Midnight hour:times up

It was midnight.
Tammy was waiting underneath the old town clock.
Its glossy silver face shone through the darkness and left a gilded frame upon the small, crowded village.
As Tammy stared upon the glistening, old clocks face, she wondered how long it had been since anyone had opened the small wooden door in the tall structure of the clock.
For some reason Tammy lost all thought of waiting for her friend to meet her, and curiously tottered over to the small wooden door.
Violet, would have to wait, she could always go midnight shopping some other time, thought Tammy.
Slowly outstretching a pale hand, Tammy gently grabbed the brass door knob and pushed the old, fragile door.
A burst of dust and silvery cobwebs extinguished from the tiny wooden door.
Tammy gave a startled gasp, but quickly pulled herself together.
She stepped inside the clock, and with a last look at the night sky, closed the wooden door behind her.

Tammy found herself inside a small comfortable room.
It was lit with small Victorian style lamps, and had a large, comfy satin couch in the middle of the room.
Everything was like a sitting room at home, and as Tammy stared more and more around the room everything seemed to make the clocks inside less like a workshop and more like a house.
Suddenly, a small bell rang in the corner of the room.
Tammy turned round and saw a beautiful lady standing next to a china bell.
The lady had auburn curly hair.
She looked like a Victorian china doll.
Her face was perfect, just like her every feature had been painted.
She wore a loose, silk dress, half-covered by a silk robe, she wore beautiful satin slippers on her feet and she gave the small room an air of dignity.

Tammy was astounded by her beauty and grace.
All of a sudden, the Victorian lady spoke,
“So this is the look of the future……I’m the lady Elena.”
Said the lady in a graceful tone.
Tammy looked down at her jeans and jumper.
Lady Elena certainly was from another time if she disapproved of her best clothes, thought Tammy.
“Well, do not just stand there and unpolitely stare at me!” exclaimed Lady Elena.
“The decent thing to do is tell me your name and say goodbye!”
Tammy spoke in a quiet shocked voice “Sorry! Your ladyship, my names Tammy, well, goodbye…then.” Said a shocked Tammy.
Lady Elena needed no further gesture and decidedly pointed towards another small door.
Tammy felt an uncontrollable force pushing her through that door and without thinking pulled on the doorknob and walked through the door.

Tammy didn’t know what had pushed her through the door, but for some reason she knew that she had to carry on and explore the clock tower more thoroughly.
Suddenly, a chorus of music filled Tammy’s ears and she suddenly noticed that she was in a ballroom.
All around her where beautiful ladies dressed up in the finest silk, with powdered faces, and handsome gentlemen with smartly buckled shoes and white powdered wigs.
They were dancing and chatting merrily.
Tammy was astounded by how many people could fit into such a small room.
This room, unlike the other, was a Georgian ballroom, whereas the other room had been a small Victorian sitting room.
Suddenly Tammy realised that the clock tower hosted times and places in history.
With sudden excitement, Tammy sidled through the twirling couples and chattering ladies to another small wooden door.

Tammy pulled open the ancient door and almost jumped into the room ahead.
But Tammy knew that something wasn’t right, because when she turned round she heard the old clock strike midnight.
Tammy’s body froze to the spot, as her mind desperately tried to figure out why the clock had struck again.
Suddenly, she realised that instead of going back in time again she had gone forward to the time when she was waiting for violet.

                                                        ****
Violet came round the corner in an instant and together the two friends headed towards the 24 hour shopping center.