The Stage

A leisure Sunday evening it was. The usual crowded streets were getting lonely and most of the traffic was heading towards the Mohsin convention. The convention hall seemed like a jaggery pod coated with butter attracting the ants. Some ants were rushing to meet their celebrity friend, some to explore this new talent and the rest to capture some moments for their next whatsapp status update.

The stage was all adorned with bright lights. Focus lights at the front were seemingly eager to focus on the much awaited singer of the evening. The inverted U shaped dias with a perfect white floor and maroon curtains was the thing everyone were staring at.

At the backstage in a tiny vanity room, she was sitting on the couch in a rather trepidatious state. Her palms pressing onto one another, fingers constantly moving but eyes steadily staring at the floor. She knew if there's any time to be stronger, it is then.

Standing up, she started walking towards the stage. Her legs were staggeringly moving forward though her mind was lagging behind.

From the lobby leading to the main stage, she could hear the loud cheers of the audience as her name was announced. In a moment, all she could hear was her heart thumping aloud than the voices. As she entered the stage, she knew this is the place she has always wanted to reach. The lights dashing onto her face were making it difficult to look forward but easy to hide the audience from her vision.

She held the mic and she knew she reached her destination. Her passion, her efforts, her sacrifices flashed before her eyes as she flipped the lyric book. She raised her eyes to stare at the new magical world for once and to her dismay, she got up to a real world on her bed with red eyes and closed walls.

In a moment she felt amazed, perplexed and gloomy all at once. She knew what she wanted but what she didn't want was the burden of regret. As something determining in her mind, she looked at the watch. It was 3.05 am. She plugged in her earphones as she knew she cannot get back to sleep.