Once upon a time, there lived a young, dancing princess. When she put her tap shoes on, audiences were mesmerized. She and her partner, Tommy, kicked up their heels and "cut a rug"—just as they'd been taught by their famously-known teacher, a one-time dancer from moving pictures and vaudeville shows.
Deep in her heart, the princess longed for her life to stand for something. She wanted her life to have meaning. She didn't know how to accomplish this. (After all, she was only nine.)
She wrote in her diary, "Ask for more things that show other girls that someone has been there."
It was her only entry.
One day while waiting for the school bus, the dancing princess slipped on the ice and was hit by an oncoming car. Her daddy carried her into the house. The ambulance rushed her to the hospital. But the doctors said there was nothing they could do. She died that same day.
It's bug season. Spiders are hanging in fruitful crops from our front door awning, while ladybugs are moving out in formation searching for suitable hibernation before the snow hits. (It typically snows before Halloween here.)