Miss Emily

 The bold girls sang triumphantly while the shy girls muttered softly, all in a harmonious(yet admittedly sometimes disorganized) chorus of whispers that spread smiles to each and every face it could capture. Miss Emily's fingers strummed simply on the ukulele strings, in a pattern so gentle yet so effective that all the girls gawked in admiration.

A group of kids from small to tall were plopped in sleeping bags and blankets, snuggled in a messy circle. Sleepy eyed yet eager to keep listening and singing, we laid staring at our dance teacher and our idol, Miss Emily. She sat in the center singing in it's perfect imperfections that explored high notes and low notes in a pure rhythm that mesmerized the entire room. Many compliments she received, yet her humbleness was so honest that it seemed to enhance every word she sang and every chord she strum.

The time flew by and I realized most of the girls were ambling to the corners of the dance room to slumber. But as Miss Emily stayed seated playing her tune in the center, I decided not to move and keep my sleeping arrangement stationary. Something told me that this was a luxury beyond money, beyond beauty, beyond the things that our society is so focused on these days. Her thrumming sang to my inner child deep within me and there I was, my five year old self, snuggling my giant unicorn and longing for more nighttime lullabies. This luxury was of those reviving moments that gives us a reminder of what is really important in life, what things we remember and cherish forever.

Miss Emily's swooping hum matched perfectly with her hypnotising ukulele to the song "Tonight You Belong to Me." With my sleepy mind and the surrounding darkness, every word seemed to be so exceedingly miraculous. I looked beside me to see on of my best friends lying peacefully in her sleeping bag. We exchanged gazes and I could almost see that in the glint of her eyes that she was experiencing the same feeling. I felt a warm feeling of friendship. Naturally, my face spread into a smile and I felt a sense of true happiness.

Sleeping in my dance school, my friend beside me, and my dance teacher delicately playing the ukulele, I was in a serene and happy state. My worries were set aside and the only thing I had to think about was in the now.

As the soft echos of Miss Emily's music danced throughout my ears and my feet brushed the cold floor, I began to sink and the world melted away.