Читать книгу Summer in Enchantia - Darcey Bussell - Страница 8

The light was fading, but the summer air was still warm on Rosa’s skin and she could smell the scent of jasmine blossom in the air. She was standing with her best friend, Olivia, in the backstage area of an open-air theatre. There were stands of seats on three sides. Rosa could hear the faint squeaks as people shifted in their chairs.

“Isn’t this brilliant?” Rosa whispered to Olivia as they watched the dancers on the brightly lit stage. She tucked her pale blonde hair behind her ears. “I can’t wait to go on and dance again.”

Olivia nodded excitedly. “Me too!”

Rosa, Olivia and six other girls from Madame Za-Za’s ballet school, had been chosen to take part in an outdoor ballet called Shim Chung. It told the story of a beautiful girl called Shim Chung who was captured by sailors and held on their boat. They were then shipwrecked, so she went to live underwater with the Sea Dragon King … until she met a handsome prince who, later she married.

Rosa, Olivia and the other girls were dancing the parts of the young mermaids. They had already been on stage once that night, doing a dance to entertain Shim Chung, and now they were waiting for their second entrance. This dance was Rosa’s favourite. It was a beautiful slow dance to soft, dreamy music where they had to lull Shim Chung and the Sea Dragon King to sleep.

It felt so magical to be standing at the side of the stage in the dark, waiting to go on. Being in this ballet had been the most amazing experience of Rosa’s life – well, one of them, she thought with a smile. For Rosa had a magical secret – the red ballet shoes she was wearing could whisk her away to Enchantia, a land where the characters from all the different ballets lived. The shoes took Rosa to Enchantia whenever there was a problem there that needed solving.

Rosa thought about her best friend in Enchantia – Nutmeg, the fairy of the spices. If only Nutmeg could be there that night to watch her dance in Shim Chung for the last time.

The last time. The words echoed in Rosa’s head, and she felt a wave of sadness sweep over her as she realised that tomorrow night she would just be at home as normal and the ballet would be over. She and Olivia had done three performances of it and this was their last.

“I wish this ballet could go on for ever,” she said, turning to Olivia. “I’m going to miss coming here each night.”

“I know. I’ll miss it too.” Olivia saw Rosa’s sadness and squeezed her hand. “But let’s not think about that now. If we do, we won’t enjoy tonight. We should make the most of it while we’re here.”

“I guess,” Rosa agreed, but the thought ran round and round in her head. No more getting ready in the dressing rooms, no more putting on her green and blue mermaid dress, no more watching the adult dancers chatting and warming up at the practice barre at the side of the stage, no more dancing on stage. She sighed, wishing she could take her mind off it. “I think I’ll go and get a drink,” she said to Olivia.

Rosa went to one of the tables set up for the dancers with cups and jugs of water. She poured herself a drink and walked away from the table. The best way she knew to stop herself from being sad was to dance. She found a quiet place in the shadow of the stands and then, humming the music for the lullaby dance in her head, Rosa practised a few of the steps – arms up, spin round, three steps forward, pause with knees bent and hands down …

She stopped. She didn’t seem able to dance the way she did usually. The sadness inside her was making her feel too heavy.

Rosa bit her lip. She knew she had to pull herself together. The last thing she wanted was to go on stage and dance badly.

Try again, she told herself. Don’t think about this being the last time. Arms up, spin round …

Suddenly Rosa felt a familiar tingling in her feet. Looking down, she gasped. Her ballet shoes were glittering as if they were covered with rubies. “Oh, wow!” she whispered. “I’m going to Enchantia again!”

Colours started to swirl about her and the next second she felt herself being lifted into the air and whisked away …

Rosa spun round and round and then the magic gently set her down. As the cloud of colours faded, her feet met something soft and grainy. Sand! Hearing the cry of seagulls in the air, she looked about. She was standing on a sunny beach with trees behind her and a blue sea lapping at the shore. There was a sharp tang of salt and seaweed in the air and far out on the water was a large old-fashioned ship with three masts and rectangular sails. It was a very different place from the open-air theatre!

For a moment Rosa remembered the lullaby dance she’d been about to perform. Luckily no time ever passed in the human world while she was in Enchantia, so she would be back in time to go on stage. She pushed the thoughts of the ballet to the back of her mind. Right now she needed to concentrate on Enchantia.

I wonder why the shoes have brought me here? she thought excitedly. Usually any problems in Enchantia were caused by the Wicked Fairy or evil King Rat. Rosa wasn’t keen to meet either of them again, but she knew she would do whatever she could to help her friends.

She looked back out to sea, where the sound of music and shouting drifted across the waves from the ship. The sailors on board seemed to be having a party. A black flag with a white picture on it was flying from the mast. Rosa looked closer and caught her breath. It was the skull and crossbones. That must mean it was a pirate ship!

Rosa wasn’t too sure if she wanted to meet pirates. She was starting to back away uncertainly towards the trees when she heard a voice.

“Rosa! Over here!”

Rosa recognised it instantly. “Nutmeg!” she exclaimed, looking round. She couldn’t see her friend. “Where are you?”

Nutmeg poked her head out from round one of the trees. “I’m here!”

Rosa hurried to meet her. As usual, Nutmeg was wearing a sparkling pink and pale brown tutu and a glittering tiara. Her brown hair was up in a bun and she wore pink pointe shoes.

“It’s lovely to see you, Rosa!” she exclaimed.

The two friends hugged.

“So what’s going on?” Rosa asked. “Why have the shoes brought me here?”

“Well, we’ve got a big problem.” Nutmeg pointed to the ship. “And it’s all to do with those pirates.”

Rosa felt a shiver of excitement and fear run through her. “Why? What have they done?”

“Come and sit down,” said Nutmeg. “And I’ll tell you all about it …”