Tales from the Past

The Dance Partner

When my grandma and her sister were young kids, they liked going to dances. Grandma liked dancing so much she would become giddy with excitement whenever a new one was being put on.

In the tiny town where she lived, there weren’t many chances to “let off steam” and have some fun, which is why these dances were so important to her. The town wasn’t like a normal town. It was more like a bunch of tiny farms scattered along the valley. Grandma’s home was no different.

The dances became a huge event for the entire valley. Almost everyone, whether young or old, would show up. The dances were never in the same place twice They were always different and so much fun. This time it was being held in an old barn at a neighbor’s ranch.

Grandma’s family was very poor, so any outing was a big deal. When a dance was near, Grandma would work extra hard with her chores to make sure her Dad would let her go. Grandma’s sister didn’t have to work as hard, but she would put in an extra effort too.

Since they loved dressing up for these dances, Grandma took out her favorite dress. It was made from material that was almost weightless. It was light yellow in color and had flowers imprinted on it. She thought it reminded her of spring. She wore her only sandals. They were a medium-dark brown, and they were getting faded from the few times she did wear them. Some people thought they weren't that great, but Grandma felt like a million bucks in them. Grandma never mentioned what her sister was wearing, but I think it must’ve been something similar.

While they were getting dressed, they talked about how they would look in their nicest outfits and dance all night long. They would talk about how Grandma’s hair would flow out into the air when she would spin around with the music. My grandma had long, flowing brown hair back then. It wasn't the salted grey she's had ever since I've known her. They would talk about how her sister would dance right along with her, her dress flowing in the air just like Grandma’s hair. They would laugh, tell stories, and meet new people.

Grandma’s sister was hoping to meet the love of her life. Grandma just wanted to dance. Grandma hadn't met Grandpa yet, so she was wanting to "let it all out". After all, she was young, single, and loving it. Her sister wasn't married or dating anyone either, but tonight she hoped to change that. Life on the ranch was really tough and she hoped to marry and get away from this life of hers. She didn’t like living in a place that was so tough.

After they got ready, Grandma and her sister looked each other over to make sure everything looked okay. After they got each other’s approvals and complimented each other, they left the room to ask their dad for a ride to the dance. Once they were ready, they asked great grandpa for a ride to the dance. Grandpa agreed to give them a ride, but only they agreed to be ready when he would be back to pick them up a little after 10pm. They agreed.

All three of them sat on the dusty old seat of great grandpa’s old truck. They weren’t worried about the dust getting on their dresses. It would soon fall off as they laughed and danced the night away. They chatted on the way to the old barn, and great grandpa decided to start giving them advice without them asking. He told them to keep an eye out. Men only want one thing. He told them to watch out for wolves in sheep’s clothing. They giggled. Once they arrive, he told them to be careful and to not get into any trouble. The girls just smiled and rolled their eyes as he dropped them off. Then they waved goodbye.

Once inside, they walked over to the refreshment stand and drank some punch. Much to their disappointment, the punch wasn’t spiked. There wasn’t much chance of them getting into trouble that night without anything to lower their inhibitions, so they decided to start dancing. They danced for several songs. Then grandma's sister saw a certain guy staring at her. He was very handsome...unusually handsome. He had light facial features, yet masculine, and a little facial hair. His hair was brown and wavy, groomed to the point where not even one hair was out of place. He was tall, maybe around 6 feet tall. He was lean and athletic looking. He was just her type.

She noticed he had on a nice maroon shirt on. She could see the collar above what looked like a long coat. She couldn't make out what kind of pants he wore, because the coat covered most of it up. She did notice they were dark. Maybe they were dark blue or black. She couldn’t tell. She thought it was a little odd that he would wear a coat, because it was spring, and it was hot outside. She thought he looked good in it, so she let it slide. She walked over to him and smiled at him. He took her hand and glided them both over to the dance floor. They started dancing and she felt like she was in heaven, gliding upon the clouds. He stayed looking into her eyes with a slight grin and as he spun them both around his coat flared out, revealing a tail.

Grandma was watching and when she saw the tail, she spit out her drink and dropped the cup on the ground. She ran over to her sister and grabbed her by the arm in an effort to snatch her from her partner's clutches. Her sister pulled away, yanking her arms from grandma’s grasp. She didn't want to leave the arms of her man, but Grandma grabbed her again, this time with both hands. She tried forcing her to let go of the man, but Grandma’s sister put up a great fight. Then Grandma had her sister look down at the man’s feet. The coat opened up once again. They could now see what was underneath. His pants were normal, but his feet were not feet at all. They were hooves. Grandma let go of her sister’s arm and grabbed her hand. She gripped it tightly. This time there was no opposition. They ran out of the building screaming in fear. They looked back and saw the dance partner smile as he grabbed another partner to dance with. Everyone on the dance floor acted as though nothing had happened, as if they were in a trance. The girls didn’t wait for their dad. Instead, they ran all the way home, jumped into bed, and hid under the covers.

As time passed there were other dances. Grandma and her sister didn’t go to them alone. They would always take someone along to watch over them. Grandma still liked dancing, but she became wary of who she danced with. A few years later she met and married Grandpa and they had a large family and ran a farm of their own. Grandma still likes to dance and listened to music even though she is well over 80 years old.

Her sister never married or had kids. She moved to the city shortly after the events of this story and never seemed quite the same. To this day, Grandma still thinks that the dance partner was a demon that her sister was dancing. Her sister once said that she’s so afraid she won’t want to stop dancing with him that she doesn’t dance anymore. Yet, occasionally, as you walk by her house in the city, music plays from a dimly lit room located on the second floor. It’s hard to see what is happening, since it is at a corner of the house that is furthest from the street. Even so, rumors come forth. A few who pass by say that they see lights flickering from what they believe to be candles. And in the flickering light are two shadows dancing on the ceiling.