Mary Poppins: Practically Perfect

Chapter Two: Shoes and Soup Spoons

Author's Note: I'm so sorry I haven't updated in so long! I won't make up excuses and tell you all kinds of stories about why I haven't been active. Literally, I've had exams and revision and school and all that stuff which I've had to do! But, from now on I'm making a promise to update as often as I can and eventually I aim to have weekly updates!! But for now, I hope you enjoy this chapter - I spent a lot of time on it so I could make it Practically Perfect for you! Bye for now, writersblog :)

 Once Belinda and I had correctly identified how to use the showers correctly (there were quite a large amount of buttons across the walls) we changed into our formal clothes. For me, this consisted of a cream lace dress, smooth matching petticoat and smart, black court shoes, which made me three inches taller than I was to begin with. I couldn't walk in them particularly well, however my mother had insisted that I take some heeled shoes and I'd watched her throw them into my bag as a last-minute edition.

I looked to my left as Belinda emerged from behind her wardrobe door, where she had been changing. She was wearing a shapeless green, silk dress, which slightly resembled a nightgown and wore heeled court shoes like mine, only in violet. They may have looked quite nice, if they were teamed with a matching overcoat. But purple and green... well...

"Tell me honestly," Belinda sighed. "How do I look?"

In an attempt to spare her feelings, I went to tell her she looked fantastic, but unfortunately the words seemed to get lost in my throat and what came out was somewhere between a gasp and a funny gurgling sound.

Belinda slumped down onto the corner of her bed and put her head in her hands. I walked over to her and sat down on the bed, tentatively putting my arm around her shoulder. She looked up at me and smiled, sadly. "I've never had much sense of what goes well together." Belinda sighed again and began to lower her head. But then a small smile flickered across her face and she looked back up at me. "In all honestly, I usually just pick up the clothes on my floor and wear whatever I can find!" she giggled. "I'm quite clumsy really, so there are always things lying around. I seem to cause chaos wherever I go!"

I laughed and looked around at the mess Belinda had again created on her side of the room. There was a new pile of clothes on the floor of clothes she had just removed when changing into her formal attire (if indeed it could be called that). "Yes," I grinned. "I think I can vouch for that!"

Belinda's face fell all of a sudden. She dropped her chin to her chest and whined, "But now what shall I wear to dinner?"

Silence followed and it was quite a long tme before either of us spoke again. After a while, I decided it had been long enough and said with a laugh, "Well, you can start by taking off those shoes!"

Giggling, Belinda kicked off her violently bright court shoes, sending them flying into the wall. I stood up and rummaged around in the pile of clothes beside her, pulling out two plain black plimsolls. "They're not all that pretty but at least they match your dress," I said, handing them to her. "Now," I continued as she put on her shoes. "Your dress isn't too bad; it just needs a little something. Something like..." I turned around and plunged a hand into my carpet bag. "Well, it must be in here somewhere... I was sure I put it in here... Ah!" I drew my hand triumphantly from the bag, clutching a long, black ribbon in my fist.

"A ribbon?" said Belinda, sceptically.

Without a word, I took her hand and pulled her to her feet, winding the ribbon once around her waist. I knotted the material at the back and tied a double bow, then guided Belinda to the full length mirror. She gasped. "Why, it's beautiful!" she exclaimed. "Thank you so much, Mary!

"I usually wear it in my hair but it looks so much better with your dress. You can keep it," I smiled.

Belinda beamed suddenly ran around to the pile of clothes on the floor. I watched, bemused as she sorted through the stack and was slightly startled when she sprinted back to me and thrust a black hat into my face. “Here!” she gasped. “Have this. It would go so well with your outfit.”