Alaska
It was one of those little villages that you can find on a map of Alaska. No roads leading in or out, just a tiny circle maybe a hundred miles from the next one. She lived there, and she knew all about the cold.
Dressing for a dance was different from anywhere else. No matter where you went, you wore several layers of clothes. For example, tonight she had on a pair of pantyhose, wool socks, long johns, pant liners, and jeans. She tucked the jeans into her boots, then put on a long petticoat and party dress. On top of the dress, she had on a couple of sweaters and sweatshirts, as well as her fur coat. Of course, she also wore gloves.
"The dance won't be over till about one o'clock," she said to her mom. "Mary and I will be home right after." Mary was her best friend, and they always went to parties together.
"Okay, Sally, have a good time!"
Sally got on her snowmobile and headed over to Mary's house. Mary was similarly dressed, though she wasn't wearing a petticoat, and soon both were on their way across town to the dance party.
The party started a bit late, but soon everyone was having a good time. "Isn't that Miranda?" Sally asked one of the boys. Miranda had been an unpopular girl in town, but had gone away to college a couple of years ago.
"Yep," he said. "I'm surprised to see her here."
"I didn't know she was in town. When did she get here?"
"She flew in yesterday," said the boy, whose dad worked at the airport.
"And you didn't tell me?"
"You didn't ask."
Sally and Mary thought Miranda was stuck-up, always talking about how she was going to leave this jerkwater burg and never come back. Well, she was back. But why? The girls decided to find out between songs.
"Miranda," said Sally, who was not shy, "what brings you back here?"
"I've come to make sure that you don't mess with my man!" said Miranda.
"Really!" said Mary, who thought Miranda was lying. "I thought you would have snagged someone at the coll—university by now!"
"Get serious," said Miranda. "When I set out to do something, I do it. I'm going to university, and I'm going to marry Hank."
Although she was dancing with Hank, he had not been her boyfriend since her junior year. Sally noticed this and said, "I thought Charlie was your boyfriend." Of course, Charlie was now engaged to some Aleut girl whose name Sally and Mary couldn't pronounce.
Miranda fumed. "Don't even mention that tenderfoot's name in my presence." Charlie, far from being a tenderfoot, was the grandson of one of the village's founders.
"I think we touched a nerve," laughed Mary.
"Let's get something hot to drink," said Sally. They each grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down.
Miranda walked by a few minutes later and said, "Wallflowers."
"Whatever," Sally moaned.
"It must be a lot warmer at the university," said Mary.
"Why?" asked Sally.
"Miranda's not even wearing long johns." They looked at Miranda's dress, which looked more appropriate for summer wearmdash;or at least, for the Lower 48.
"She's just wearing a dress? It must be ten below tonight! I hope she gets hypothermia!"
"No chance. She's got to Hank to keep her butt warm."
"I only hope he gets enough of her to decide she isn't the person she wants to spend the rest of her life with," Sally laughed, and Mary gave her a "high-five."
Miranda looked at them laughing and started to stare and glare. Sally and Mary didn't notice at first, but suddenly found themselves itchy.
"What's she looking at?" asked Sally.
"I don't know, but she's starting to give me the creeps." The girls got up and started visiting with other partygoers.
It was about 12:30 when the party started to break up, Those that lived farther away were already headed home. Some had taken off their warm underclothes at the party and were starting to get dressed again. Although Sally and Mary had not done so, they assumed that Miranda might have. However, she continued dancing till almost one o'clock. "She must be staying nearby," said Mary.
"Not at Hank's," said Sally. "He's out in the country a couple of miles." Yet the two left together shortly before the dance ended. Miranda was laughing, evilly though not hysterically.
Mary and Sally put away a few chairs before putting on their coats and leaving. Mary was the first to notice something was wrong. "My legs feel cold," she said as they stepped out the door.
"Mine too," said Sally. "It's just that we've been inside so long. Here's your ride. You need any help getting on?" It had been a bit awkward for both girls to get on their snowmobiles to come to the dance.
"No, I think I can manage. I've never ridden one of these things in a dress before. I don't plan to do it again, either."
"Well, if this hadn't been a 'formal' dance, I wouldn't have either," Sally said. She threw one leg over the machine and settled in. Something was wrong. Something with the dress must be pulling her legs together. She adjusted a few things; she wasn't sure what. She started her snowmobile and started off slowly. Even though she could make the snowmobile go, she felt cold. The wind was blowing up her dress, but the jeans, pantyhose, long johns and pant liners should have kept her warm.
After making sure Mary was home safely, Sally continued the short ride to her house, getting home a few minutes past one. Her mom was still up. "Sorry I'm late, Mom, but these clothes gave me trouble getting on the snowmobile."
"How was the dance?" Mom asked, apparently satisfied with the explanation.
"Miranda was there," Sally said.
"Miranda H—"
"Yes, that Miranda. Is there any other?" Sally asked. "She was dancing with Hank. She said she's going to marry him." She went to her room to begin to change.
"What about Charlie?"
"He's engaged&mdash" Sally came out of her room and stared at her mother with a strange look on her face.
"And—" her mother started.
"She called him—not to his face, since he wasn't there—a tenderfoot."
"And that upset you?" Sally's mom knew she had liked Charlie—and hated Miranda—but Sally's behavior and appearance didn't usually show this much emotion about either of them.
"Mom, something's wrong."
"Well, there's not too much you can do about it. Miranda and Charlie—and Hank, of course—have their own lives, so you just have to—"
"No, Mom," Sally said, "I don't care about them. I've got another problem. It's these clothes. I can't take them off."
"Well, don't be silly. This business with Miranda has you all upset. Here, let me unzip you."
The phone rang as Sally's mother tried to unzip her dress. Sally answered. It was Mary. "Sally, are you having trouble with your clothes?"
"Yeah, why?"
"So am I. In fact, I can't get anything off."
"Mom and I are having the same problem with my stuff. She thinks I'm distracted by Miranda.
"Who?"
Sally was a bit surprised. "You know, the non-event at the dance-party."
Mary laughed. "Yeah, who cares about her?"
"I think Mom does more than I do!" laughed Sally.
"Sally?" said her mom.
"Look, I've gotta go. See you tomorrow, Mary!" Sally hung up the phone. "Sorry, Miranda's more of a topic than she has any right to be."
"Did she stare at you this evening?"
"Who—Miranda? No—well, maybe for a little bit? Why?"
"She's put a curse on you and your clothes."
Sally glared at her mother. "What are you saying?"
"Go look in the mirror—the one in the closet."
Sally did, and saw nothing unusual.
"Pull up your dress...now your pretticoat...now your jean skirt...now your slip...now your thermal slip."
"What in the h—"
"Miranda has changed all your clothes into dresses and skirts."
"No way."
"Yes way. Call up Mary and see if the same thing has happened to her."
Before Sally could pick up the phone, it rang. It was Mary. "You too?" was all they said.
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