Shimmering Seams

“Tonight,” she pirouetted over to a different pile, “Is all about embracing the mystery and the alluring glamour of the unknown. That is the name of the game.”

Sky Alton
Writer, Gryffindor

Awkwardly, Nathan bumped the office door open with a hip.
“Raaaaar!”
“Very funny, Jenny,” he rolled his eyes, trying to pretend he hadn’t jumped.

His co-worker put her head on one side and eyed him through the holes in the crocodile mask. Its long snout was missing a few of its large emerald green sequins.
“You look like you’ve got scale rot,” he told her dispassionately.

He would have folded his arms if they weren’t full of a huge bundle of sparkly fabrics. Everything seemed to be very slippery and he was sure he’d lost several capes and scarves on the short walk from the costume store to the office.

Jenny lifted the mask and flourished it at him.
“You are meant to be overlooking silly details like that,” she told him, chucking it on a pile of other animal masks. The peacock one slid to the floor and Nathan had to dump his armful in a chair so he could rescue it before Jenny trod on it.
“Tonight,” she pirouetted over to a different pile, “Is all about embracing the mystery and the alluring glamour of the unknown. That is the name of the game.”
“We’re holding a masquerade dance to raise money for a new lighting rig,” Nathan wrinkled his nose.
“In fabulous costumes.”
“-that we’re inviting people to cobble together from the years of detritus that’s gathered in our costume store.”
“A treasure room of promise.”
“Emily said to offer the stuff that we were going to chuck anyway and keep their grabby hands off stuff we could reuse.”

Jenny flourished a huge ostrich feather fan that he’d thought someone might want as a tail. Dust billowed everywhere.
“We’re actors, Nathan. We make something out of nothing all the time. Why are you suddenly so cynical?”
“Because there are eight more crates to empty and sort through in the next hour before the air of alluring mystery is due to descend.”
“Fine,” Jenny pouted, breezing past him. “You dropped a tiger tail,” she yelled at him from down the corridor, “And some clip on elf ears.”
“Oh, the glamour,” Nathan mumbled as he followed her out.