Two Left Feet – Flash Fiction Story
I have two left feet, three left arms, and a non-functioning lobe in the left side of my brain.
Sounds sad?
It’s more embarrassing.
My mother was horrified, my father was unconcerned, my younger brother rubbed salt in my wounds all the time.
We were a family of artists.
My father a painter, my mother a writer, my brother a budding singer.
So what was left?
Of course, the next best thing.
Dance.
It was expected of me. This was the art form bound to my destiny.
However, some things aren’t meant to be. And this was my biggest tragedy.
The first day at dance school saw a shaky toddler, me, resembling a classic case of epilepsy.
No disrespect intended, but my body had no direction, no clue of tempo or rhythm.
My flailing and flapping must have scared the other children. Five days later, I was told to never return. Disappointment was added to my name.
But my mother battled to transform me. There had to be a dance form that would embrace me.
Salsa, contemporary, ballet, hip hop, jazz. It was a meaningless chase. I was a klutz, a natural dance offender.
I was advised to find greener pastures. My mother retorted that I wasn’t a cow even though a cow could probably dance better.
The obsessed woman even made me shimmy and shammy. But when I broke my leg, her composure broke too, and she left me to deal with my own inadequacies.
I abandoned dance, renouncing all its bitter memories. My feet were designed for walking and running.
Then one day I saw her. A stunning vision in red, her graceful moves unlike any earthly dance.
I dared to join her.
She was bewitching. I was still twitching.
On that note, we danced the night away.
He was alone till he found the girl. She was his newfound daughter. He could now die A Family Man.
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Terveen Gill is a versatile author and writer who has had the pleasure of growing up on two different continents. Having spent her childhood years in the United States, she returned to India, and has since been living in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India. Choosing engineering as her path, she obtained a bachelor's degree in Computer Science. However, paths are discovered only to be changed. Life's unpredictable tale made her realize her passion for writing, and thus began a journey that is transforming into a wonderful literary experience. The author of graphic novels and short stories, versatility is her secret weapon. From a storyteller to a film-maker, script-writing, film direction and film editing are pursuits that challenge and enhance her creativity. Her motto is, ‘If it can be imagined, it is already half-done’.
9 Comments
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You are so versatile. I have seen flash fiction in so many genres from you. And now we have a funny story. Great!!
Thank you! It’s a special request 🙂 Need some light moments.
[…] a terrible dancer. Can’t dance to save his life. But when he finds his perfect partner, Two Left Feet don’t seem so […]
Hello Terveen, It is great to meet you here. Thanks so much for reading and commenting on my blog. I loved your story. A dancer is definitely a must to make up the composition of artists in the family:)
Hi Shobana! Thank you for taking out time and stopping by. It’s a pleasure to connect with you. Yes, dancers are a blessed lot. Good thing we all can shake a leg and an arm or two 🙂
Lol, yes!
A light & funny touch indeed:
David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen & Michael Anthony]
Ooh, baby, baby
Won’tcha turn your head my way?
Ooh, baby, baby
Come on, take a chance, you’re old enough to
Dance the night away
Oh, come on, baby, dance the night away!
Two left feet or not…
This is the perfect song and tribute to Two Left Feet…Dance the night away! Thanks for adding this. I can just imagine them dancing to it all night long. 🙂
💃🏻…🕺🏽…👻