Lights Up

Excellence Award in the 'Word Zone 2016' competition

There is anticipation in the air, that might just be me though.
Everything is as dark as it is quiet. Only the exit lights break the darkness. Still, the shadows are visible as they move into position. Two of them, one short and one tall. I know the short one is him. I know from his height, from the faint outline of his slim body, the way he holds himself and where he stands, waiting.
I’ve seen this before, on normal days and slightly more important ones. Their stance became familiar the first day. Every move they made was burnt into my brain back then. Mostly just his though. The shaking, then the fall, followed by two short, hesitant steps. Of course the hesitancy was fake, he was playing his part. Every day after that the act only got better, the movement more fluid as if it were his, not someone else’s. He made it his own.
In the hours spent in that white room with him today, I tried to remember everything he did, every word he spoke to me and every movement that lead to his touch creeping across my skin. I took mental pictures of his spiked hair and wild eyes as he walked into the darkness he waited in now.
I imagine the darkness being chased away revealing to everyone the spikey hair and the wild eyes. I know he won’t be able to tame them; he won’t want to. I picture the blinding light illuminating his movements. In a way, the way his body twists and turns is completely him. It’s beautiful. I have been in that position before, will be again soon. I know, in the next couple of minutes, a time will come when his facial expression will fade slightly, enough for the genuine smile to be visible for a few seconds. Although his face will shape back into a performance worthy mask, his eyes will hold the smile still. They’ll hold it the whole time he’s up there.
I can’t describe the way he’s feeling but I know every intricate little detail. I’ve stood where he stands, moved as he is about to. Before you take that position, your stomach does flips. You’re twitching your leg, your hands, anywhere you can because the nervous energy is too much. Then it’s time, more anticipation builds up inside of you than in anyone else watching as you take the position. Just before you’re revealed to the world, this calmness sets in, this sense of complete and utter satisfaction. You look up to what you know is a thousand eyes but you can’t see anything. The exhilaration floods your body as the lights come on. Then it starts, and you’re fighting to keep the grin hidden in your eyes as your facial expression falls in with your body.
His shadow relaxes slightly just before the lights come on. Then it starts.
His dancing blows me away every time.

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