She always wore a smile and hid the darkness deep inside.

Sparklers: The Smiling Dancers

RB

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She seemed happy. She had finally made it out. Others loved her and loved her dance.

Somehow it was not enough.

No one saw it coming.

She always wore a smile and hid the darkness deep inside.

If you looked deeply into her eyes, past the sparkle, you could see the sorrow.

Few chose to look that deeply. They preferred the sparkle.

She was a wonderful actress on the stage of life. It was her job to make others feel free of the demons that consumed her.

Long ago, in a land far, far away, there was a horrible tragedy. One not of her making.

It stained her soul and forever lingered in her psyche.

If she had chosen not to hide in the dance but to reach out… if she had known how to stop sparkling for just a little while… she may have found the help she needed and the peace she sought.

Instead, she continued to dance the dance of silent, smiling, suffering as so many do… she sparkled until she didn’t. And then there was silence.

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RB

RB is a retired psychotherapist, storyteller, genealogists and lover of family.