Farewell to the Dancing Girl

In which we both celebrate and bid farewell to the Dancing Girl who came for Christmas.

The holidays drew to a close. And the time drew nigh for the Dancing Girl to leave. But before she went away, a huge parade was held in her honor. Crowds lined the streets hoping to get just one glimpse of her. It was a very festive occasion!

But the next day, the Dancing Girl had to leave. She would say only that the place where she was going was quite a long distance, a far country she had never been to before. Alas, it was too far for her trusty Cat-Steed to take her. And so a horse and buggy, with a small red-shirted driver, was employed to take her to a drop-off point where she would continue her journey alone.

The Cat-Steed was not very happy about this, and he carefully checked out the horse. He touched noses with it: "Please keep my Dancing Girl safe," he said to the horse.

And then came the time for the friends to bid farewell to the Dancing Girl. She said to the small crowd, "I shall miss you all, but you, my orange Cat . . . I shall miss you most of all." The Cat-Steed's heart ached. His whiskers and his ears drooped. His tail hung low.

"Step closer, my darling," said the Dancing Girl. And the Cat-Steed obliged. His orange nose gently touched the hem of her pink silken dress. He breathed in the last scent of her. It reminded him of summer days full of sunshine, blue skies, and gentle breezes. It made him think of butterflies and Christmas angels. And his heart smiled to be with her for what might just be the last time.

"Step closer, and I will tell you something," the Dancing Girl said. And the Cat-Steed pressed even closer to hear her words. "I shall carry you in my heart always, Best Beloved" said the Dancing Girl to her orange Cat. "And you shall carry me with you too. We will always be part of each other now. We will live forever in each other's hearts."

The Cat-Steed listened carefully, and he willed himself to remember her every word. But he wasn't really sure he understood everything she was saying. He imagined himself as a tiny orange kitten, living inside her heart; and her as a tiny pink angel, living inside his. He tried with his heart and his brain to understand how that would be. And then they bid each other farewell with a sigh, and the horse and carriage took the Dancing Girl away to begin her long journey.

The orange Cat-Steed was dejected. Already he was missing her. He remembered the kindness and gentleness of the Dancing Girl, and the joy she took in each and every day. And he resolved that in the Dancing Girl's memory, he would try to do good in the world; and he would be a friend to every other Dancing Girl he ever met.

But the Dancing Girl had left one thing behind (for "safe keeping," she had said); and they all turned and looked at it. The golden crown that had so recently graced her head shone like the sun of a summer's day. And they remembered their friend the Dancing Girl, and they were happy and grateful for the time they got to spend together, in what just might have been the best Christmas ever.

The End.

There were two songs that were vying for inclusion as the soundtrack to this Blip. And rather than pick one, I've decided to include them both. They are both Warren Zevon tunes: My Ride's Here, performed by Bruce Springsteen (here's a version performed by Warren himself), and Keep Me In Your Heart, by Warren Zevon.