The Flight
by Alice Hill
As I paced up and down the length of the church, waiting for people to arrive, I was extremely flustered. My stomach had become a slipknot, and was choking me inside instead of out. What was I thinking? I had practiced enough, and I was bursting with pride for I had never done anything like this before, with only one recital to my name, and I was afraid. I could always back out, but my heart, soul, and spirit were telling me to do it and my intuition was so strong I could almost smell it. My head and gut were yelling at me to turn back, and their powerful tool of doubt was eating me alive, but I wouldn’t surrender. I had to do this…ever since I had watched that cancer extinguish my Grammy and seen the light fade out my grandfather’s eyes. What else did I have to give? My hands were clammy and cold but my body felt drenched with sweat. As I stood inside the hall, I barely heard everyone’s footsteps, and before I knew it, I was being announced to come and sing my song.
As I opened my mouth, nothing came out. My throat had opened wide with anticipation but my voice was stuck. Stuck in that slipknot that held on without mercy. I looked out at the crowd, and felt as if I was behind a glass wall. And then…it came. My voice flew out like a barn swallow swooping through the darkening sky. My spirit took a modest flight, for that was all the courage I could muster…but it would have to be enough.
I could sense and feel the wonder coming from my family. I could hear the crowd’s unspoken words behind me, shouting “good job!” without any sound imparting from their lips. The courage I had to come up boiled over, and I could feel the heat rise to my cheeks and the hot tears rush to my eyes, my body relieved everything was done and over with. If we, as human beings, could do this everyday, face our fears and conquer our doubts, and give others courage around us, the world would definitely be a better place, only if for a moment. If we could reach out to people, even just to make them smile, we have made an achievement for ourselves, and a difference to them.
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