The Ballerina

The scent of desserts was still spreading across the apartment and the candle was dying down outside of the window. Adel could hear her mother and father laughing in the kitchen as they unpacked presents.

They had new ballet shoes and a dress for her, and her grandparents had bought her tickets to Swan Lake. She even had a small ballerina that pirouetted in her hand. Everything was perfect, except for one small thing.

“Oh, when will I finally manage to do the pirouette?” she asked herself with a sigh, looking a little enviously at the little ballerina. She had to just turn the key, and the figure twisted flawlessly in the rhythm of the carillon.

Adel had started ballet when she was four. Her mother had signed her up for the trial class but she'd been a bit afraid back then. However, she'd immediately liked the kind-hearted and elegant teacher, and she also liked the music they danced to during classes. And then when she saw the Nutcracker at the National Theatre for the first time, that is when she really fell in love with the ballet.

Adel awoke the next day and put on her new ballet outfit to practice in. She really wanted to get the lead in 'Sleeping Beauty,' which her dance school was putting on. But to get it, she had to perfect doing a pirouette.

Completely focused, she counted down: “Five, six, seven, eight, and turn!”

And again she failed. She just couldn’t stay on her tiptoes. And when she could, she couldn’t finish the turn. And if she managed to finish the turn, she'd lose her balance eventually.

Sad and disappointed, Adel sat on the ground and began to stretch. Suddenly a noise interrupted her. It sounded as if someone was pounding…