III

Fifteen minutes of Stardom
The Third Somerset Adventure
By Susan Waterflower Bell

Sunflower took a deep breath as she slipped on her sailor style blouse and lifted her pleated navy blue skirt up and fasten it around her waist. Releasing the breath she peered into her bedroom mirror as she reached down and picked up a old wooden brush, without giving it a second thought she started to run the teeth of the brush through her shoulder length unruly golden, blonde hair.

“Foolish girl.” She said taking a deep breath as she broke a few dozen knots that had formed in the course of the day, the humid spring weather had made her hair frizzle and made styling it into the perfect long flowing waterfall darn near impossible. “You had to let them see you blush, you had to let that  slave driver see you blush in the presents of that boy.” She said shaking her head as she placed her brush down, pulled open a wooden drawer and fished out a small ponytail holder.

Gathering up her strands of lose blonde hair she folded the ponytail around the collection of hair and with all she skill she could muster she styled her hair into a high ponytail. Even now her mind was starting to become clouded with thoughts of the events about to unfold. Soon her high cheek bones where glowing with a light pastel pink blush.

“I mean its not like I like him or anything.” Said Sunflower taking a deep breath as she smoothed out her blouse and her skirt as she walked over to a near by chair, her bottom quickly found itself resting in the bottom of the chair, one she was seated she reached over and picked up a pair of stocking, quickly she unrolled the stocking and with the gentle  care she slipped her foot into them and started to roll them up.

“I mean, I do like him, he was nice to me at the Poppy Fete, he even held me a little after mum’s spanking.” She mused a bit as she finished with one stocking and started with the other one. Soon that stocking was rolled into place. Her choice of shoes for the evening was a pair of sneakers, Once she was finished dressing she stood up and once more soothed out her outfit.

Still musing she strolled across her room. Soon her favorite wallet, a cute pink hello kitty one, a gift from her grandmother and one of her prized positions was pocketed.  The wallet had been brought from one of the boutiques that lined the high street in down town Somerset.  Her phone soon joined the wallet in her pockets. And so with all needed items in hand she turned toward her bedroom door.  She was just about to reach out and turn the old brass knob when a sudden knock filled the air.

Sunflower blinked and blinked again as she raised a eyebrow and stepped back, a few minutes passed before the wooden door slowly swung open and in the doorway stood her mother, wearing a nice pleated flora print skirt and white blouse. The older women was holding a bundle of roses from the local green grocer.  A deep blush colored her face as she raised her hand up to hide her japing mouth.

“I thought, since my daughter has been working so hard on memorizing her lines and getting everything down pack, that its only right I should reward the little starlet with a gift of roses.” She said smiling as she held the roses out to the girl. “And a promise to take my little princess out to eat soon.” She said winking a little as she waltzed into her daughters bedroom.

Isabella had over the weeks noticed a change taking place in her daughter, she was slowly maturing from a little girl to a fine young women, she was starting to take pride in the way she dressed and in the way she styled her hair. Her room too was starting to change, it was slowly becoming a room for a mature women and not just a play room for a little girl. Indeed the puppy love she displayed at the Poppy Fete had been more than enough for her to understand her little girl was no longer a little girl.

Sunflower could not help by crack a smile as she moved toward her mother, quickly she took the roses from her hand and still wearing the same blush from before she lifted them to her nose and took a deep breath of there fragrant scent. A chill ran down her spine as she inhaled the sweet flowery smell.

“Thank you mommy.” She said smiling sweetly up at her mother. For a minute the thoughts of the play, the fact her young crush was playing one of the key parts and quagmire of other things that often entangles the mind where put to rest.  And the pure, sweet love shared between a mother and daughter was the only thing the young girl could feel.

“And now, since your playing the little heroin of the Gold in the Hills. I think its only right you have a little piece of  Mad Tom of Bedlam hidden treasure.” Her mother said smiling a little as she reached into her wool lined pockets of her dress. Within a blink of a eye a golden locket hanging from a golden chain had been fished out of her pocket. Still smiling she moved toward her little starlet, with nimble fingers she removed the clasp and placed the chain around her daughters neck.

“Perfect.” Her mother said smiling softy as she closed the clasp and stepped back, and for the first time she noticed something special about her daughter, she noticed she was a blend of her and her father. She could see her eyes, her soft hair and her high cheekbones. She could see her fathers keens in her eyes and at times she displayed his temper, something only a long session with the brush and paddle could cure when it reared its festered head.

Sunflower felt a fresh blush coloring her cheeks as she her ears soaked in her mothers praise, offering her a small smile she walked over to her dresser drawer and placed the roses down upon the freshly dusked surface, the dark oak wood seemed to glow in the faint twilight that broke through the currents. Once the roses where at rest she turned once more toward her mother.

“So I’ll see you there?” She asked, and she waited for her question to answered with baited breath.

“Front row, your father has to close to night but he sends his love.” Isabella said smiling as she moved toward her daughter and then she blessed her with a kiss to the forehead. “And break a leg.”

“Thank you.” She said blushing once again at the kiss, and so with her blessing done she slipped past her mother, guided her way down the steps and slipped out of the front door. Down the brick paved walkway she skipped till she found herself standing under the wooden roof of ‘Grand Avenue Flag stop’ before long other people had joined her and soon the faint ringing of the trams bell could be heard.

A minute passed before the bright headlamp of the small box like steam powered locomotive. A faint hiss filled the air as it came to a rolling stop, the tram was pulling two small railroad carriages. Taking a deep breath, Sunflower reached into her pocket and pulled out her coin purse, and with a smile she handed him half a crown the required fare for where she was going.

Night had overtaken twilight when last person had finally board the train, the streetlamps that line the streets where starting to glow now, casting halo’s of light upon the ground. Sunflower took a deep breath as she peered down at her watch, she still had a good hour or so before the deadline. Leasing her breath she settled into her seat, soon the old beast hunched, a second later the wheels started to turn and soon they where on there way.

The tram speed onward, passing the stately Victorian and Edwardian manner houses that Grand Avenue, a sharp turn marked the entrance onto Cannel Street, pressing her nose to the window she could see the bottling plant was in full swing. A dozen or so minutes passed before another sharp turn was taken. Taking a deep breath, Sunflower rose up from her seat and gave the line running above her head a good hard tug.

Somewhere in the back a bell chimed and the driver slowly started to slow down a little. Quickly crossing herself for luck, Sunflower picked up her purse and made her way toward the front door, counting to three she jumped out of the trolley and smiled as she safety touched down on cobblestones.
“Bloody hell I’m going to be late.” She said looking up and quickly skipping across the street, soon she found herself standing toward the imposing brick school house, the building use to house the old middle school, back then it was called ‘Main Street School’ but not now the building housed a community civic center that included a dance studio and a small theater on the bottom floor, the upper floor served as office space for the Great Western Railroad.