The Performance

by Ailish Sinclair

The Performance: sometimes going home for Christmas is just one huge performance…

When Ariel returns home from dance college, her mother expects her to perform the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy in a pink, sequined tutu in front of many, many party guests. Ariel adjusts the costume and choreography to expose dark truths about her life, but, as it turns out, this is not the biggest performance of the night…

This short story is set two weeks before the Castle Dancers series begins. It is currently available free on signing up to the author's newsletter.

ebook

Published January 1, 2025

About the author

Ailish Sinclair trained as a dancer and taught dance for many years. She now lives beside a loch with her husband and two children where she writes, dances (yes still, medical conditions allowing) and eats a lot of chocolate.

BOOKS:

Her historical novels combine little-known dark events with love stories. There are witches, bears, kidnappers and Romans to be found in them.

She has written two contemporary series, the spicy Dancer’s Journey and the coming-of-age Castle Dancers.

Reviews

[Wee Lassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My God that Mother is a bitch. From the diabolical mind that brought you the Dancers Series and Sisters at the Edge of the World, this is a story of a performance in more ways than may seem apparent on first look. Five out of five, but then that’s no surprise with Ailish Sinclair.

[Molly H · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short story was wonderful! I cannot wait to read Ariel, the novel this short story accompanies! When reading, I laughed out loud within the first 6 minutes. I loved this observation- “Spontaneity gives birth to truth.”

📚🩰💜🩰📚

[Silmaril Chick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the twist at the end. Now I’m practically bouncing out of my seat to read the series that follows this story.