey
that was louring down upon Gloriana, he immediately drew his sword and hacked off the evil creatures feathery head.

Like a headless chicken the turkey kept on fighting, even without a head; lashing out at the heroic prince with first its left clawed foot and then its right but each time it struck out at him, the monster lost a leg; until, headless, legless and utterly exhausted, the creature collapsed in a fat, feathery heap and died.

“My lady”, said the Prince, kneeling before Gloriana and kissing her upon the hand.

Gloriana was just confused.

“But how did you find me?”, she asked, “I didn’t tell you where I lived”.

The prince took something small and shiny from his pocket; something with five points.

“The star that fell from your shoe”, he said, “It guided me here”.

Then the Prince asked Gloriana to marry him and happily she agreed.

Suddenly there was a brilliant, blinding flash of pure white light and, in the next instance, Gloriana was wearing the moonlight gown and the starlight slippers.

But something odd was happening to them. It was like the sun was rising within them, spreading out its warm golden rays and then, to Gloriana’s amazement, her sparkling gown and slippers became a gown and slippers of glimmering gold.

“Now why d’you suppose that happened?”, asked Gloriana.

“Perhaps because it is a gown fit for a princess”, said the prince.