The marley groaned, her ribbons frayed– twelve more fouettes, and perfect still our of reach.
Mid-turn, her foot slipped– and he confidence cracked. Everyone saw. Pretzelrina wished she could disappear.
"Mistakes aren't failures," said the Pointe Shoe Fairy. "They're how you rise." Even with teary eyes Pretzelrina felt something shift.
She turned, wobbled... and laughed. This time, the goal wasn't to be perfect– it was to keep going.
She saw how far she had come in the mirror– progress, not perfect, was built to last.