Gemotions

The stage felt empty, the spotlights cold. Clara, a dancer, walked across the bare floor of the rehearsal studio. Her mentor, Madame Dubois, had disappeared. The dance company was in disarray.

Her stomach churned. The echoes of Madame Dubois’s voice, the strict commands, the unwavering belief in her talent, seemed to mock her. The steps she had learned, the movements she knew by heart, felt awkward.

She tried to execute a simple pirouette, but her balance was off. She stumbled. Embarrassment burned in her cheeks. Everything felt out of sync.

She felt a hollowness where the drive she had known had been. She stood still, her arms hanging limp at her sides. She felt utterly adrift.