Ice Tracings

The Zamboni had been over this rink a thousand times, years ago, but the last time was years ago. Now, though disused, the rink was preserved. The doors were locked, ice was never cleaned and smoothed, and yet the ice never melted.

The bill was paid by Ms. Gloria, a woman who had skated as a girl. Her mother, maybe at age 20, got an Olympic medal. It was before the age of streaming, before the age of home video. Only clips survived.

Ms. Gloria kept the rink going when her mother developed dementia and couldn’t come, though her mom had been on the ice 15 years ago, at age 60, staying in shape for a TV segment.

Even now, when she visited mom at memory care, she would perk up at mentions of the ice. “I did my first toe loop at age 7,” Ms. Gloria would say, and her mom would draw up from the void memories of her own mother and childhood.

Ms. Gloria had never been married. Although she loved skating, she had never felt able to fully express herself to her family or anyone else as a child. The truth was, she had never really done a toe loop at age 7. She hadn’t been that precocious, at least not with skating.

“Mom,” she said, “I think I have the Rosetta Stone to figure you out.”
“I remember when I was 16,” she said. “The world championships was really something that year.” Ms. Gloria started humming.
“Canon in D!” Mom exclaimed. “Do I still have my green dress?”

-Written for

FORUM

The Writer's Cramp  (13+) Write the best poem or story in 24 hours or less and win 10K GPS! #333655 by Sophy

, a daily contest, in response to a prompt asking for a Rosetta stone- like discovery. Also written in honor of the 2025 World Figure Skating Championship, which is happening right now in Boston. https://www.nbcsports.com/olympics/news/figure-skating-world-championships-2025-...