Hi agmoore
You came really close with your guesses about the dancer in the first scene, although it is a sadder story as the crutch at the end was meant to show that it was an injury that had cut her career short. the pills on the sideboard were pain killers, maybe I should have specified them as such. Hmnnnn, this is one of the great things about this festival's format, it is like mini writing workshops that help you pin point areas of possible ambiguity in your writing.
What a switch, though now that I write a response I see loss and sorrow at the core of each.
Aye, there was a melancholy at the core of both settings. ha ha, maybe I'll try and write a cheerful setting in my next story... god knows the world could do with some more cheer 🤓 😂
Thanks for reading, and your insightful comment 👍
Hi Raj: Your crutch clue was clear. I did understand it was an injury that led to the end of her career. That's what I meant by 'loss of skills', but I said it inartfully. You are a master of scene setting ;)