A sweet young girl who believed in fairy-tales…
One. Two. Three. Twirl.
One. Two. Three. Spin.
One. Two. Three. And twirl.
I stood on my tippy toes and tried to twirl like Odette did in Barbie Swan Lake. It was my favorite movie. I was watching it again when Papa pulled me away from the TV and brought us here.
He said he had to work and had to bring Mommy and me with him. I didn’t like it. But I was still little, so I couldn’t stay at home alone. Mommy gave me my ballet shoes, though. She told me I could dance while they were busy.
The house was big, very big. Papa and Mommy were inside, talking to some scary men. They were all big and mean. I didn’t like them.
They said I could go outside in the garden to practice my ballet.
One. Two. Three. Twirl.
One. Two. Three. Spin.
One. Two. Three. And twirl.
I almost did a perfect spin, but then I tripped. Ouch. I looked at my feet and saw that the ribbons of my ballet shoes had come undone. I didn’t know how to tie it again.
I tried but couldn’t.
Looking up, I saw Mommy waving at me with a plate in her hand. Lunch! I left my shoes behind and ran to her, barefoot. Mommy smiled and we went inside to eat.
There was a lot of people sitting in the big room. I was the only little kid there. So after eating, I ran back outside to practice. I had to become good, like Odette. And then I was going to dance and find my Prince Charming too.
But…
When I found my spot again, under the tree…I screamed.
Nooooo!
No no no.
My ballet shoes…one of them was missing. And the other, it had been chewed on and ripped in places. I couldn’t wear it anymore. It was dirty. I looked at the dogs running far away. It was them! Bad doggies.
Holding my ballet shoe in my hands, I sat on the grass. I cried. How would I dance now?
“Why are you crying?”
Oh.
I looked up and saw him. He was bigger than me, taller than me. He was older than me but not too old. He leaned against the tree beside me and looked down at me. He was…smiling.
I showed him my ballet shoe. “The dogs ate it.”
“Ouch.”
I nodded. “I can’t dance now,” I cried.
“Who said you can’t dance?”
Silly boy!
I lifted my head and gave him a look. “Because I don’t have my shoes anymore.”
“Where are your parents?” he asked.
I pointed where my papa and mommy were, inside the big house. “There. They are talking. With that man…Vale…umm…I forgot.”
“Valentin?”
“YES. He is scary. Like that evil bad man in Barbie Swan Lake.”
“Barbie Swan Lake?” The boy squatted down beside me. He didn’t sit on the grass but he balanced on his feet so now we were the same level.
“Yup. You know?”
He shook his head. I was shocked and I told him so. I told him about Odette, the Unicorn, the Fairy Queen, and about the Prince too.
He smiled. “What’s your name?”
Mommy said to never tell strangers my name. “I am a Princess. Like Odette.”
“Ah.” And then he was silent.
“What’s yours?”
“Viktor.”
“Viktor,” I said. I liked it. It was a pretty name. It could be the Prince’s name.
“If you get new ballet shoes, will you be able to dance again?”
I nodded once. And then I nodded again and again until my neck hurt. “Yes. Yes. But I don’t have new ones.”
My eyes hurt from crying, and I held my shoe tighter.
He smiled more. “Wait here, will you?”
Viktor got up and left. I sat there, waiting for him to come back.
I waited for a long time.
I think I fell asleep too.
Mommy woke me up, and we went inside. She put me in bed. It wasn’t my room, but Mommy said we will be staying for two days here. And then we would go back to our own house. She said Papa was getting a promotion. I didn’t know what that meant. Soon, I fell asleep. But I was dreaming of new ballet shoes and me dancing. And I saw him…he was watching me dance.
The next day, I went back to my tree. I was playing with Mister Oggy, the cat, when he found me. Viktor had a little box in his hand.
“You found me!” I said. Mister Oggy ran away, but I stayed sitting. The sun was so bright, and I had to cover my eyes to peek up at Viktor.
Like yesterday, he squatted down again and showed me the box. “I brought you a little gift, Your Highness.”
I laughed at him. So silly.
He opened the box. My eyes went wide. Oooohhhh!
“For you.” He winked.
New ballet shoes! So pretty. They were prettier than my old ones. Pink with little flowers.
Viktor helped me put them on and they fit me, just like Cinderella. When I couldn’t tie the ribbons, Viktor did them for me. “There you go. Now, you can dance again.”