This is a story I wrote quite a while ago.  Let me know what you think.

Her Grandmother's Gloves

Tearfully, Anna tried to concentrate as her grandmother's will was read out to the assembled family.  The old lady had a large estate, having been wealthy and it was a foregone conclusion that Anna's mother and two aunts would be left the greater part of the fortune.  The funeral had been the day before and Anna missed her grandmother desperately.  Her mind was miles away, remembering the last time she'd seen her.  Then Anna's name was read out, bringing her back to the present.  Her grandmother's solicitor was saying something about some gloves which had been bequeathed to Anna.  The sixth former felt privileged that her grandmother had left something specifically for her.  It was an unexpected surprise. 

     After the will had been read out, the family went to a local pub for lunch where they discussed the will.

     'You're lucky to have those gloves, Anna,' her grandmother's best friend Harriet told her.  'They may not seem like much, but wait till you see them.  They're beautiful, wonderful quality and the stitching is exquisite.  Muriel wore them to the dance where she first met your grandfather.'

     Anna nodded, then sighed.  'I'd much rather have Gran here with me than her gloves,' she said.

     'Of course dear,' Harriet replied.  'We'd all rather she was alive, cracking her jokes and making us laugh.'  

     The family's time at the pub seemed to Anna to last an eternity.  It was Anna's maternal grandmother who'd died, so in one corner of the room her father was comforting her mother, who, devastated by her loss, was crying quietly.  In another corner, Anna's two aunts were sitting with their husbands and children, sniffing and dabbing at their eyes.  Anna looked sadly around the room, her view taking in her younger brothers.  Although they had loved their grandmother, they found family gatherings rather boring and were probably wishing they could be out on their skateboards. 

     Anna, too, wanted to be away from it all, to be in her room at home in peace and quiet, where she could think straight and start to come to terms with her loss.  Although her grandmother had been elderly and ill, Anna, like her mother, had been wishing that somehow she would pull through and be all right again.  Now she had to face the future without Gran's warm hugs and sensible advice.  It seemed an age before the family all left the pub, and Anna was glad to get home.

It was a while before Anna was given the gloves because her grandmother's things had to be sorted, which took time.  A couple of weeks later, however, her mother came into her room with a packet.

     'I have something for you here, Anna,' she said.

     'Is it the gloves?' Anna asked eagerly.

     Her mother nodded.  'I think so.  Here you are.  Open it.'

     Anna began to open the packet, then hesitated.  'Would you mind leaving Mum?' she asked.  'I'd like to do this alone.'

     When her mother had gone downstairs, Anna gingerly unwrapped the package.  She was afraid of damaging the gloves.  Lifting them out of the tissue paper, she could see that Harriet had been right about them.  They were exquisite.  Although they were plain black, they had been beautifully stitched and Anna could tell that a great deal of time had gone in to making them.  She was about to throw away the tissue paper when something on it caught her eye.  She could just about work out some familiar, shaky, handwriting. It said,

     'I hope you will wear these my dear, so that you can catch a glimpse of what it felt like to be me at your age.'

    Anna was intrigued.  What did had she meant by 'catch a glimpse'?  Impulsively, she put them on.  As she did so she saw her surroundings blur and change.  Scared, she rubbed her eyes but still everything was out of focus.  After a few seconds she could see again.  Shocked, Anna realised that she wasn't in her bedroom any more but in an unfamiliar room, a different bedroom.  The bedroom was big, airy and lavishly decorated, with heavy red velvet curtains drawn across generous-sized windows, and there was a large wooden bed in the centre of the room, with a purple quilted satin bedspread.  Obviously someone wealthy lived here.  There was an antiquated looking radio on a stand by the bed, giving the bedroom an old-fashioned feel.

     'What's going on?' she said aloud.

     'What do you mean 'what's going on'?' a voice replied cheerfully.

     Anna saw, with a start, a girl about her own age standing in front of her, dressed in a floor length emerald green gown which looked as though it was vintage.  Stunned, she sat with her mouth hanging open, until the girl said laughingly, 'Are you trying to catch flies, Muriel?  Come on. Hurry up!  We've only got half an hour.'

     'Muriel?' she asked, bemused.  'My name's Anna.'

     The girl looked at her critically.  'Have you been having a bit of a tipple?' she asked.

     'I...no, you don't understand,' Anna protested.  'My name's not Muriel, it's Anna and...'

     The girl stood in front of Anna, looking down at her sternly.  'Listen to me, Muriel,' she said firmly.  'I won't tell your parents and I know you're nervous about tonight.  But alcohol is not the way to solve your problems.'

     Before Anna could say another word, the girl was dragging her out of the bedroom and down  a majestic staircase.  As she was pulled along, Anna caught a glimpse of herself in a long mirror which faced the stairs.  She gasped.  Her appearance was completely different.  She was wearing the gloves which were so long they reached her elbows and she was dressed in a floor length black gown with a puddle train.  The gown had sequins arranged in intricate patterns on the bottom half and the top half of the dress had thin straps going over her shoulders, with a criss cross design on the bust.  But what dismayed her the most was that her face was no longer hers: that is to say her face was someone else's.  And she recognised it.  Although it was a lot younger than Anna had ever seen it, it was her grandmother's face.

     'Come on,' the girl said impatiently, grabbing her arm again.  'We're late.' 

     Before Anna had time to say anything, she was swept away out of the house and into an old fashioned car, so old that Anna realised she was no longer in the twenty first century.  She found herself being bundled into the back of it and a chauffeur was saying in a strong Cockney accent,

     'All right, young ladies?'

     Looking at her companion, Anna said, 'You're Harriet?' at which the girl rolled her eyes and, giving a conspiratorial glance to the chauffeur, said,

     'You've had way too much to drink, Muriel.'

     Anna sighed.  As the car moved off, she gazed out into the black night, wondering what she could do about her situation.  It was hopeless.  All she could do was to play along, pretend she was her grandmother and hope that, somehow, she would eventually be transported home.

     Although the journey seemed to take forever, the car being a lot slower than Anna was used to, they eventually reached their destination.  She saw a fine old country house similar to those she'd visited with her parents sometimes.  As she got out of the car, she shivered and wrapped the fur coat, which Harriet had thrown to her earlier on their way out to the car, tightly around her.  It was a clear, starry night and rather cold.  Seeing other people, also in evening dress, making their way to the front entrance of the house Anna felt a nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach.  She followed Harriet in through the grand front entrance, pausing briefly to look up and admire the beautiful painted ceiling. 

     Coming close to Anna, Harriet whispered in her ear, 'I think he's going to be here tonight.'

     'Who?' Anna asked. 

     'The man every girl wants to be with,' Harriet replied.  'George Roberts.  You'll love him.  He's such a dreamboat and he'd be just right for you.' And she pointed to a handsome young man standing across the hallway, smiling at them.  He raised his hand to wave.  Anna thought she recognised him.  There was something so familiar about his face.  She raised a hand to wave back, then realised he was waving, not to her, but to a glamorous looking young woman standing next to them.  Glancing at Harriet, Anna saw her scowling. 

     'The vulture,' she said nastily.  'Patricia's always after some poor fellow.  But I'm not going to let her get her claws into George.  Not this time.'  So saying, she grabbed Anna's hand and stalked over to the young man who had turned to greet an acquaintance.

     'Hello Mr Roberts,' Harriet said sweetly.  'You remember me, don't you?' 

     George looked blank.

     'Harriet Wallace.  You went to school with my brother.  This is my friend Muriel Price.'

     George looked a bit surprised at Harriet's boldness, but said politely, 'Oh yes, I remember.  Your  brother's Thomas. How is he these days?'

     'Enjoying life in the army,' Harriet replied, nudging Anna to say something.

     'Is this your first time at a ball?' she asked lamely.  George gave her an odd look.

     'No,' he said with some confusion in his voice.  He seemed bemused.  Anna could sense, rather than see, Harriet looking daggers at her. 

     'We'll speak again later.  We must hang our coats up,' she said in a saccharine voice, dragging Anna away from George towards the cloakroom where an attendant was waiting to take their coats from them.  Then they walked on into the grand ballroom, where dozens of young men and women were milling around in posh frocks and suits, all pretending not to be interested in each other and failing miserably.  But what Anna noticed most was the thick veil of smoke that hung in the air.  Everyone seemed to be smoking, some of the girls obviously seeing their cigarette as a fashion accessory.  Harriet  interrupted her thoughts by tugging her arm impatiently and, finding them a slightly more secluded area of the room, she hissed in a low voice,

     '“Is this your first time at a ball?”  What a  ridiculous question!  What were you thinking of?  What's wrong with you?  No, don't tell me.  It's the wine.  You've really got the taste for it, haven't you?'

     Anna was unsure of how to respond.  She could try sticking up for herself and explain to Harriet that she wasn't really Muriel, she was Anna and she didn't have a clue who everyone was and what she was doing here.  Or she could play along with what Harriet was saying, pretend she'd been drinking and that she was her grandmother, hoping against hope that she'd wake up soon and this would all be a bad dream.

     'Well, to be truthful, I did have some of my father's whisky to drink tonight.  I might have had a bit of Mother's wine too,' she said.

     Harriet's face took on a pained expression.

     'You should never mix your drinks, Muriel,' she groaned.  'That's the cardinal rule.'

     Anna pretended to look contrite.  'I'm sorry Harriet.  I was just so nervous about tonight.'  Thinking quickly, she added, 'So if I forget who people are tonight or start behaving strangely, I'd be very grateful if you could cover for me.' 

     By now Harriet had her head in her hands, shaking it in despair. 

     'Fine.  I'll make sure you don't look a complete fool.  But you'll owe me a big favour for this, Muriel.'  Anna nodded gratefully and followed Harriet into the centre of the room, where the band was playing and people were beginning to dance.  In spite of her best efforts to remain calm, Anna was shaking and hoped no one could see. 

     Looking at the entrance to the room, she saw George Roberts striding towards them with Patricia.

      'Oh it's not her again is it?'  Harriet whispered in Anna's ear. 

     But Anna's attention was focused on George.  As she looked at him it struck her.  He was her grandfather.  She hadn't recognised him at first because he'd died when she was still quite young.  Now, she could visualise the photo she'd seen many times of him and her grandmother on their wedding day.  It had been during the war, so he was in his soldier's uniform and her grandmother had worn a simple but pretty dress.   They had met on the night of a Grand Charity Ball, not long before he was called up. 

     Then it dawned on her.  This was the ball.  This was the one chance her grandmother had had to get George's attention.  She remembered that Gran had often said it was a wonder they had ever got together in the first place as she had been so painfully shy.  What if Anna were here in the past for a purpose?  Maybe the reason was so that she could make sure  her grandparents got together.  But if so, she was really messing up.  So far, George had more or less ignored her and she wasn't helping matters by being so tongue tied. Gulping, Anna felt herself go all hot.  She was feeling panicky.  Pull yourself together, she told herself.  Go and talk to him.  So, feigning confidence, she walked over to George, with no idea of what to say.  She needn't have worried.  As she approached him, he said,

     'It's Miss Price, isn't it?'  Anna hesitated for a moment, still unused to being called by her grandmother's name.

     'Yes, but do call me...Muriel,' she said, remembering just in time to use her grandmother's name.  'It's my first big dance,' she said truthfully, ignoring Patricia's scathing look, 'and I'm not used to seeing so many people together at once.'  Which, in a way, was true.  Anna was much more  used to clubbing with her college friends and she had never felt so conspicuous as she did tonight.  Now she was expecting George to be scornful of her but, to her surprise, he took her by the arm and walked her away from a gawping Patricia and Harriet, whispering in her ear,

     'I'd do anything to get away from those ninnies.'

     'Harriet's not a ninny,' Anna said indignantly, feeling in spite of Harriet's treatment of her that she ought to defend her grandmother's best friend.

     'All right, maybe she's not,' he said impatiently, 'but Patricia certainly is and Harriet seems to go out of her way to put people in their place.'

     'You know Harriet quite well then?' Anna asked.

     'Just a little, really. As she said, I went to school with her brother for a while and I met her once or twice.  I seem to remember she could be a pain in the neck, always thinking she knew best and everyone else was wrong. At least, that's what her brother said.'

     'I could believe that,' Anna agreed.  Harriet had obviously improved over time.  Anna had only ever known the older Harriet to be a kindly, helpful person.

     'That was before my family moved away to Rhodesia,' George added.

     'Rhodesia?' Anna asked bemused.  Then, remembering what Gran had told her about her grandfather, she realised he meant Zimbabwe.  'Oh yes.... Rhodesia.  That's a long way from home.  Did you get homesick?'  She knew she must be sounding really stupid, but didn't know what else to say, so it was a welcome surprise to her when, instead of rebuffing her, George sighed, saying,

     'Yes.  I missed my school friends and my grandparents.  It was so hard to adjust to life out there.  Father was working a lot in his job with the government and Mother had problems with her nerves.'

     'Her nerves?'

     'Yes.  She had a nervous condition which meant she couldn't cope very well with the stresses and strains that came with the move to a foreign country.'  She probably had depression, Anna thought.  As if in sympathy with George's mother, a wave of nervousness hit her as she saw they'd reached the dance floor.

     'Would you like to dance, Muriel?' George asked diffidently.

     'I'd love to,' Anna replied. 

     The dance steps were hard to master as, although she'd had a few lessons in formal ballroom dancing, she wasn't used to it, being more used to the flashing lights and semi-darkness of a nightclub dance floor.  But gradually, with George leading the way, Anna began to relax a little and it got easier as she went along.  It was a strange, unnerving feeling, dancing with her grandfather.  As he spun her around the dance floor, her puddle train swirling, Anna could easily see why Gran had fallen for him.  He was certainly dishy, she thought as she looked into his hazel eyes which were just like her mother's.  As they danced, George talked to her about his hopes of becoming a solicitor.  Anna remembered that her mother had talked about Anna's grandfather eventually rising to become a barrister.

     She found herself wishing that she could have lived her grandmother's life.  Things were more straightforward in the past.  You met a boy at a dance and then, some way down the line, you married him.  That was her view of her grandmother's life, although she knew it was simplistic and that the years that followed during the Second World War  must have been tough.

     The music that had been playing drew to a close and the dancers and onlookers gave the band a round of applause.  Anna felt herself being ushered towards a quieter part of the hall by George.  She felt awkward because, although outwardly she looked like her grandmother's younger self, inside she was still very much Anna and this was her grandfather who was courting her.  George sat her down on one of the plump sofas lining the walls of the ballroom.  He sounded shy as he said softly,

     'Miss Price...Muriel.  I wanted to tell you that...' He paused.  'There's going to be a war,' he announced, as if he were a newsreader.

     'I know,' Anna said, then bit her lip.  Obviously she shouldn't reveal too much.

     'You know?' he asked, surprised.

     'I...I've been following events in Germany on the wireless,' she ad-libbed, using an archaic word so she didn't sound too modern, 'and I think you're right.'

     George looked impressed.  'Well then, what I'm about to say won't startle you too much.  I think we, you and I, should get to know each other better, because you never know what lies around the corner.  Anything could happen and we might not have another chance.'

     Anna nodded, remembering what Gran had told her about the war; that nothing had been certain and that many couples married in the early days of their relationship.

     'What did you have in mind?' Anna asked.

      'My family are having a dinner party next Thursday,' George replied.  'I was wondering if you wanted to join us?' 

    Anna felt on edge again.  Would she still be living her grandmother's life by then?  What if she was and she could never get home?  But right now she had to think as her grandmother – her eighteen year old grandmother – would have thought.

     'That would be lovely,' she said smiling.  George's face went pink with pleasure.

     'Wonderful,' he said. 

     As they arranged what time George would come to pick her up, Anna realised she didn't know where Muriel lived.  Fortunately, Harriet was approaching them with a conciliatory expression on her face. 

     'Hello, Harriet,' Anna said.  'George and I were just arranging to get together next week, but you know how silly I am, I've forgotten my address.'  George looked surprised, so Anna added swiftly, 'Oh it's terrible. I've got such a bad memory.'

     Harriet looked exasperated, but said nothing and dictated the address to George as he wrote it down in a pocket note book.  He then excused himself to go and talk to a friend he'd just seen and Anna got a chance to talk to Harriet.  Before Anna could say anything, Harriet said hurriedly,

    'I'm so sorry about tonight Muriel.  I've been perfectly horrid to you, and I should have been a better friend.  Then maybe none of this would have happened.'

     'What wouldn't have happened?' Anna asked, puzzled.

     'Your drinking problem,' Harriet said bluntly.  Anna wondered what to say next.  She didn't want to give her grandmother a bad name.  What if her behaviour tonight was going to cause Muriel's life to turn out differently, for the worse?  If she wasn't careful, she could ruin her grandmother's chances forever.  So she said slowly,

     'I'm not an alcoholic, Harriet.  But I was nervous about tonight, so I had a little too much to drink, but only a little, that's all.  I'm just a bit tipsy.'

     Harriet sighed.  'All right, Muriel.  Maybe I'm overreacting to your behaviour.  But you must admit you've been behaving rather strangely.'  It was Anna's turn to sigh.  She wished she could explain to Harriet about not being who she appeared to be but, seeing as she looked just like her grandmother's younger self, that was not an option.

     'I'm sorry too, Harriet,' she said.  'I have been behaving oddly tonight.  I'm not feeling myself, I've been nervous about what I've heard in the news about the war...'

     'What war?' Harriet asked sharply, interrupting her.  Damn, Anna thought.  She was forgetting again that the war hadn't started and it made her wonder what year she was in right now.  But she felt that she owed it to the young Harriet to warn her about what was to come.

     'The war in Europe.  It's coming,' she said, looking at Harriet's disbelieving face, 'and we all need to be prepared.'  Thankfully she didn't have to say anything else because George had just reappeared.  Nodding, he said,

     'Muriel's right, Harriet.  Hitler can't be allowed to continue to invade other countries without expecting retribution.'  Harriet's face took on a scared look.

     'But Neville Chamberlain seems to think that Hitler doesn't pose a problem,' she said desperately.

     'Well he's wrong,' George replied grimly, 'and the sooner people realise that the better.'  Then, shaking his head, he smiled, saying, 'But we don't have to think about that just yet do we?  Muriel, would you care to dance again?' 

     Anna nodded eagerly and followed George onto the dance floor once more.  The time she was dancing with George seemed to fly by and it was soon over.  There was another round of applause and then the announcement that the evening's festivities had ended.  They walked over to Harriet, who was standing with a shy looking young man, with whom she'd been dancing.

     'Well I'd better be going, Miss Wallace,' he said.

     'Oh do call me Harriet,' she insisted, blushing.

     'H...Harriet then,' he stammered.  'I'll see you on Saturday at the Hampton's,' and so saying he walked away, leaving a beaming Harriet.  George looked amused.

     'You've got an admirer there, Harriet,' he said jovially, seeming to have forgiven her for being a 'ninny'.  Harriet blushed an even deeper red, but said nothing.  'Muriel, I must say goodbye for now,' he continued, 'but I'll see you on Thursday.'

     'I'll look forward to it,' Anna replied, quaking inside at the thought of possibly still being here, in Gran's life. What if Grandad kissed her? What would she do then?  What if....?  She shook hands with George and they said their goodbyes.  Then he was gone.  As Anna looked after him, Harriet said,

     'You're smitten with him, aren't you?  Can't say I blame you though.'

     'What about you and that man you were talking to?' Anna retorted.

     'Oh...well actually, Sid Owen is wonderful,' Harriet said happily.  'I think he could be the one.'

      Anna smiled, pleased that Harriet was happy, but also saddened, because she knew the future.    Her grandmother had told her that Sid had been killed in the war while he and Harriet were engaged.  Harriet had been devastated and had never married.   

     'Let's go and get our coats,' she said, anxious to get back to the house she'd been in before, and then maybe she'd make it home.  Fortunately, they didn't have to wait too long to collect their coats and then it was a matter of waiting for their car to come and pick them up.  After a few minutes, the car arrived and then Anna had some time to think whilst Harriet chatted animatedly to the driver.  Yawning, Anna felt herself drifting off.  It had been a long day.

     'We're here, sleepy head,' Harriet said, nudging her painfully in the ribs.

     'All right, all right,' Anna replied, hauling herself out of the car.  She wanted to get in the house as soon as possible so she could get home to the present day.

     'Have you got someone to take you home?' Anna asked.  Harriet laughed.

     'Of course I have silly – you know this car is Father's.  I'll see you tomorrow at three thirty.  Or have you forgotten that?'

     'No, no, I'll see you then,' Anna said smiling, willing Harriet to go.  Finally the car moved off.  Once it had vanished out of sight, Anna walked in to the house and over to the mirror she'd seen her reflection in before.  A strange thing happened.  Although she wasn't moving her lips, as she looked in the mirror, Anna saw her reflection mouthing the words 'Thank you dear' at the same time as she heard a familiar voice speak the words in her head.  It was her grandmother speaking to her. She was sure of it.  Then, as before, her surroundings blurred and changed.  As she rubbed her eyes, Anna saw that she was back in her own bedroom.

     Phew, she thought, but at the same time as she was relieved, she was also sad that she'd never see her grandparents again, that in this reality they were gone.  Taking off the gloves, she put them back into their packaging and then into her chest of drawers.

     'Goodbye Gran,' she said and closed the drawer.