Limelight Melody

(V) Noticed by a Star

Felix sat in the driver's seat of his car, tapping his fingers anxiously against the violin case. His left foot tapped as well, hitting against where the clutch would be. He kept glancing at the mall that loomed to his right, its doors beckoning him to come in. Taking a deep breath, Felix popped open his car door.

The cold spring air hit him the moment he stepped out. He shivered as he closed the door, his violin in hand. It felt heavy in his grip as he hurried towards the mall. It knew what was about to happen, and it was just as nervous as Felix was. Or, at least, Felix felt it was.

Warm air from the mall enveloped Felix when he stepped through the door. Normally, Felix would have enjoyed the warmth. It was a shelter from the changing climate outside. But now it felt overly hot, making each breath labored. Felix adjusted the collar of his shirt, continuing towards the piano area.

Felix glanced around nervously. The people who walked by him paid him no mind, there was no reason they should. To them, Felix was just another shopper, carrying around his belongings. But he was nervous that someone would recognize him, that they would stop and tell him he sucked at violin. That he should never perform again.

By the time Felix arrived at the piano, his breathing had become rapid and shallow. His throat felt like the Sahara desert; it was almost impossible to swallow. Shaking, he set the case down beside the bench and slowly opened the case.

The moment his hands touched the violin, Felix felt slightly calmer. He gently lifted it from its soft container and stood up, bow in the other hand. Glancing around nervously, he took a couple steps from the piano, getting more room around him. Taking a deep breath, Felix put the bow to the violin and began playing.

It started slow. Just simple, long notes that sounded like a song, but in truth, was Felix making sure the violin sounded correct. Still, the moment he began to make sound, people's heads turned to see what was happening. Some had already flocked to the piano to observe.

Anxiety festered inside of Felix, but with the violin playing in his hands, the anxiety quieted down, hiding deep inside his chest. The performance mindset had banished it to the darkest recesses of his brain, at least for that moment. Just long enough to stay in front of the crowd.

Once Felix hit the end of his 'tuning,' he took a deep breath. He wasn't going to take requests just yet. First, he wanted to amaze the crowd. He wanted to draw them in. To do that, he needed to play a piece so well that it would stop their shopping just so they could come listen. With a dramatic sweep, Felix put the bow to the strings, waited for a moment, and then began to play.

Deciding to hit the crowd with a well-known song, Felix chose What I've Done by Linkin Park. It started out loud as Felix played the introductory music. Once Felix hit the lyrics, he began playing quietly and switched over to playing their notes, knowing the lyric notes would spark recognition in the crowd.

Sure enough, some of the audience's faces lit up when they heard the notes. They whispered to one another, grinning as Felix continued, slowly growing louder as the chorus approached. With one final quiet note, Felix hit the chorus as loud as he could without squeaking, pouring everything he had into it.

The song didn't last very long, and before he knew it, Felix was playing the last long note of the song. He gently let go of it, pulling the bow from the violin. For a moment, the crowd was completely silent. The anxiety started to crawl back from its dark cage as he waited in silence.

Suddenly, the crowd burst into applause. Some people cheered and hollered, while others clapped as loud as they could. A small smile found its way to Felix's face, the anxiety slowly receding back. They thought he did great, and that was all he needed.