Dancing Death

• Paige Kimmorley, Grade 4
• Short Story
• 2008

I’ve always wanted to be a dancer but for some reason my mum never signed me up for dance lessons. Every minute I would nag mum about having lessons but NO!!!! was always the answer. I understand why she wouldn’t let me take lessons. When I stopped nagging mum ,she thought I was ill ,the next day it was my birthday and my Grandma gave me a voucher to Killers Dance Centre ,on the voucher it read KILLERS DANCE CENTER THE ONLY PLACE WHERE THERE’S A MURDER OF A DEAL,0NLY CHILDREN BRING NO PHONES AND NO PARENTS OR GUARDIANS. It was written in a scary font, but I didn’t care what it looked like I had to dance, it was my only dream! It was Monday, the day I started my dance lessons but it looked like my mum was more nervous than I was. It was a weird street mum drove into, it kinda looked like a grave yard with no graves. It was almost 3.00 when Mum pulled into a shaggy old shack where a scarecrow stood, it almost looked like a real dead body. When we hopped out of the car, mum was sweating like a pig that was being chased by a farmer. We walked over to the shack, it was a long drifty path to the door, mum walked slowly toward it and knocked on the door, “HELLO”, she said “ANY ONE THERE?” No answer “HELLO? COME IN!” someone answered. It was a horrible screeching sound, I ran up to mum as she pushed open the door. We walked down to sign that said “KILLERS DANCE CENTRE.” “Here we are,” Mum said in a fake cheery voice. ”Well”, said a man standing on the other side of the room, “Here for lessons?” “Yes,” said Mum , staring at the wall I noticed a long strange lace along the wall, it looked like a ballet shoe shoelace but it was dyed black. Why didn’t I get it sooner he’s a, he’s a, he’s a vampire on the voucher bring no phones or parents. I walked slowly over to mum and the man. “This is Dr. Kill,” Mum said in a shy voice. “He is your teacher for Hip Hop.” “Mr. Killer sir”, I said in a little baby voice “Can my mum stay and watch me?”
“NO!!”
“Why?”
“ BECAUSE SHE CAN’T!!”
“Then we must leave,” Mum said in a posh voice. “I’ll be back” I heard Dr.Kill mutter under his breath. When me and mum left the dance centre we hopped into the car we started talking. “Who was that Mum?” I asked.
“It’s time you knew,” she answered in an ashamed way. “Dr. Kill’s real name is Cooper, Cooper Danige. He was my dance partner in high school. I danced with him for years he was starting to love me like a sister but when I got a new partner he was so angry with me and Andrew,”
“Who’s Andrew?” I interrupted.
“He was my new dance partner in high school.” she said with a look that says listen or else. “Any way, he swore on his dance trophy that he would get me back one day and I guess today is that day. Well I will go look in the phone book for other dance lessons somewere else.” I was reading my magazine when my mum yelled out, “I found another good dance centre it’s called Rainbow Ponies and it starts tomorrow so go pop your pj’s on and I’ll ring the dance lady.” I ran into my room and opened my drawer, I grabbed the closed pj’s that were in my drawer and threw them on, I ran down the stairs and bolted over to Mum. “6.00 tomorrow you start Jayne,” my mum said. “Go hop into bed and start reading, I’ll be there in a minute.” I didn’t want to read so I just sat in my bed and slowly drifted off to sleep. “Jayne, Jayne JAYNE!” Mum said. “Come on, you start dance in an hour hurry!” I slowly hopped out of bed and had breakfast, had a shower, got dressed, brushed my teeth and “Let’s go.”
“I’m coming,” I said back to Mum.
“I have a bank appointment so I can’t watch you.”
“Oh that’s OK Mum,” I said in a brave voice. I was ready to go without Mum. “Here we are,” Mum said gleefully. “Goodbye,” I said.

When Jayne’s mum came back, the dance centre was gone! So was Jayne!!!.........