TUESDAY TALES - WORD PROMPT "STOOP"

 

Welcome! This week's episode of The Kicker's Story is sort of especially fitting at this time. See if you can guess why. Don't forget to visit all the wonderful stories. Find them HERE.  Don't forget to leave a comment. Thanks for stopping by. 

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She stopped at a private dock, not in use during the winter, and shed her fleece pants and down jacket, revealing a dark purple skating outfit and flesh-colored tights. The thermometer at home read twenty degrees, plenty warm enough. She stooped to lace up her skates. The long sleeves weren't enough to keep her warm and the kicky little skirt barely covered her butt. The flesh-color tights helped. She folded her clothes neatly, picked up her iPad and skated out on the ice. She searched for her favorite warm-up music, "The Skater's Waltz", and pressed.

The intro gave her time to get her position.  She struck a pose, then went into her routine. The music was lively and cheerful. She smiled as she repeated a routine, she'd done at least a thousand times. The movements worked into her limbs flowed naturally and in time with the music. Gliding along, she increased her speed and did some twirls, but didn't execute any jumps. This was to warm up. Jumps would come later. Flipping from skating forward to backward, she made a wide circle. Her innate grace positioned her arms perfectly. Even her critical sister said no one was more beautiful on the ice than Merrily Adams. Happiness danced through her veins more and more with every bar of music.

Her concentration forced all other thoughts from her head. She forgot stupid ole Cheever McCoy, and Chad, her former skating partner who still pursued her. Gone were the worries about her job, the Olympics, her sister, and even her mother. Gliding along the ice, all she heard were the strains of violins. All she felt was cool air rushing along her slender body, and the hard slickness of the ice underneath her feet.  

When the song finished, she sliced to a halt in front of the machine and switched pieces of music. Jumping up, she launched into a routine she'd developed to "All That Jazz." It was one she used for the ice show at school. The students had loved it and it drew a standing ovation from the parents. Performance anxiety, coupled with an ankle injury, had shut her professional career down prematurely. But here on the lake, totally alone, she shed misgivings and worries and simply skated her best, freely, unencumbered by the judgments of others.

The music inspired her as she twirled, jumped, and danced to her hearts delight.