The Lady of Shalott-Maria

The Lady of Shalott-Steampunk Version

Maria looked up from her yarn and looked at the mirror opposite her. She took her foot off the pedal and placed the reel on her chair as she stood up and walked to the mirror. Her own haunting reflection looked back, her black hair tied behind her, skin pale white, eyes a blue so dark it was almost black against the whites of her eyes. Her light blue dress was falling off one shoulder and she saw she had an ink stain on her thumb when she went to right her garment.

Not bearing to look at herself anymore she raised her hand and arched in front of the mirror. Almost immediately, it started to ripple and shine. Then out of the ripples a city emerged - her city, her kingdom, her prison.

High up above London City, trapped in her tower with no windows, she watched the smoke and steam rise into the air through her mirror. Her tower was right in the middle of London, all she could see in every direction was buildings, blimps, inventions that were powered by steam and coal. There was snow falling from the skies, giving the city a magical look to it, and it looked so soft and cool that she practically ached to touch it again. She pressed her hand to the glass and it gently rippled beneath her touch. From a distance, she heard London's clock tower chime and she shifted the image in order to see it. She saw the cogs moving at the front of the tower, the steam being released from the top and then when the sixth chime sounded, she listened to it fade away. Below her, she heard laughter and children screaming. Looking below to Camelot Square, she saw people walking up and down streets, shopping, singing, playing. Her lips curved up and her eyes filled with tears. She swiped at them and turning her back on the world, returned to her spinning wheel.

'I'm half sick of shadows,' she said. 'I'm the Lady of Shalott, I should be able to leave if I wish it.'

But she couldn't leave, any more than she could stop the sun from setting or stop the images that haunted her dreams. She collapsed on her chair and started weaving again. Soft, warm tears ran down her rosy cheeks, she left them alone. She watched her yarn turn into a soft web, with bright and shimmering colours woven into it. Soon though, she dropped her reel, her eyes grew heavy and she fell asleep.

Her dream was another nightmare. She was running in a forest, the trees trying to get her, all the while laughing at her. They told her that she would die before she was old. They taunted her, telling her she would never see the sun with her own eyes, always looking through a glass, she would always be cursed. She would never know what freedom is, or what it's like to speak to another person. 'Why?' she asked. However, her dream ignored her. It told her that one day she would look down to Camelot and the curse would be awoken. Towards the end though, the dream changed to something beautiful. She came to a forest clearing where the moonlight covered the forest floor. Little purple flowers grew on the ground she walked on and they whispered; 'But you shall know love.'

Maria woke up to the smell of coffee. It was an American drink she'd heard of and always wished to try. She never knew how her food got in her room, nor how she got yarn, clothing, books, in winters someone always lit the fire, but she never met the person who did all this. Stretching, she walked over to her dinner. As she ate she happened to look up and gasped. Hanging in front of the fire, there was a beautiful dress, never had she owned something so fine. It was a light blue dress with white lace over the top of it and soft, lacy cuffs, below the dress were some sapphire blue shoes. She walked over to it and touched it- it was warm and soft. Smiling, she went to put it on and it fitted perfectly. Then she put on the shoes, which were soft satin, lined with velvet. Maria stood and walked about her room and came to a stop at the mirror, looked at her reflection and gasped. Never before had she looked more like a woman of one-and-twenty. She pulled out her hair and the raven locks spilled over her shoulders. She smiled, her eyes lighting up. Wanting to see the beautiful world, she waved her hand in front of the mirror and looked outside.