She danced in the most prestigious academy for gifted youth. Her whole life was ballet, and her dream was to perform at one of the best theatres in the world. His whole life was ballet, but time makes enemies out of friends. He was her teacher, an old Russian man who chain-smoked cigarettes and communicated in grunts and gestures. She had learned his language and he had learned her choreography over time. She would go home at night thinking of ways to cover her most recent cigarette burns and bruised ribs. She was told that this was the path to greatness, that no one else could help her achieve her dreams, and she believed him. One day, as she practiced pirouettes, he grabbed her ass and told her to kiss him. She could smell bourbon washed down with cigarettes on his breath and she turned away from him. He grabbed her again, hard, but she turned and slapped him. Quickly she left the dance studio, tears stinging her face. She did not go back to him again. Months later, she received a quiet phone call. The voice on the other side of the line informed her that her teacher was dead, that he had killed himself late the night before.

“Why are you calling me? What about his family?”

The voice informed her that she was listed as his emergency contact, and they had no one else to call. Again she wept, but she did not go to the funeral. Days after his body had been put in the ground she drove to the cemetery, searching for his grave. Once she found it, she carefully unpacked items onto the bare soil. A pack of cigarettes. A small bottle of bourbon. A flyer for her upcoming performance. She pulled out a radio and switched it on. She did pirouettes on his grave.

Publisher’s Note:

Special thanks to MacQ Contributing Editor Kika Dorsey for encouraging her students to submit their writings to MacQ. I’m so pleased and honored to present this story by Max Perkins, which is his first publication in a literary journal on the national/international level. And I hope to publish more of his work in the future.

Max Perkins

is a fourth-year undergraduate student at the University of Colorado, Boulder (UCB), pursing a degree in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing. Max focuses on writing short stories and would like to one day publish a book of his own. He has published an article in his high school newspaper and has submitted pieces to various journals while studying at UCB. Max has a passion for the outdoors and thoroughly enjoys the cold weather, snow, and the big mountain skiing that accompanies it. He also has a passion for music and can sometimes be seen busking with his guitar on Pearl Street.