https://Voice.club - The hat transforms. The minute she sees it in the alley, Sara knows it will change her life. “Anything to liven up this boring existence,” she sighs to herself. Feeling unappreciated by her children and husband, she longs for more. Sara picks up the hat and feels a tingling along her arm. The hat begins to vibrate, a glow emanating from its brim.
When the glow dissipates, Sara is no longer in the alley, but in a circus ring. The hat has become a tiara upon her head, her clothes now a tutu and tights. She sings and dances with abandon, surrounded by cheering crowds. Strains of calliope music guide her untrained feet; children’s laughter fills her heart. Joyfully, Sara tosses the tiara/hat in the air and as it comes down . . .
She finds herself in a long line meandering down an unpaved street in an unfamiliar town. Looking down at herself, the only thing she recognizes is the hat. The costume she had been wearing is now replaced by a shapeless house dress topped by a frayed flannel man’s shirt. Around her, huddle ragged children listlessly clinging to equally ragged adults, and babies whimpering with hunger. The odor of horses and despair, and the clanging, squeaking carriages assault her senses. Aghast, Sara feels tears form, and as she angrily blinks them away . . .
She is standing beside a hospital bed, white cap on head, patient chart in hand. The lady smiling up at her is unfamiliar, yet Sara feels an affinity she has seldom known before. “Thank you for being so kind to me. Your presence means so much,” the lady murmurs as her eyes close in sleep. Sara gently tucks the blanket around the bed, turns to exit the hospital room, and . . .
She is back in the alley, hat in hand. Looking at the hat, Sara realizes she is entertainer, provider, and nurturer for her family, a family she loves dearly, which she would not trade for anything.
Proudly she places the hat upon her head, as a crown honoring her life.