The Coat...

'Darleeeeng'.... said Babette... ( hopefully eyeing his pockets...) , you remembered..

....

The day was crisp and bright… so beautiful in fact that the Baron for once had
chosen to wander out of doors while it was still light..
He stood peering into a dusty shop window..

It was a small old fashioned kind of shop…. It wasn’t there the day before and probably would be gone again tomorrow.. it came and went as it pleased.. So the fact that it was there at all meant there was probably
a reason.

The Baron was an old customer….

“Ahhh mon cher…said the Baron ,” addressing the fur coat on the other side of the glass…
“What aventures we ’ad together…”...


The coat on the tailors dummy wriggled impatiently.. and whispered
“Where is she..?’ and then as an afterthought asked…
“Am I still attractive?”

The coat did a twirl to show itself off..

“ My dear you are lovely as ever….”
Said the Baron soothingly…..

“Be calm …….the bride cometh.."
(If truth be told the coat had seen better days… but the Baron had no desire to be unkind by pointing out its lack of perfection….)

The coat took a static pose and held its breath.. then squeaked in a panicked tone..” I’m going to sneeze…!!!”

The Baron cleared his throat loudly.. to cover the situation.

Just .. as Babette trotted towards him carrying a few prized goodies..from the shoe shop a few doors down..

She joined him and looked in the window…

The coat smiled at her…( holding its breath..) Babette smiled back….her eyes like stars..

For a long time she stood looking at it saying nothing.. and pressed her hands on the glass that separated her from it…

The Baron secretly winked at the coat and gave a slight nod.... ( knowing she was hooked...)

“ Darleeeeng” said Babette , tearing herself away from it ….wrapping her arms coquettishly round his neck.. and looking up at him in what she hoped was an appealing manner…
“ voooooood you like to make me ‘appy….?”

The Baron gave the appearance of thinking about it but only for a second before letting her drag him into the shop…

The door had a bell that jingled as you went inside… a jolly old man stood behind the counter with a pencil stuck behind his ear..

The coat was so eager it almost jumped off the dummy by itself… without waiting to be asked…

Babette slipped easily into its warmth.. and the coat gave a happy sigh..


She absently extended her claws and carefully drew a line down her reflection in the mirror….then stood back..

The edges of the room began to blur and she felt herself slipping back in time.. the journey had begun…