THE GIRL THAT DANCED DEATH AWAY - A FAIRY TALE BY MICHAEL SORBELLO

The enticing winds of winter whipped harshly through the midnight air. The silver beams of the moon illuminated the snow in a sea of glittering frost. On the frozen stage of nature's sorrow, a single girl danced in pure isolation. Her swift and mesmerizing movements through the snow were silenced by the shrill screech of the frigid wind. It was the cry of a thousand souls that longed to be like her, a girl untouched by Death's merciless hands.

"Round and round she goes, the girl that danced Death away," a phantasmal voice muttered from afar.

Just as it did every year, winter came in like a furious beast. It threatened to devour those that dared to get too close. The blizzard was as frigid and merciless as the breath of Death himself, yet the girl that danced in the snow did not fear his icy embrace. She welcomed the company of Death, and she danced for him on nights when the silver moon was full.

"Round and round she goes, the girl that danced Death away."

The sickly maiden wrapped in white silk twirled and spun beneath the radiant light of the winter moon. Her porcelain skin was colder than ice, an incurable illness brought her heart to a permanent stop. She was a walking corpse frozen in time. Her desire to dance kept her restless spirit from passing on. Though her heart did not beat, her ghost refused to leave her frigid remains and her corpse continued to dance with an unconquerable passion. She was like a marionette held up only by her own indomitable will.

"Round and round she goes, the girl that danced Death away."

On that night when the silver moon was in full bloom, the ender of all things descended from the hazy white skies. Death was prepared to bring an end to the dying ballerina's eternal ballet once and for all. Death's efforts were always in vain, however, for the sight of the ballerina alone was enough to shatter his commitment to his task of granting the poor girl's soul eternal rest. Though it was his duty to the angels above to deliver the souls of the dead to the pearly gates in the sky, Death just couldn't bring himself to raise his scythe to the beautiful ballerina that never stopped dancing.

"Round and round she goes, the girl that danced Death away."

The ballerina was a flower in the permanent state of wilting, an undying creature with the allure of a saint. Though she was always on the verge of wilting, her petals never fell. Death had come to watch her dance in the snow again, she was a pure soul that never stopped dancing, not even in the icy grip of winter's breath or in the foreboding presence of Death himself. Although it was forbidden for him to do so, Death just couldn't help but love her.

"Round and round she goes, the girl that danced Death away."

When Death touched foot upon the snow, it was dyed a guilty shade of crimson. The blood of millions stained Death's immortal body. He carried that ocean of blood within him wherever he went and it stained everything he touched. Such was the burden of Death, to claim the blood and sins of every living creature as his own. His immortal duty was to bear the literal weight of the universe and all of its inhabitants. Death longed to reach out and touch the girl that had ensnared his black heart, but he knew that doing so would only stain her with the bloody hands that have robbed so many precious creatures of their lives. And so, he would simply have to be content with watching her from afar.

"Round and round she goes, the girl that danced Death away."

Death had stolen many lives and claimed many souls, but the girl that danced in the snow would never be one of them. The girl warmed the cold heart that Death had long since forgotten he had ever even held within himself. The ballerina continued to dance on the bloodstained snow, and Death fell for her over and over again. With every twist and turn, she lit up the sky with the radiance of Venus. Basking in the rays of the winter moon, she glimmered like a pearl in the depths of the luminescent sea.

"Round and round she goes, the girl that danced Death away."

As the snow began to dissolve beneath the ballerina's footsteps, Death took flight to the heavens and once again he had left the girl's soul behind. Death would return for her the following night, yet things were doomed to repeat the same way they've done for thousands of years. He wouldn't be able to go through with killing her, he never would.

"Round and round she goes, the girl that danced Death away."

Death simply couldn't bring himself to raise his scythe to the ballerina. He couldn't kill the one thing that brought warmth to his frozen heart. Admiring her glory and the power she held over his heart, Death swore the girl a promise. A promise that would never be fulfilled.

"My dear, undead ballerina, only when the moon sleeps forever and the graceful touch of winter no longer comes to kiss your skin will I steal your life and carry you to Heaven. Only when your dance finally comes to an end will I claim your soul as mine. Until that day comes, I will continue to watch over you from afar, my scythe remaining clean of your beautiful blood."

Within the shadow of their forbidden love, immortality was born. The ballerina loved Death as Death came to love her. The ballerina came to love Death so much that she denied his offer to set her free from mortal suffering. She would continue to dance for him, even when her body was consumed by agony and grief after countless years of dancing with immeasurable passion. Truth be told, the girl had died thousands of years ago, but Death never carried her soul away to Heaven. He wanted to keep watching her dance and she was more than willing to oblige.

"Round and round she goes, the girl that danced Death away."

Death wanted to remember how beautiful life could be when it thrived on passion and willpower alone. So long as the girl danced with that same passion, he wouldn't be able to bring himself to claim her soul. And just as Death's heart desired, the graceful ballerina would never stop dancing for him. She would dance for Death for all eternity. Not a single soul remembered her name or where she came from, yet Death loved her all the same. She danced for thousands of years without end and she would continue to do so until Death himself was finally laid to rest by his almighty maker.

"Round and round she continues to go," Death smiled warmly, "the girl that danced Death away."

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Moral of the story?

Doing great things can make you immortal in the eyes of people that love you... and sometimes even the Grim Reaper needs a hug.