Waiting for the Music

I tap my foot anxiously, with my eyes shut tightly. I can hear rhythms and notes coursing through my head, and I attempt to grasp them. I need to hold on to them, if only for just 20 minutes longer. My palms sweat, as a chill runs down my spine.

I sit on a wooden bench, which sits on a wooden floor. To my right, just a few feet away is a cloth barrier. Music runs through my mind and I struggle to snatch up the notes passing by. I can see them, behind my closed eyes, on the walls of my mind. Sheet music drifts before me, racing by in a crescendo of nervousness and anxiety. My stomach turns and I want to run, but I don’t.

At the last moment, I open my eyes and the music returns to me. The notes slow their racing and hover before me. My hands rest softly on the keys, as the curtain falls and the crowd applauds.