The Eclipse Dancer

Andy thought of flying. She imagined the air under her arms, her hair lifting and floating. She felt her heartbeat separate from the faraway beat and form its own rhythm: light, quick, a dancing thrum. When she opened her eyes, her yard was dusky and her mood had lightened. She let her gaze drift across the darkening landscape. Andy's heart filled with exultation. She raised her arms, fanned out her fingers, and arched her feet until she was on her toes. She was assaulted by memories. Her mother was dying, and Danny had been dead for years. Her daughter was in Minneapolis, and Alana was up in the North Woods someplace. All of her childhood friends-the fairies, Hairy, Mr. Tolliver, and Kenshi-were gone.Is it true that childhood is never overcome? "I have changed," she whispered.The light exploded into a ring of fire in a black sky: total eclipse. She gently rose up into the warm, dark air and began to dance.