The group left on the bus an hour ago. This was the young folk dancers’ third trip abroad. They had already been to Italy and Austria; this time, they were to perform in Warsaw, Poland. The road led through a tunnel so it suddenly became dark. Esther was afraid of the dark and clutched at her chest nervously. Instinctively, she would reach for her dragonfly pendant, which he used to clutch in such situations: it always calmed her. This time, however, she searched in vain for the pendant for she had not brought it. On the trip to Vienna the previous year, it had disappeared once and she had spent hours looking for it. In the end, of course, it turned out that she had left it at the dance house. She vowed not to bring it with her on these trips. It was the very last gift she received from Dad, and it was her most precious treasure in all the world. “But she also knew that the dragonfly was in good hands with Lucy. She wouldn’t have trusted anyone with it but her mother and Lucy. She and Lucy trusted each other much more than other siblings. She smiled at the emotional, yet determined look on her little sister’s face as she handed her the pendant to keep it safe.
\n\u201cI will take good care of it!\u201d Lucy said at goodbyes, holding the pendant close to her heart.
\nEsther had no doubt that Lucy would take good care of it: she would rather give someone her favourite cuddly elephant or doll’s house than her sister\u2019s dragonfly necklace. She knew how important she was to her sister.
\nIt had only been a few hours since she said goodbye to her Mum and sister, but she already missed them very much.
\n\u201cOnly four days,\u201d she kept telling herself. She turned to the window and stared at the clouds until she fell asleep. In her dream, the golden dragonfly medallion grew to the size of a bus and flew the ensemble all the way to Warsaw. Lucy came with them and shouted cheerfully:
\n\u201cWe are flying on the dragonfly! Nothing can happen to us!\u201d” “In the hotel that evening, Esther stared sleeplessly at the ceiling. She was exhausted after all the travelling, but she couldn’t sleep. She stumbled towards her roommate’s bed, who had been snoring loudly for an hour.
\n\u201cI’ll be dead tired at the dance rehearsal tomorrow,\u201d she thought.
\nThen, bored out of her mind, she reached for her phone, which was on the bedside table. Her friend Chrissy had messaged her. She was a childhood friend and a next-door neighbour.
\n\u201cDid you leave your dragonfly necklace at home?\u201d the message read.
\n\u201cHow do you know I left it at home?\u201d Esther asked.
\n\u201cI stopped by at yours today to pick up a sweater that I had left behind over the weekend. Your sister tried to hide it quickly when I went into your room, but I noticed. When are you coming home?\u201d
\n\u201cFriday\u201d.
\n\u201cThen your sister lied. She said you’d come on Wednesday\u201d.
\nEsther got really angry now.
\n\u201cShe had just remembered wrong. Lucy would never lie!\u201d
\nThe latter was not just a throwaway comment: Lucy really never lied, even when she broke or lost something. ” “\u201cLet\u2019s make a bet\u201d wrote Chrissy.
\n\u201cOn what?\u201d
\n\u201cI bet your sister will lie to you, and I\u2019ll prove it\u201d.
\n\u201cShe would never do that. You are a complete idiot. Let’s go to sleep, it’s late\u201d Esther said, slamming the phone on the bedside table and turning to the wall, but she tossed and turned for another two hours. How could Chrissy prove that her little sister would lie? Best of luck with that one. She couldn’t understand what Chrissy had against Lucy. She was always so mean to her, so patronising, even though Lucy adored her. At fourteen, one could act a little more grown up.
\nThe next day Esther was indeed very tired at the rehearsal, but she knew the routine so well that she could have danced it flawlessly even half asleep. Of course, tomorrow would be quite different. They would have to dance in front of a bunch of strange foreigners, and their piece would be the last act. Mum and Dad wouldn’t be in the auditorium either, or the dragonfly to bring her luck.” “The dressing room was a madhouse.
\n\u201cWhere is my apron?\u201d
\n\u201cHave you seen my petticoat?\u201d
\n\u201cThese are not my pantyhose, who stole them?!\u201d
\nEsther wanted to leave. She wanted peace and fresh air, not the company of nine nervous girls. She went to the bathroom to check if her outfit was in order. She definitely looked beautiful, with her braided hair and the big red bow in it. She looked four or five years older this way, and she liked that. At home, she had a photograph of her mother only a few years older than Esther now, all dressed up in folk costume. Since she was a little girl, whenever she went home in her costume after a performance, Esther would take this photo and sit down like her Mum in the picture to compare the two of them. Although the photo was not there now, she felt that she was really beginning to resemble her.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re on!\u201d Someone shouted, and the buzz was suddenly replaced by excited whispers.
\nEsther ran back to the others.
\n\u201cOnto the stage, the boys are waiting!\u201d Miss Timi, the dance teacher called out encouragingly, opening the dressing room door for the ten girls.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":1050,"template":"","class_list":["post-1052","story","type-story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n