The Saving Grace

Chapter 3

It didn't take long for Holly to begin her work, and actually get lost in it. All though she could use the sewing machine, hand stitching was her best skill. She was currently working on a dress for Tallulah Dale, a young woman who she had grown up with and gone to school with. It was a custom dress, not like one out of the catalogs the shop had to choose from. Tallulah had asked for her specifically to make this dress, which freed Elaine up to work more on the patterns the two of them already knew by heart. The dress was for a dance later on in the evening, and Holly was almost done with it. She was just putting the last of the lace trimming on the brilliant navy blue dress. The white of the lace contrasted nicely with the dark color. Looking over her work so far, Holly hummed in appreciation for her talent. It wasn't often that the got to create clothing that wasn't a repeat of things the had created before.

The drone of the sewing machine on the other side of the room was a lulling sound. Both women working in silence between each other. No words were needed for the two of them to be happy or at peace as the worked to their own tunes. The shop bell had only rang out once since Holly had started her shift. Tallulah had not shown up yet. If she remembered correctly, the main reason Holly was commissioned to make her dress was because she was trying to impress one of the young soldiers that had come home for a few visits from his training outpost. The closest one to the town of Dalesburg is called River-fort Basic Training. It was positioned in the woods where the river ran. Many rocks and dips in the land gave for perfect training of the soldiers.

And many men had signed up for the military. Not just in Mandson or Dalesburg, but all over Dracma. The war with Tusron had begun not quite a year ago. At first it was just naval skirmishes. Now the troops of Tusron had invaded Iala. The small government had reached out to Dracma for help. Tusron had been trying for years to annex the island Iala as their own, to get a one up on Dracma. Dracma had been trading and giving military support to Iala for years. It was a true declaration of war when the invasion had happened. Quite terrifying actually. The government, at first, had talked about a draft. But the support of the people quickly made them disregard that thought. So many men, and even women, had rushed to sign up for their country. Not just the Dracman people either. Some of the Nakal, the natives that had first inhabited this land, had pledged their service to the military. People of all shapes and sizes joined. And if her grandfather hadn't been as old as he is, Holly was sure he would have rejoined to fight as well. That's why her brother joined the air force. It was as if being a soldier was a bloodline trait.

So lost in thought, Holly hadn't realized she was staring off into space until a hand touched her shoulder. She jumped at the sudden touch and focused on who had invaded her space. It was Tallulah, coming to pick up her dress. "Are you alright, sugar?" Tallulah asked. Her accent was quite the stereotype for the southern belle. Holly nodded and smiled, trying to put the other young woman at ease. It seemed that war and death were on her mind, and she couldn't shake it. A smile broke out on the redhead's face as she rocked to the ball of her feet and back to the heels of her shoes. "Well, in that case, is my dress ready?"

It was quite amusing. Tallulah acted as if she were a child waiting for that big surprise birthday present. "Of course, here it is!" Holly said as she tied off the strand of thread and snipped the excess. She turned the dress out so that the seams were on the inside and showed it off to the new owner. A gasp escaped the other woman's mouth and a large smile spread across her red lips. No doubt a new color rouge she had just acquired.

"Oh, I love it! This is the best dress I think I will ever own!" Tallulah snatched the finished dress from Holly's hands, holding it to her and twirling around the shop. If only Holly could be as carefree as she.

"Don't forget to pay," Elaine warned as she watched the giddy redhead spin around her shop. Nothing missed that woman's sharp eyes. Tallulah stopped abruptly and pulled out her purse to pay, barely holding in her excitement.