Linda Hillringhouse - 'The New Dress'

The transcript narrates a story of a girl in a beautiful dress, waiting for her parents to return from a trip. She anticipates their admiration, but her mother unexpectedly walks past her, leaving the girl in a moment where time seems to stop and the future becomes uncertain.

Discuss the relationship between the girl and her mother as depicted in the text.

What does the phrase 'time stopped and the future turned to dust' imply in the context of the story?