Black Adagio

by Potocki, Wendy

  “Yes,” she answered in a hushed tone.

  “No! Melissa listen to me. Please,” Todd beseeched, his head rolling to one side. With great effort, he took her hand. Kissing it, he gazed into her eyes.

  “Prince Charming,” he said, trying to evoke the pact they’d made. The one with secret words that would identify them as not having changed.

  Leaning down, she kissed his lips, her eyes fluttering closed. Slowly opening, she stared into his, her mouth pursing to speak.

  “There is no Prince Charming.”

  Tears in his hazel eyes, he’d lost her to the dark.

  “No! It doesn’t have to be that way! I’ll show you … I’ll show you,” he explained, his strength giving out before he could finish.

  “Remember your childhood, Melissa. Remember how hurt and alone you were. It will always be like that. Always, if you choose the other way. You will never accomplish what you want. Never. You will die alone. Yes, people can speak a good game, but they can never deliver on what you desire.”

  With the attention focused on Melissa, Angela seized the opportunity. Lunging for the gun, she grasped the handle as Melissa’s foot kicked it away. Not comprehending what she’d just done, she looked up into Melissa’s eyes.

  “Sorry,” she apologized. Gently resting Todd’s head on the ground, she kissed him tenderly, as Irwin twisted Angela’s head. The loud snap in the air assured she was dead. Irwin dropping her, she crumpled to the ground, her face twisted in a cruel joke.

  “Do you promise?” Melissa asked Alexei.

  “Yes, I promise.”

  Irwin brought out gasoline cans from the corner. He sprinkled the noxious liquid over the corpses, and flooded the basement with the flammable fluid.

  “Then, I’m ready,” she said leaning back. She didn’t want to fight anymore, didn’t want to worry about jealousy and heartache. She should have been home, but her father had cared more about a stranger than her needs. It was indicative of how it would be.

  Irwin lit the match, flames bursting around them. She inhaling the first plume of smoke, cringing from the odor.

  “You promised,” she said, looking into his calm eyes.

  “And I will deliver,” he said bringing his hands to her face. With a touch, she fell backwards, drifting off into an endless, painless sleep.

  A sweet concoction of chiffon and tulle filling her dreams, she came back to consciousness—having no idea how long she’d been out. Raising her head off the ground, the starry sky was above her, the limbs of trees looking as if they touched the black velvet. A frosty coolness touching her cheek, her head moved to the side, She was in the clearing—the one where the party had been held. Lying in the snow, she was surrounded by the Holybrook Woods. Dressed in a costume befitting Desiree, it was provocatively sublime. Black pointe shoes decorating her feet, she arose, seeing the stage.

  The stroke of midnight caused spirits to spill out of the trunks of the trees. Hidden, they’d waited for the right moment to awaken to her dream. Ethereal and light, some were no longer encumbered by flesh. Recognizing many, others were welcome strangers that had given their lives to be in attendance of her debut performance. Her audience took their seats. Christina, Larabee, Zoe, Justin, Kurt, Brandi, Barbara, Collette, Manny and Todd sat in the front row, while other honored guests scattered amongst the tree stumps and logs.

  The quiet of the late evening engulfed her in its magic spell. Walking to the stage, she was ready to begin. The stars illuminating the space, they lent a supernatural luster. Like limelights of the past, they brushed the proceedings in a soft haze that highlighted her supernatural beauty. The snow shimmered under the light of the moon, the crescent shape adding a startling note to the scenery. Never was there such a perfect place to dance—and the setting was all for her.

  Strains of Danse Macabre filled the forest as Melissa began to dance. Unlike anything she’d done before, she wasn’t encumbered by needless guilt or shame. Not having anything to prove left her free to dance with the partner of her dream.

  The choreography came easily, everything held to magnificent perfection. One with the music, she didn’t second guess herself or give in to ridiculous fears. Stepping out into the pique, she held the arabesque that was limitless in line. Todd lovingly studied her, his face expressing the rapt delight he received from viewing.

  Velofsky’s burned in the background. An apt backdrop, the flames licked the evening, adding a touch of drama. The orange fire rose higher in the night sky as the ballet school fell to the onslaught. It was the way of all flesh, to die and be buried in graves, but that was no longer her concern. She was finally free. Melting into the adagio, there was no longer anything to resist. She was what she was, and as the partner of Death, she would dance forever.

  GLOSSARY

  Adagio. Slow and sustained movements; also, the section of a pas de deux in which the ballerina, partnered by the danseur, displays her mastery of lyrical movement.

  Allegro. Fast movements

  Arabesque. A position in which the dancer stands on one leg with the other leg extended in a straight line to the rear. Positions of arms and height of raised leg may vary.

  Attitude. A position in which the dancer stands on one leg while the working leg is raised behind the body with the knee bent.

  Ballerina. The principal female dancer in a company.

  Ballon. The ability to stay in the air during jumps.

  Battement. A kick, either high (grand battement) or low (petit battement), executed in any direction.

  Cabriole. A batterie movement. One leg kicks high to the front or the back and is held in this extension until the supporting leg meets the raised leg in a beat or in multiple beats.

  Coda. The finale, finish, or tail of a ballet.

  Corps de Ballet. The chorus of a ballet company. Sometimes called the ensemble.

  Demi-Pointe. Distributing the full weight of the body on the toes and ball of the foot.

  Développé. The unfolding of the leg. Accomplished by raising the working leg to a passé, the leg is simultaneously straightened as it extends to the front, side, or back.

  Emboité. A turning jump that starts in 5th position, a demi plie, is followed by a 180 degree turn onto one leg. Repeat on other leg until facing front.

  En Arrière. To the back.

  En Avant. To the front.

  En Dedans. Inward, toward the body.

  En Dehors. A french term meaning "outward." A movement moving away from the body.

  Entrechat. A jump directly upward. The body maintains a straight line while there are multiple changes of positions of the feet in the air. An entrechat is an elaboration of the changement de pieds.

  Épaulement. A twist of upper torso. Enhances line and gives finishing artistic touch to a position.

  Fouetté. A turn or spin on the supporting leg. The body is propelled around by a whipping motion of the working leg. These are usually performed by a female dancer.

  Glissade. A gliding step starting from fifth position, opening into second position, and closing in fifth. It may be held to the floor or used as a low leap.

  Jeté. A leap in which the dancer propels himself with a push off from one leg, covers space in air, and lands on the other leg.

  Pas de Bourrée. A traveling step in which the dancer may move in any direction. The calves are held as closely together as possible while the dancer executes a series of swift miniature steps in fifth position.

  Pas de Chat. The step of the cat is a leap that starts from a plié in fifth position. The leading leg is drawn up with bent knee, followed almost immediately by the other leg. At the peak of the leap, both knees are bent outward to the side, and the toes are nearly touching.

  Pas de Deux. A duet. A classical grand pas de deux consists of an entrée, adagio, two solos one executed by the ballerina; the other done by the danseur and a coda.

  Piqué. A turn begun by stepping out onto a straight leg.

  Pirouette. A turn of the body done
while standing on one leg, the other leg being held in any one of a number of traditional positions. In classical ballet, the pirouette is done on demi-pointe by the male and on pointe by the female, dancer.

  Plié. The bending of the knees with legs, and feet turned outward facing opposite walls.

  Pointe. The tip of the toe.

  Port de Bras. The positions and movements of the arms.

  Relevé. To rise onto pointe or demi-pointe.

  Rond de Jambe. A rotary movement of the leg done in a number of ways, such as on the floor or in the air with knee straight, or in air with a circular rotation of the knee from bent to straight.

  Sauté. A jump.

  Terre-à-Terre. Steps done on the ground.

  Tour en l’Air. A turn done in air. Springing upward from fifth position, the dancer completes one or more turns, returning to the floor in fifth position.

  Turnout. The turning out of the lower limbs from the hips. Ideal turnout forms a 180 angle.

  Tutu. The fluffy skirt worn by the female dancer. In ballets of the romantic style, the tutu falls to below the calf. In the later, classical style ballet, it is short enough to reveal the legs completely.

  Variation. A passage of choreography; often a solo dance.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Wendy Potocki lives and writes in NYC. If that isn't scary enough, she writes in the genre of horror. She feels creating good horror is an art form. She religiously devotes herself to pursuing it over hill and dale—and in the crevices of her keyboard.

  Named one of The Top Ten “New” Horror Authors by Horror Novel Reviews, she has six self-published novels: The White Lady Murders, The Horns of September, The Man with the Blue Hat, Adduné: Part I. The Vampire's Game, Adduné: Part II. The House of Cards, and Black Adagio. Her next planned projects are Thrill, The Legend of Things on Sticks, and The Virgin. Visit her Amazon author page for more information on all these great works.

  http://tinyurl.com/c6njxjx

  In her spare time, Wendy loves to go for long walks, drink Starbuck's Apple Chai Lattes, make devotional offerings to her cat named Persephone and be stilled by the grace, beauty and magic of ballet.

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