the roar of lions

The roar of the crowd fills my ears ~ like the roar of lions, the roar of a river you know you may plunge into and never escape, the roar of a gun as it sends bullets shrieking through the air. Blood leaps into my veins as I wait in the wings and look out at the audience. Far into the distance, faces are turned towards the stage, and beyond them i can see the hills.

I step onto the stage and my legs begin to shake as excitement fills me. I can see faces smiling and hands waving in expectation. The crowd is waiting. Fear explodes inside me and my chest tightens just as it always does when my feelings run too strong. I feel sure I will not be able to sing a single note. My breath is dying inside me as I stare ahead.

But suddenly time stands still. The lights, the noise, the colours, bleed into nothing and the faces melt away. I am a child again.