A young woman, unattractive and lonely, transports herself into a dream that she is George Sand the famous writer.
“Was that not the best time you ever had?” Sara said to her daughter Lydia; Sara had this fixed smile on her face doing all in her power to exude happiness to her daughter. Lydia tried a weak smile,” it was fun.” The conversation went dead the usual pattern for them. They drove in silence. Sara bit her lip. She suffered torment and fear for her daughter. Lydia was ungainly and had no friends to speak of. The only two people in her life her mother and father and now that her father died Lydia was morose. At school she was alone never included in any extra curricular activities she walked home alone and after graduation she had little to look forward to. On school days there was the motivation to get up dress and have a place to go. Now she had no motivation In Sara's attempts to keep her daughter happy she had at an early age introduced Lydia to books and reading. Lydia read almost non-stop and when reading she immersed herself so deeply in the story she became one of the characters. She became dr. Doolittle, She read a Christmas Carol and she was the ghost of Christmas past, she read adventure stories and immediately was transported to that time and place.
Romance in her life was non-existent and she longed to meet a nice young man. She read the life story of George Sand and after reading the book it changed her totally. She read the book a second time and then a third time. She became obsessed with the story of her life and the fact that George Sand was not a man but a woman who went so far as to dress in men's clothing, unheard of in l832.
A cold slow drizzle began to fall chilling the air. Lydia turned on the wipers but her mind was else where she was not thinking for she was driving too fast around a curve. The tires did not grip the wet road the car skidded hit the railing and turned upside down turning over rolling down the revenue. Lydia tried to reach her arm out to her mother she was sinking falling slowly ever so slowly down and down round and round; it was dark so peaceful so easy. Is this the way a feather feels when floating. A feather does not feel anything Lydia thought. Lydia did not feel anything just a little cold. She thought she heard her mother calling her; it was not her mother. “Aurore come in here dear play something for me on the pianoforte,”
“Not now grandmother” the willful young woman tossed her head and walked out the door, she had other things on her mind. Aurore Dupin was on her way to the dressmakers to have a new outfit that was made for her. It was not a fine gown as worn by the fashionable ladies of the day but trousers and waistcoat as worn by a man. This was unheard of a woman wearing trousers. Aurora hurried to the shop and when greeted by Monsieur LeFalle tossed her head and asked, “My order is ready, yes? “
“Excusez-moi Madam what is your order Madam?
“The gray trousers and waistcoat if you please for George Sand?”
“Most curieux,” Monsieur LeFalle thought. It was unheard of a woman wearing trousers in 1834. Aurore was a feminist and she would go out this evening to places where women were not generally accepted he frowned as he handed her the package.
That evening was delightful. As George Sand Aurore sat among the men and discussed the political makings of the day gaily laughing and also smoking a cigar. With her was her writing partner, Jules Sandeau. The first book she and Jules Sandeau wrote together "Rose el Blanches" was the start of George Sands career as a writer.
From somewhere she heard a voice calling her “Lydia”. She refused to listen, she was not Lydia the shy unhappy woman, and she was George Sand, a woman of determination, controversy and many lovers.
The voice persisted “Lydia, come back I love you please come back,”
Lydia felt she was moving away from the voice calling her. Strangely floating peacefully in a rowboat, gliding on a smooth lake calm and peaceful. The voice was growing faint “Lydia, oh Lydia' the voice was fading it seemed ever so far away. Lydia was happy gliding along in the rowboat as it bobbed gently in the cool water. She placed her hand over the side of the boat and let the water ripple through her fingers. So lovely so peaceful she was not going back. The rowboat kept on through space and time. Briefly she had tasted a moment of sweet adventure she was wanted admired and loved.
