Stranger Things Have Happened (Elvis Presley story)

Chapter 3

1957.

"Wait, what?" I blurt out in disbelief.

Margaret gives me a weird look. "What is it?"

I shake my head. "It just, this morning when I woke up it was 2015."

Her eyes get big. "Well I guess you're a long way from home, aren't you?"

I nod. "You have no idea."

Handing me the clothes, she sends me into the bathroom to change. I have a slip in one hand and the dress in the other. I have trouble putting everything on at first, but eventually I figure it out. The dress is so different from anything I've ever worn before, so I feel strange looking at myself in the mirror. It fits almost perfectly, coming in at my waist and ending just below my knees.

When I step back out into the hallway, Margaret claps her hands happily. "You look wonderful!"

I shrug shyly. "At least maybe now everyone won't look at me like I have two heads." 

She giggles. "Do you want me to fix your hair?"

My fingers instinctively reach up and grab the ends of it. I've never really liked anyone messing with my hair. "Um, sure?" I say hesitantly.

She leads my back into the bedroom, closing the door behind us. Motioning for me to sit in her desk chair, she picks up a comb. "I don't think I've ever seen hair as long as yours," she mumbles absently. I glance at myself in the mirror hanging on the wall over the desk. I guess my hair is getting kinda long, it hangs down nearly to my waist. "And the color, it's beautiful!"

I thank her quietly. But being honest, I've always wanted hair like hers, light blonde and stick straight. Instead I have my boring wavy brown hair, the only thing mildly exiting about it being that it shines auburn in the sunlight. In fact, now that I study Margaret more closely, the more I notice about her. Her skin is porcelain, almost the same as mine. Her eyes are big and bright blue, hiding behind her long curled lashes. I'd instantly trade them for my grayish green ones.

When she speaks next I almost jump. "Do you want it up or down?"

Processing what she said I come up with an answer. "Down, please." I always liked having my hair down.

"Maybe you should watch how I do it, you know, so you can learn how?" I nod and watch what she does in the mirror. She twists a section from both sides of my hair and pins them behind my ear. Then she teases some of my hair at the crown of my head, making it stand up a little. It only takes a second before she's done.

"Do you like it?" She asks, smiling at me.

I nod my head. "Yeah, it's great!"

We both turn our head when we hear rustling noises coming from outside the door. I look at her confused. "Mamma and Daddy must be home," she mutters. Sure enough, there is a knock at the door before it opens. A woman stands there, grocery bag in hand.