Tuesday, April 20, 2010

My mother's magic handbag

My mother had a magic handbag when we were children. In fact, she had a number of them through the years. I presume that there was some Secret Handbag Shop where she'd buy them. I imagine it was one of those places in an alley, with a non-descript door on which you'd knock, perhaps three times, and a little slot would open through which you'd whisper a secret password (something like "Antwerp") and then it'd open, just wide enough to let her slip through, leaving the alley empty, and looking innocent.

Well that's how I think it happens, I may have got one or two details wrong (maybe the password is "Serendipity" or "Diddley-do".) She says she just gets them from normal shops. I know this is untrue, though, and she's actually been sworn to secrecy, and just can't tell the real story for fear of repercussions from The People who run the Secret Handbag Shop. However she obtained them, they were certainly magic. And still are.

You see, they have a never ending supply of tissues, generally a bit crumpled, but clean, that smell like her face powder (an extremely lovely, motherly-soothing smell). I have seen literally hundreds of them come out of there - to mop up spills, to blow snotty noses and - teenage cringe - to wipe small spots of dirt off our faces, with spit!

The main thing is that I never, ever, saw her put any of those tissues into the handbag. I told you it was magic, didn't I?

4 comments:

Angela said...

As a child, I loved the Petzi-books. Petzi was a bear cub and had two friends, Pelle the Pelican and Pingo the Penguin. Pelle had a beak of the sort your mother`s handbag was like. Whatever the freinds needed, it was in there. A saw, cough medicine, plus spoon, a torch, anything.
I remember my own handbag when my daughters were small. I think except the saw I had everything in there, too. Don`t know if I put all the things in or if they grew.

Angela said...

Sorry to be back (bag, haha).
I just watched Berlin TV and saw a report on pop-up shops! They`re real! A fashion designer rents a very small shop for 4 weeks, with a hidden entrance, sometimes only a window, sells the most incredible styles, attracts a fan group, and when you want to go and see yourself, there is only that old window...

Juz said...

Yep, magical indeed.
I also think the secret gets passed down from generation to generation. My grandmother had a magical handbag and so did my mom. Amazing.

Shiny said...

Angela - what fun!

Juz - now that you mention it, I think my granny had one too...

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