Story 02

Midnight Dancer

She forgot her sweater. AGAIN. Come on, Jess, she thought to herself, remember better! She rushed back following her footsteps into the auditorium, the harsh lights lining the walkway. She gently pushed open the doors, not wanting to make that loud clacking sound heard by impatient people jamming the push-handle too quickly. She slipped into the third to the last back row and used her phone as a flash light. After a minute or two she found it, her sweater laying on the floor, a little rumpled from the fall. Jess picked it up and stuffed it into her bag.

She took a second to take in the calming silence of the empty auditorium. She had never been in such a loud place when it was this quiet before. She kinda liked it. Actually, she decided to stay a little while and relax, maybe read her book in peace. Why not? Jess shrugged her shoulders a little, thinking to herself. Her roommate was probably being loud with her sorority sisters, getting ready for Homecoming or whatever and she just wasn't in the mood to deal with volume right now. Plus her book was getting really good.

Jess settled down into a seat and kicked her feet up on the seat in front of her. This is perfect, she thought. She got out her book and sank a little deeper into the cushions.

There was a soft swoosh and sweep sound coming from the stage, faintly at first. There was only one light to illuminate it, and it was pretty dim. Jess thought she was hearing the curtains sway back and forth, but just to make sure she looked up and then--there!

There on the stage was a woman, dressed in all black, right down to the pointe shoes. She had her dark red hair in a bun, and her eyes were closed as if she were dreaming. It looked like she was a ballerina, dancing to music only she could hear. She wove in and out of the light on the stage, creating beautiful dancing shadows to be her back up dancers. It was as if she was happy and sad at the same time, like the last hooray of a wilting rose as it opens up before it dies. She was mesmerizing....

Jess's digital clock beeped. Midnight. Shoot I better get back to my room, Jess thought. She grabbed her bag and turned to get one more glimpse of this mystery dancer but--

The stage was empty, just like before. What happened? She was just right there...

Jess had to tell someone, but, would anyone believe her? How crazy is this going to sound...Okay so I saw this ghost ballerina last night in the empty auditorium...