V.O.I.C.E

.Chapter Twenty One.

Chapter Twenty One                               Evalyn

Everybody was gathered in the parking lot, each holding a candle that had been given to them with a wax catcher so they wouldn’t burn themselves. The two oldest members were given two big unlit torches and asked to stand side by side. Then the youngest member was given a lantern and asked to stand in the middle behind the two oldest. The rest of us were asked to get into two even lines behind the youngest member.

“We are going to silently walk down the path to the camp fire pit when I have finished lighting the two front touches and the fire gets passed back throw the lines until every bodies candle is lit. Then we will start out walk.  I will explain the rest of the ceremony to you all down there,” Mr. Conner explained.

And with that he lit the two troches at the front. It was beautiful as each of the flames were passed from candle to candle, their glow slowly spreading and making the parking lot glimmer. When everybody had lit their flames, we all followed the two torches, walking at a slow pace. I had expected that as soon as we began to move, a few people would start to talk. I mean we are teenagers; we can’t seem to not talk and when you tell us to be silent during something, chances are we wouldn’t listen. However, it remained silent as we made our way down to the path.

I think my jaw hit the dirt pathway when I saw what the choir council had been setting up during the coffee house. Lighting up both sides of the pathway were brown paper lunch bags with a candle sitting inside it. You could see the whole pathway had been lit up this way.

When we got down to the camp fire, Mr. Conner motioned for one side of the line to go right and the other to go left. Doing as we were told, each side slowly circled around the fire pit and when both sides met at the halfway point we stopped and turned into towards the fire. 

“This is yet another tradition of the program. We will light the logs in this large fire pit with the two torches. This fire is to symbolize the passion and hope of all you seniors as you take your final steps of high school and begin to think about the future. Can the two torch barriers step up towards the fire,” Mr. Conner said.  The two stepped forward and when Mr. Conner told them to, they placed their torches into the awaiting logs. We watched as the fire began to burn and grow. “Now I want everybody when they are ready to step forward and toss the piece of paper I had you write your future goals on into the fire.”

Slowly a few people stepped forward and throw in the papers. I followed their lead and tossed mine in and soon everybody was doing as told. Please, I thought as my note burned, let a company notice me at the performance we do.

We all stood and watched as people came forward and threw the papers in. When everybody was finished and all of our candles had been blown out we were dismissed and told we could either go up to the dining hall for the mini dance or stay here and watch the fire.

Going back to the dining room, we saw that while we had been down at the fire the parents had been able to put away all the chairs from the coffee house to create a huge hall for dancing. Somebody had out together a music list and hooking it up to the sound system that was already set up. We danced for a few hours.

Wondering back down to the camp fire after the dining hall had been cleaned a little; we stood around the fire pit enjoying the view and sounds of being outdoors. After a while, a group of people grabbed a picnic table that was sitting a few feet away and pulled them closer to the fire to sit and still be able to keep warm. Once they were within the glow of the fire, they set it down and sat on top.