"Backstage"

A little descriptive piece I wrote for class; enjoy :)

Backstage

You close your eyes as you feel your stomach tighten. It is caused partly by your tight, itchy costume but mostly from nerves. Your brain is working overtime, and all your senses are hyperaware. You take a deep breath in and the fragrant but sickly-sweet scents of perfume and hairspray filter into your nose, stinging your sinuses. You hear a bottle spray to your left and get a full, fresh blast of the smell. You exhale through your mouth, and when you close it again you taste your chalky lipstick. Your mind immediately jumps to the fear that all your makeup needs to be checked and re-done, but you breathe in and out again, pushing away all your irrational worries and focusing on the task at hand. From what seems like a distant land, you can hear the audience chattering—adults laughing, children asking questions, and babies crying, all blending into white noise. There are people all around you, too, but they are whispering and humming under their breath. Then, suddenly, a hush falls as someone begins speaking in a booming voice. Their words echo around your head, going into both ears multiple times each. Then they are finished, and applause erupts, a sound not unlike thunder or rain on a tin roof. As it dies out, a soft piano melody begins playing, and a flute soon joins in as well. You open your eyes, and notice all the familiar faces around you doing the same, visible only by a dim blue light coming from in front of you. Some are smiling, some frowning in concentration, but all are shaking from head to toe with nervous excitement. You take another deep breath, inhale and exhale, grounding yourself to the floor with your snug-fitting shoes but holding your head high. You tell yourself you are prepared. You are ready.