I had originally seen a prompt for this story on a fan site, and I wanted to adapt it into how I imagined this scene. Enjoy.
The young girl had never been in the basement before. Her parents had never allowed it. But it was early spring, and her mother had begun to sort through all of the family's unwanted belongings. Throwing away what was considered garbage, and donating what was deemed to be valuable. So when the girl's mother had opened the basement door, the young girl jumped at the chance to explore the mystery that had long plagued her. Her mother had opened each box to start. The young girl began to play through the dusty mess that followed.
There was one box of toys. It was filled to the brim with porcelain dolls, and musty teddy bears that had been stored in the dark for years. She set them back neatly and moved on.
Another box held a rainbow of ribbons, silky strings tangled into colorful webs of knots. She tried to untangle them, but gave up and left them too.
The young girl's mother began to sniffle as she opened the next box, full of books with faded covers and yellow pages. The young girl thought that the dust must be getting to the old woman, and continued to play. She looked in the next box, full of beautiful dresses in every color. She pulled out an old blouse and skirt, looking to be about her size, and began to try on the garments.
She turned to her mother, pleased with the clothing's fit and saw that tears had begun to drip from her mother's eyes.
"Oh, Rue," the gray-haired woman gasped, reaching around her child to adjust the hem of the girl's skirt. "Don't forget to tuck in your tail, Little Duck."