A 500 word short story by
Scott A. Gese
“Oh mom, this is
beautiful,” remarked Gigi as she held the wedding dress out.
“Your grandmother was
given that dress by the woman she worked for. She wore it at her
wedding, and I wore it at mine.”
“I'd love to wear it at
my wedding,” replied Gigi.
“There's something you
should know about this dress.”
“Something good?”
“No, something not so
good. The dress is cursed. Bad things happen to those who wear it, or
should I say, bad things happen to the husband of those who wear it.”
“Really? Like what?”
“The woman who gave your
grandmother this dress did so because she couldn't stand to see it
hanging in her wardrobe. She had wore it at her wedding. For their
honeymoon, they had booked a cruise ...on the Titanic. When the ship
went down, it took her new husband with it.
“The woman made it home,
but was never the same. When your grandmother told her she was
getting married, the woman gave her the dress as a gift.
“She married an enlisted
man who was sent overseas. One month later she found out she was
pregnant, with me. She sent word to her new husband thinking he would
be thrilled. She received a letter back asking her for a divorce. He
had met a young French girl and was madly in love with her. My mother
was devastated.
“I first saw the dress
when I was about your age. I was engaged to your father at the time.
We didn't have much and the dress was beautiful. I wore it at my
wedding. Your father and I were so in love. We hadn't been married
for more than two months when one day I received a knock at the door.
It was a police officer. Your father had been hit by a bus. He was
dead.
“I was pregnant with
you. I put the dress in this trunk and it's been in the attic ever
since. It's cursed. I should have thrown it away years ago. I would
advise you not to wear it.”
“I still want to try it
on. I want to see if I can fit into it,” replied Gigi.
Gigi was amazed that it
fit her perfectly. “I know you think it's cursed, but I think it's
beautiful and I don't believe in curses. I'm going to wear it at my
wedding.”
She did look beautiful in
it, so against her mothers better judgment she allowed her to wear
it.
Two months after the
wedding Gigi's husband was killed in a workplace accident. The dress
was thrown into the garbage. The garbage man retrieved it and gave it
to the Goodwill.
Not long after, a young
girl saw it hanging on display. “Oh my God, mom. It's beautiful.”
“It sure is dear, I
think you should wear it at your wedding.”
They bought the dress and
took it home.
