Fantasia

         Sky lay on the carpet of moss feeling the damp ground soak through the softened fibres of her much loved cotton dress, languidly sucking the honey dew from a clover cup. It was one of Summer's treasures, finding the space and time to lie here by the shore of the lake, watching the iridescent crystal shine of the sun flash from the ripples on its surface, alone with her imagination.  Some days the lake was a pure flat mirror reflecting the cosmos inverted in liquid form. She would sink into its hidden world and imagine her life in opposites. That had it's own secret beauty, but this sparkling glinting light, peered at from beneath the hair of her fringe allowed her to lose the focus in her everyday thoughts and drift into a glittering world of Maharajas, of Sultans and Bedouin beauty. She had always been a Princess at heart and was ever searching for her courtiers. It is inevitable that a girl who serves others will dream of being served, that a girl who lives parochial life will spread her wings and take flight in her mind, and Sky's reality was undeniably mundane.
           A tea shop on the Finchley Road, endless rounds of washing up, crumbly jay cloths and sweeping. Wealthy Mothers drank their tea while ignoring their little darlings as Sky's table cloths were scribbled on with Sharpies. (Who'd give a permanent marker to a 3 year old?) The Mothers all payed good money for a civilised cup of tea  with juice and an iced bun for little Johnny, if it meant that the mess was here and not at home. Somebody else's responsibility to tidy it away.  If they could get away with leaving the children in the cafe alone Sky was sure they would.
           But when her face had been steamed for the last time by the industrial size dishwasher, the teacups carefully stowed on their hooks, clinking their last clink of the day and the cloths cleaned and hanging to dry, she would escape her marigold handcuffs and climb into a world of wonder. There was no pudendan promise to her fairytale, but maybe it was better that way.  Less messy anyway.