At the end of When Malindy Swings there is a very expressive “goodbye” dance section. Malindy had, as a child, sold her soul to Little Devil if he agreed to put her spilt milk back into her pail, and her time had then run out. Little Devil does not want to take her soul it but if he doesn’t he will not earn his horns and his father will be so disappointed with him. He has been protecting for years and they have become best of friends. She knows she must make the sacrifice, live up to her word, and go with him. Little Devil freezes time so she may say goodbye to her family. Malindy dances to express her leaving to husband and children. When Malindy finally moved closer to her children to say that goodbye, there was a feeling in that evening show, which was full of parents. It made you think the horrible thought, the one that every parent thinks and wrestles with and pushes to the back of their mind and begs whatever powers that be to protect their children from the world if you are no longer there to protect them.
After the that evening and final show the school librarian came over to me with tears in her eyes. She looked at me and couldn’t speak. She pushed through the sobs and said, “I couldn’t stop, that was… Mr. Carlson, that was…” she couldn’t finish. She just moved her head back and forth like she was shaking in and shaking off some kind of pain. “Beautiful,” she finally said.
By Clifford Carlson
