Ballroom Reflections II

Back in the place of my haunting, before myself I found not my man, but four maidens.

Like butterflies, they flitted around the mirrored ballroom, the soles apart from myself.

Who were they?

Familiarity tugged at the back of my mind, but I could not place them. I knew that they belonged to me, as I to them, but still, recognition refused to settle in.

I watched them.

Each was so different from the other, that I struggled to understand how it was that they could be connected.

A beauty like none, tall yet dainty, swished by me, oh so close; her beguiling white muslin gown shining in the bright room. Her features frail, she looked amazing - a princess, surely. Our eyes met as she pirouetted, her laugh tinkling. They were an icy blue, haloed by dark eyelashes; a great contrast to her pale skin and dress. Her lips were a pearl-pink, and amazingly, her make-up was even more delicate than my own. Her hair too, was up, similar to mine, but was adorned instead with white pearls. Her ears and neck were decorated with them too.

I barely had the time to register all of this, when a blur of pink distracted me, to my left. I turned to watch this other other-wordly creature, so fresh-looking. If I had had any doubts regarding the existence of the Fountain of Youth, they disappeared the moment I saw this woman. Her features were bursting with so much life, that I felt like shying away, cowed by the busyness of her every cell. Her smile was infectious, and she radiated with such naturalness, that it took me a while to realize she wore no make-up to enhance herself. Unlike the angel's dress and mine, hers did not bear so much skin. It was made of some shiny fabric I could not name, showed no cleavage, but had a tight bodice that showed off her figure nonetheless. Her back was covered, as were her shoulders and front, by a transparent and gauzy cloth that tied itself, with a pink ribbon to match her dress, around her neck. Her dark gold hair was glossy and thick, wavy, spilling itself freely upon her shoulders, a pink rose on her left ear.

Her green-blue eyes sparkled with joy, and she waved at me. Then she ran off to join the first beauty, lifting her skirts to reach her, linking her arm with the other girl's once there.

Someone said my name in singsong, and I turned to my right, where a woman clad in crimson hid a smile with her matching fan. It was decorated intricately with golden thread, depicting flowers. I could see her almond shaped eyes, dark, like her short, chin-length straight hair. My full attention now shifted towards her. Her aura was breathtaking, majestic. When she cut the air with her fan, snapping it closed, I wondered whether she was a queen of some sort. Her red dress was simple, tight, and long sleeved, but flared in an enormous skirt that trailed the floor. A golden chain, from which hung a bright garnet, gleamed from the hollow of her throat, and beforehand I had caught a matching jewel on one of her fingers.

"Remember us?" She asked. Her voice was pleasant, but you could tell she jested, and the others laughed.

"Of course she does," replied a voice from behind me. I whipped around to see who it was, and here was the last of them.

She wore a conservative dark-blue dress, the skirt much smaller than the rest of ours. Her skin dark, and her hair even more so; she seemed to be the empress of the night, slight and impressive. Her hair, half-way down her back, curly and thick, was an amazing mane. Her eyes held all knowlegde, and yet, one knew she was as pure as a child. I watched her, and as she came forward, to stand before me, I finally recognized her and the others. Like the second one, she too, wore no jewels, but she didn't need them. I reached out, touching a curl of hers, amazed by her natural beauty.

"Neha...your hair," I whispered. Then I laughed, remembering the time when we were both still children, when her hair had once been like this, natural. The others came closer now too, and as they surrounded me, I turned on the spot, taking them all in.

Memory after memory played itself in their eyes, in the mirrors around us.

Then, like one, we hugged, glad to finally be together.