Keep the Faith

A white light illuminated from the end of the dark tunnel and cast upon his face to make the murky, hazel ponds for eyes glow in the sudden light. He could do nothing but stare as if he were a deer trapped in the headlights of oncoming traffic. The light started to grow dimmer as seconds transformed into minutes. This only made him extend his arm to reach out as if he were trying to snatch it. However, the glow only seemed to grow farther apart from his outstretched fingers, which made him want to walk towards it, but a force held him in his place.

He then heard laughter echo throughout the tunnel, he was trapped in, as a familiar scene started to shape before him – it was an audience in hysterics. The intimidating audience made him back up into something or someone. When he whipped around, he saw a platform which he trailed up with his eyes to see a drum set whose cymbals reflected the bright lights that towered over them. His eyes then shot back to the audience who was full of laughter and eyes fixed on him. Though, even with the intense stage lights gleaming above him, he could still see the faint beam out in the distance.

His hand reached out to the light again only to cast a curtain of black around him and ceased the laughing – he was captured in the tunnel once more. That’s when he attempted to proceed towards the luminosity, but the energy arrested him another time, so he was unable to move any limb on his body.

“He doesn’t care about us. Let’s just leave,” someone said from the darkness, but only to form another picture.

When he scanned the area, he recognized it to be a venue he had last visited. Whispers and muffled giggles made him turn his head to see a few fans clinging to the fence as three of them departed from the group to head out towards the parking lot. One of the girls turned her head to the girl next to her and cupped her hands around her mouth as if she were telling a secret. Then the girl turned back to look at him with a lying smile plastered upon her face as the girl beside her covered her mouth to quiet her laughter.

Yet, when he opened his mouth to defend himself, the area transformed into the black abyss he had been isolated in before. Once again, the soft light shown at the end of the burrow. This time he didn’t dare to try reaching out and clasping it in his hands; he just turned and headed the other way into the dark.

“Don’t give up,” a gentle voice uttered, but the surrounding area remained black.

He turned to see that the light had only grown more radiant than before.

“Just keep trying,” the voice said. “They need you.”

“Who?” he questioned.

“Them,” the voice replied simply as a dim picture formed beside him.

The same group of arrogant “fans” stood at the fence with their fake smiles and silent gossip, but a few feet behind them, a different group of fans came into view. Their smiles were neither fake nor posed, but their smiles were pure and caring.

“Your fans need you,” the voice added, as the world around him faded back to black. “You have to fight for them.”

He walked towards the light one last time only to be stopped by the grasp of the unknown power again. The force didn’t stop him but only made him fight more. His battle merely put him five feet from where he started, but he was still under control of the strength.

“Fight,” the voice was faint but loud enough to echo through the tunnel.

His teeth clenched together as he struggled to pry loose from the power that held him closely. The light only grew larger and superior as he fought more. He was so unbearably close to the light that he could feel its warmth on his pale skin. His hand punctured the light, which caused the force to let go, making him plunge into the light completely to find himself laying in the very bunk he had fallen asleep in.

“Your fans need you. You have to fight for them,” the voice permanently rang in his mind.