Cursed to live....AGAIN

Raynelle

Raynelle

I had unpacked and decided to look around again and see if grammy Rachel had changed anything around since we had last visited. I remember she used to tell me that the house had secrets when I would ask why she stared at the picture in the attic. Figuring she was only trying to scare me; I would limit how far I went alone in the house when I was younger. Now, I decided that maybe she was letting me know that there was something of some value hidden away in here somewhere for us to find. This sent me on a mission to find out if it was true and this house really did have secrets.

I knew that there was a sewing room that needed some straightening, and I was thinking to make it into a hideaway for myself when I wanted to fill my diary with the thoughts in my head. I could look for a treasure while I worked on that project. Grandma Rachel had started our families sewing and tailoring business right here in the house and done much of the work in that room. It's where she taught me to make clothes and fix them as well. From replacing a button to shortening hem lines. The businesses had done so well that now we owned them in store fronts both here in New Orleans and in Alabama.

As I worked on the room, I came to a chest that was stored in the very back of the closet. It was certainly too heavy for me to pull out. I went and found a candle since it was getting darker by the moment and lighting it, took it back into the closet with me, knelt down and sat back on my feet and opened it. The first thing I saw was a large piece of paper with the name, "RUE" written on it in cursive. I had a found a truck of keepsakes that belonged to my aunt. I thought that this was surely a treasure.

Moving the paper to the floor, I began to go through the chest. There were dresses that were so pretty and made of the best fabrics. Silks and chiffons with pleats, sequins and beads. I knew my grandmother's work and this was it. Some of the dresses looked to be ones she would have worn every day and others for big occasions. Festivals, parties and the like were probably places she went. She was a pretty young girl just beginning life when the fever took her.

Everything I took out went into piles. I loved a vintage outfit so I would set some in a pile to go back to my room with me and then the pile to go back in the chest. Of course, I would ask daddy if I could have what I picked out for myself. I wouldn't want to come down the stairs and shock him to death while I was wearing one of the outfits since she and I looked so much alike.

Also, it was common decency to ask. I had been raised with manners after all. By the time I reached the bottom, I was ready to give in since it was getting later and I was hungry and tired. The very last thing there was a blue dress. There was something, endearing about it. Again, I could tell it was homemade, but it wasn't grammy's work. No, this was most likely made by my aunt herself. My daddy said that she was learning to sew and had taken to learning to make her own dresses for practice. It had yellow flowers all over it, buttons down the front and a yellow belt around the middle. I stood and held it out in front of me to look at. This little beauty was just about my size it seemed.

I walked over to the floor length mirror that rotated and stood in an Oak frame with claw feet. It too was heavy and used to be for clients who came and had their work done there to look into as they tried on what they had commissioned to be made. I laid the dress against my body and began to look at myself from different angles. The material was soft and I was actually beginning to think that I loved it even more than the many dresses I had in my own closet. I would defintely put this in the category of a treasure.

As I keep primping and imagining myself going to dances in it, my arms began to catch a chill. This was strange because New Orleans nights were as muggy as the days. It was why our nightgowns were light and we slept with windows open to catch any breeze God saw fit to bless us with. Before I could think that maybe it had begun to storm or the seasons were turning more quickly than before, I looked into the mirror and behind me I saw a young lady that I knew right away to be Rueann. She stood there; eyes as red as they could be with almost a smile on her face.