A Ballerina dream

Emily sat watching Swan Lake for the second time that weekend.  The twirls, the jumps and beautiful costumes mesmerised her and encapsulated her into a land of dreams.  Like ballerinas in an ornate jewellery box, turning skilfully and composed, they looked mechanically magical.

“Are you still watching that?” her twin sister Eve smiled from the doorway.

“Yes”, Emily grinned, the first time Eve had seen her sister smile in a very long time.  “I love it!” she said slightly blushing, as her more tomboy looking clone stood in her combat trousers and trainers.

Since Emily’s accident she felt her world had turned into a dark nothingness.  Her dreams of being a ballerina and dancing like a princess on stage, had been wiped from her future. Her amputated leg from the car crash was still bounded with dressings.  There was no bandage or surgery in the world that could mend dashed dreams and a broken spirit.

The drunk driver who selfishly drove home after the office party had crushed an eleven year olds world in a matter of seconds.  Three times over the legal limit and unable to distinguish the pedals between acceleration and brake, the man had no idea of the extent of his damage.  Eve had seen her sister thrown into the air, then dragged for several kilometres by the reckless silver Volvo. 

“I’d love to see my face in amongst those swans,” she said, still absorbed in the fantasy on the TV’s screen, “just to be in those magnificent costumes and feel the music run through my entire body!” she sighed.

“I know Em,” Eve said, feeling her sister’s sadness.  “I’m going to the skate park, then we can do something later if you like? Anything you want!” she smiled trying to boost her sister’s mood.

“Ok. I’ll have a think whilst you’re gone,” Emily smiled briefly before turning back to the concluding scene.

*   *   *

When Eve returned that evening, the girls played happily in Emily’s new downstairs bedroom.  Their parents had changed the room from a dining room to a princess’s world, after her accident.  Pink frills, sparkly lights and painted ballerinas dancing in a row, surrounded the pale yellow walls.  It was Eve’s worst nightmare to be in a room full of pink and girly things, but she would often sleep downstairs with Emily, leaving her own bedroom of gadgets, bikes and remote control cars upstairs just to stay close to her twin.  Their mother always said, they were two-peas from the same pod, identical in looks but totally opposite in every other way.

Eve went back to school as normal whilst Emily still recovered, but they felt the distance of not seeing each other during the week.  Their usual routine of shool, home for homework and tea and then out to play with their friends, had also changed since the crash.  Eve soon decided to put her skateboarding to just two nights a week so they could spend more time together.

Every Tuesday and Thursday without fail Eve would arrive home from school, pack her bag and head off to the skate park, returning home exhausted and slightly distracted. But she made sure those were the nights she stayed in Emily’s room on the camp bed, as close to her sister as possible.  The accident had affected them both, but their usual twin bond was now like super glue, firm and never tacky.

The months went past and by Christmas time, Emily’s hope began to look brighter, with the idea of a prosthetic leg an option to consider for the future.  The family were delighted, but still feared Emily’s dream of being a ballerina would remain a dream forever.  Emily’s twinkle had disappeared from her eyes, like looking at the clear night sky, without the moon shining back at you.  She smiled and inside she was glad to be alive, but her passion for dancing was unachievable. 

On Christmas morning the family gathered around the tree and began handing presents to one another, watching with excitement as each person opened one in turn.  Emily sat on the sofa and when it came to her turn, opened her present from Eve.  It was a strange looking flat-box with a silver tag in the shape of a snowflake. 

It read: ‘To my sister and best friend Emily, it’s the only thing I know you want in the whole world.  Lots of love Eve xxx’

“Well its not a leg!” Emily giggled.

“Its better than a leg,” Eve said smiling.

Emily looked up at her sister puzzled and opened the lid of the book to find a DVD in a blank case marked ‘Emily’s dream’.  Emily passed the DVD to Eve who inserted into the TV, before disappearing upstairs.

As the music burst from the TV and pretty ballerinas skipped onto the screen, Eve recognised the dancers. It was her former dance class, in their Christmas production they had performed the week before, at the local Town Hall.  Swan Lake, dedicated to their friend and former classmate.

As Emily starred at the screen, her face began to lift into a thousand smiles and wide-eyed delight.  “Its me!” she whispered, then repeated the sentence in a high-pitched squeal, “IT’S ME!”

Sure enough, dancing in amongst her former dance class, on the stage for all to see, was what looked like Emily, dressed in white with a glittery tutu and matching tiara.  Her movements balanced, delicate and in perfect synchronicity with the other dancers around her.  She could feel the buzz travelling up her own arms as she starred at the screen, adrenalin becoming like a river in her body and a wave of excitement and joy splashing over her eyes.  Her cheeks turned pink and her eyes had their twinkle back.  She shuffled forward on the sofa in utter amazement and disbelief. 

Her mum’s eyes were full to the brim with happy tears, which began to dribble uncontrollably over her eyelids, cascading down her cheeks, as their father put his hand in hers.

Eve walked back into the room with a Christmas bow on the top of her head and dressed entirely in white, with a glittery tutu and matching tiara.  “Merry Christmas Emily!” she beamed, “now you’re face is in amongst those swans.”