WEEK 9

FIRST DRAFT

Soleil sat staring up at the grey sky amidst the smog of the busy Auckland City Business District. She wondered where exactly the rain came from. She imagined a giant man resembling old Mr Xian from the dairy up there wearing a great big straw hat and orange gardening gloves, happily watering her city with a great big green watering can. Soleil was giggling at the thought of grumpy old Mr Xian wearing that funny straw hat when she heard her mother call from inside their tiny apartment. “My sweet Soleil, would you find me the tallest heels from the kitchen closet please? Mommy’s running late for work again, baba.”

She crawled inside the window off the roof of Xian’s Dairy below and rolled forward onto the sofa sitting right under the window ledge, her feet landing on the dusty and stained carpet below. She jetted off towards the kitchen pantry just metres across from the sofa, past the small box television from Miss Sutton’s Pawn shop and littered walls of her artwork from all the free kid’s holiday programmes at the local church.  The Latin music from Maria’s Salsa classes carried into the kitchen from across the road and Soleil automatically began to shake her bottom to the catchy tune while as she opened the door to the kitchen pantry. She already knew which ones her mother was after but asked anyway, “the glittery or black ones mommy?”. She reached for the jar of marshmallows she’d left beside her own favourite flower printed gumboots.

“Which ones will make mommy taller?”

“…the glittery ones!”

“Then glitter it is my fairy!”

Armed with a jar of marshmallows under one arm and pair of strappy gold stilettos in each hand, Soleil bumps the pantry door closed with her hip and marched around the corner towards the only bedroom in the apartment. She stopped to shimmy at every drum roll in the music from Maria’s on the way before entering through the beaded curtain to their bedroom. “Why thank you, darling”, Raindrop said as she swiftly scooped the heels from her daughter’s hands and floated towards their unmade queen size bed covered in feather boas, robes and revealing tight-fitting dresses. There she sat on the edge and began to put her shoes on, “OK my little fairy, mommy has another mission for you. Do you reckon you could turn yourself into a scuba-diver now and fetch me my earring at the bottom of this deep dark sea over here?” she asks beckoning to the pile behind her. Soleil sets the jar of marshmallows on the dresser and looks at her mother inquisitively. “You better be quick now, the floor is turning into quicksand! The only safe land is the bed!” Raindrop suddenly draws up her legs to her chest afraid to touch the floor now. Soleil squeals with delight as she hurries across the bedroom floor towards her now visibly worried mother and safety …