The Flying Ballerina
There lived a ballerina named Allie who could only tell you what she was thinking and what she was feeling by dancing. If she was sad, her moves would be slow, but still graceful. If Allie was happy, her dances would have far more energy and her family would have to get out of her way as her legs carried her off the ground and her arms spun through the air like a helicopter taking off. Which is exactly what happened the day Allie’s two mothers, Tanya and Laura, came home with a brand new tutu.
The day Allie’s first tutu broke was a very sad day. It didn’t start out that way, though, because Allie had woken up and instantly performed three spins to show her mothers just how happy she was. When she was asked how many slices of watermelon she wanted for breakfast, Allie performed three arabesques to give her answer. The family’s puppy, Milo, wanted to join in the fun as well and, much to his delight, encouraged Allie to chase him as she spun and twisted and turned around their house. This was when Allie tripped and fell, ripping her tutu on the hallway tiles.
Minutes later, Allie got to her feet in the most dramatic manner possible. Her mothers tried to help her relax and bring her back to her happy self, but they had no luck. No amount of fruit or chocolate would stop her from bringing her arms above her head and over her body in slow motion one way, and then bringing them back the other way in an equally dramatic fashion. Worried, Tanya and Laura did what they thought was best; they hired a babysitter to look after Allie and went to a dress shop to purchase her a new tutu.
They arrived home to find that Allie was still making her way down the hallway using the same dramatic slow-motion movements she had been using before they left. The babysitter thanked Tanya and Laura for the money and left. Tanya shook the paper bag containing Allie’s tutu, catching her attention. Allie threw her head down and lifted it up ever so slowly. By the time Allie was back in first position, Tanya had taken the tutu out of the bag and was holding it up in all its glory. Allie tiptoed over to her mother, took the tutu, went to her room and tried it on. After walking out of her bedroom in one long stride, Allie started spinning so fast and so out of control that she took off and was flying around the living room, her hands and arms knocking over vases and other precious items.
Unable to stop her from spinning, and again doing what she thought was right, Laura opened the front door, and Allie flew outside, spinning so fast now that, before they knew it, she was flying as high as the birds. Milo came outside and watched Allie spin through the air with his mouth as wide open as Tanya and Laura’s. Because Allie couldn’t control herself, she flew close enough to one of the taller trees in their garden for her new tutu to rip against its branches.
Tanya, Laura and Milo looked at each other and sighed briefly before running over to catch Allie and prepare themselves for the drama of the rest of the evening.