Missing Steps

KORY VANON lets the ashes of childhood slip between his little, brown fingers the day his grandmother dies after rescuing him from a fire. When God seemingly ignores his pleas to raise her from the dead, Kory resolves never again to ask anyone for help. Now alone, a voice inside becomes his only guide. As a young adult the same one resounds every time his hand touches the ballet barre as he pursues his dream of being a dancer.

One day while checking his lines in the studio mirror, a strange shadow appears. There is something eerily familiar about the phantom who limps away with only one ballet slipper on his feet. Years later during a performance at the Kennedy Center, his doppelgänger pushes him off stage and onto roller coaster. Within days a family curse emerges inside a recurring nightmare and crushes his legs under the tires of a giant wheelchair. But this time, morning brings no relief.

Kory tries repeatedly to reinvent himself with the hope of disguising his identity from a force determined to steal his self-worth. But he can't run forever. As middle age approaches, keeping his shadow contained becomes more difficult. The day may come when he trips for the last time. Breathing another breath some days seems not worth the pain.