Pallete

Release

Act II

I remember nothing.

The lines I read and memorized are burred.

Panic rises in my throat and my palms are sweaty.

The yellow lights burn into my sockets as I feel embarrassment creep up behind me.

My legs, which were once frozen, now violently shake in stage fright.

What do I say next? How does the song go?

I look into the crowd, but only faceless shadows stare at me.

They detect every mistake, every imperfection, and ridicule the victim. 

Quickly glancing behind the curtains and towards backstage,

I see friends crossing their fingers and praying for a successful performance.

They shouldn't even bother.

I'm going to fail them anyway.

The music begins to start

as violins and cellos' sounds swoon through the air.

Drums build up tension

and the choir sings their hearts out.

All of a sudden,

the music dies down.

It's time for my solo.

Slowly,

the lyrics fade back into memory

and my voice chants the notes perfectly.

I remember everything.

It was not long before

I was twirling my dress and dancing to the music.

Finally,

the song ended.

Silence was the only thing you could hear.

Then, there was a clap.

And another one.

The audience was smiling and clapping.

I felt a rush of adrenaline as I heard the roars people.

Grinning idiotically,

I took a bow on stage.

The scene is over.

The curtain closes.