It had sat for many, many years in the corner.
Once upon a time, it had belonged to an acting company. It had been part of King Lear and, oddly enough, Robin Hood. It had been twirled menacingly, flared gloriously, and held closely. It had sheltered actors from the rain on the long roads, and it had finally lost its luster. The lining was stained a dismal brown. Its marvelous russet hue had long since faded to match the lining. The company had fallen apart, much like the cloak that slumped in the corner, torn and forgotten.
Then old, work worn hands lifted the cloak from its dusty graveyard and carried it away. A sharp knife split the rotted seam and easily shucked off the old, brown lining. It was scrubbed. Hard. It hurt the cloak, tough though it was, but the scrubbing was also gentle in its expertise, and all the old stains came out, one by one. Even the invisible stains of sweat and dampness were eased out of the old fabric until it was clean.
Then, the bleach. All the old, old russet drained away, the deep red spilling out of the fabric until there was no more to come out. White, now, it was dyed a beautiful blue the color of the summer sky. A lining of gold silk was painstakingly stitched onto the fresh blue cloak by the old hands, each stitch small and careful, for this cloak was to be perfect.
Finally, it was finished, with a golden clasp. The old man took the cloak and wrapped it in linen and tucked it away.
Two months later, the cloak was unwrapped by delicate silk hands as the old man's daughter lifted it out of its bindings and put it on over her shoulders. It was her wedding day, and this was his gift to her. Like him, it had worked hard and become worn, but now it was beautiful and free, like her. Not because it was made of new materials, but because someone rescued the good cloth from its death at the teeth of the moths to remake it with love and caring. Every stitch was a statement of the old man's love for his daughter, and the bright cloak showed it as it flew about her shoulders.
It had never played a better part.
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