DAYS IN THE SUN

Chapter two

  Miley shivered as the cold wind hot her face making the hairs on her body stand up. It was still dark as the dawn was still young. Although there was no rain, there was a chill in the air today. Her whole body ached from last night's punishment and since it was the weekend, she was obliged to rest.
      She couldn't get her mind off the call she received from the previous night. Her mother having a seizure was too much to take in. She had to give Johanna every single penny of all the money she had. She could not bear to lose another parent.
   As she walked down the streets to her house, a wave of nostalgia overcame her;

Miley and Ashley were in the school hall practicing vigorously for the upcoming dance contest. These two girls were more than best friends. It was like seeing one version of one from an alternate dimension. Though, from different backgrounds, they had a striking resemblance; both had blonde hair with sparkling blue eyes and a birthmark on their right cheek. They could be mistaken for twins except that Ashley was two years older. They had been practicing for some time before deciding to take a break.
   ' Don't you think we should do the splits at the end of the performance?' asked Miley.
   ' I think they would go really well with the cartwheels we are doing at the beginning.' Ashley said while munching on her doughnuts and Miley nodded in silence.
Students trooped in and out of the hall. As they entered, Miley and Ashley overheard them talking about an accident that happened a few minutes ago. Almost instantaneously, Johanna burst inside, running straight for Miley, face and body soaked in tears and sweat.
' Johanna! What's wrong? Are you alright?.
She could barely get the words out.
' Da...Da...Dad...go...got involved in...in...an... accident.'she said, saying the last word with strenuous effort
    Miley's eyes popped and Ashley gasped.
' No! Where?'
But Johanna continued whimpering and wailing. Miley dashed out of the hall, Ashley closely behind her, out of the school premises into the muddy trails looking for a sign that it wasn't true. But as her eyes scanned the streets, her hopes were blown to smithereens.
   It was an unfortunate and rather mysterious kind of accident. The type that would always be fatal no matter how it happened. Rare and transitory as it was, the deed had been done. There lying on the roadside was the lifeless and dispersed body parts of Mr Bruce. Miley tried to blink back tears but instead they dropped excessively adding a rocky hue to her cardigan. It was purely Mundane and undeserved for a man like her father.
     Miley was filled with so much trauma that she could not bring herself to go for the dance contest she and Ashley had worked so hard for.
That made Ashley furious and depressed. Ashley tried to convince her best friend to let go of her grief but Miley held on to her father's death. The blissful friendship withered away soon enough. She eventually had to terminate schooling and two years later, her mother was diagnosed with stroke which left her paralyzed. Miley had to work and cater for her family and that's how she got the job as a postofficer.
   Miley arrived at her house and she the landlord stood by her door waiting. He was a short stout man yet seemed so imposing.
' You didn't arrive home last night. Don't think you can escape from me. Even if you go to the ends of the Earth. I will hunt and track you down. Your rent is due four months. I just came to remind you. Of you don't pay me in one week, I'll send you packing.' Mr Diego said and stormed off.
  She could not truly fathom why he Disturbed her the way he did. This was the third time this month and the house was not even manageable. It was a rickety wooden house whose roots were being damaged by the heavy rains, arched door, a small hole covered with glass for a window. It didn't even have a bathroom! She opened the small arched door was impeded by a small couch on the other side. She slided perfectly into the hole the door created. The room was dim as the only candle was ebbing away. She dropped all of her weight on the on armed couch, passing out completely.

                                 ***
Esther walked down the streets littered with pieces of rubbish. It was dawn, the cocks crowed and the birds tweeted. Only a few people strolled by and the atmosphere was calm. She felt light-headed and tipsy as she felt the drink go to her head. Her trip to the nightclub looking for prospective dancers had worn her out. At least she had found three now but had two more to find. But as she walked down the lonely streets of olon it felt like a lost cause. She turned round a bend into a cleaner with dim streetlights. She felt as if something was pulling her. A few people strolled by and she advanced not knowing what was following her but she followed the feeling.
  She stopped at a T junction and on the right bend stood a billboard showing the directions and details of a nearby park. As she advanced, she began to hear some music. Eager to find out where it originated from, Esther advanced further.  She halted immediately she set eyes on what was before her. There alone in the park was a young woman about twenty years of age dancing in the middle of the park.
    Her moves were so intricate, delicate, well-defined and inspired by true emotion.At some point, she would slow according to the beat of the song  and resume fast and complex moves doing all this with her eyes closed. Esther watched transfixed. It was unlike anything or any performance we had ever seen before. She felt transported to another world as she let herself away with the music. Finally she had found the one.
      Ashley swayed side by side to the rhythm of the music. She had practised this thirty minutes dance for one week and now it was perfect. She felt lonely– perhaps because she was alone, but it was also because there had been a void in her life since her best friend, Miley left. Their dream of winning a dance contest was crushed. It seemed like the dream meant more to Ashley than it did to Miley. It had caused her to become sad and depressed.
    To curb it, she decided to come to the park every morning and perform as if in a real concert and today was the performance. She closed her eyes and in her mind's eye, she could imagine the crowd all around her as she stood on the podium in the Arena.
She imagined her heart pounding in anticipation, imagined the expectant expressions of the audience and then the music. She let herself all out and in her mind could hear the screams of the people, the crowd going wild and the vibe growing each moment. But most importantly, she could envision her best friend, Miley by her side.
At last the music stopped and she finished the dance with two spins and ended with a split just like Miley always wanted. But as she opened her eyes, she saw the last thing she expected to see here at this time. Another person.
                                 ***
  Esther stared at the girl in the park and she stared back. She was disappointed and longed for another round of performance, so she round of performance, so she ran up to the girl.
' Hello! Good morning'
  Ashley only stared back.
' Sorry but I couldn't help but notice your performance. Where did you learn to dance like that?'
' were you spying on me?
' of course not'
' It seems like you're new around here. No one usually comes by this time.'
' Actually I'm not from around here.'
' So what are you doing here?'
' It's a funny you ask. If you must know, I'm recruiting dancing for a movie trailer.'
        Ashley grew quiet.
'And after seeing your performance ', Esther continued, 'I think I may have found the fourth candidate.
  Ashley's heart raced.
' Are... Are you saying...?
Esther nodded.
' But...I... well' Ashley stammered suddenly becoming dazed and perturbed. This was an opportunity she had craved. Now that it was finally here, she didn't know why it bothered her. In a way, she still held on to her lost friendship.
'Don't be afraid. I"m a representative of Eva's Lee's theatre LTD' said Esther.
'Really? Oh my God! I've heard of the company' Ashley said in Surprise. This just went from shocking to incredible.
Esther smiled. 'So will you accept my offer?'
'Yes. Yes of course'.said Ashley excitedly.
'But I still need one more person to make the number five.'esther said almost to herself. Ashley's eyes popped in happiness and sudden realisation.
'I know a person.'