Costume Shop

By CL Moss

A beautiful costume, and a touch of magic.

A stand alone short story.

Emily found the perfect costume for Halloween, a beautiful dress that makes her into a real princess.

But there's something strange about the costume shop, and the woman behind the counter. Then there are the bullies, Ryan and Billy, who make every day a tough one.

Magic is in the air, but when all of Emily's wishes start coming true she wonders if that's really a good thing.

• Language: English
• Publisher: CL Moss
• Release date: Jun 14, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201773496

Book preview

Emily pressed her nose up against the costume shop window. A beautiful princess dress in a soft green, complete with ruffled sleeves and pearl edges, was displayed in the front window. A mannequin dressed as a giant chicken was off to one side, a zombie on the other. An odd mix, but her eyes were only on the princess dress.

The price tag for the dress was upside down so she couldn’t see just how much it was, but it didn’t really matter. She already knew her mother could never afford it. The dress was something her mom called an unnecessary expense. It wouldn’t provide food, shelter, or utilities, so they didn’t need it.

Not that her mother wouldn’t do everything she could to get a nice Halloween costume for her. Emily’s mom had gathered boxes and tinfoil one year to make her into a robot. She’d gone in pajamas with a teddy bear dragging behind her another year. A black dress and a construction paper black hat, and a little bit of green paint, made her a witch another year. Each year was something new and inventive. And usually free.

It didn’t really bother Emily that she couldn’t get all the fancy things her friends had, or dress up in the ready-made costumes from a store. She felt special that her mom worked so hard to make her a unique costume every year.

But that dress was beautiful.

Just once she wished that she could go into a shop, pay for an item, and wear it because it wouldn’t be there after Halloween.

That is a very pretty dress, don’t you think?

Emily looked up to see a tall woman with long black hair, wearing a blue Alice in Wonderland dress and apron, a warm smile on her bright red lips. Emily recognized her as the woman she had seen behind the cash register of the costume shop.

Oh, yes, it’s amazing, Emily said. I’ve never seen anything as pretty.

Would you like to try it on?

Emily blushed. No, it’s too pretty. I’d get it dirty.

Nonsense, she said, waving away the notion. You don’t look dirty at all.

I... I.. Emily stammered. How could she tell the pretty woman that she was just too poor to buy something so beautiful? How could the woman miss the fact that she was standing there in secondhand, threadbare clothes, and a jacket three sizes too big for her? It was a hand-me-down from a cousin on the other