London Harmony: Water Gypsy by Erik Schubach Page B

started in a soft and more sedate tempo and I opened my mouth to sing the tender ballad. The words flowed from me and I blinked when I saw Teri, Paya, Jenny, and Harry at the front of the crowd. Teri had her eyes closed and her head tilted, listening intently, she seemed to be in a trance. I sang down to her.
    The words shared the wonder of the world, of experiencing the kindness of souls in places most people just disregard. My voice and the music built in intensity and the full instrumental metal thrash kicked in and I sang my heartbeat to the crowd as I hit the chorus while I jumped up and down on the stage. The crowd was cheering and dancing, experiencing my music like I had always dreamed.
    Then just as suddenly as it came, the music silenced except the piano at the bridge. I sent my emotion and heart fluttering through the people who had slowed their dancing to move in time with the river of feeling I was projecting. I noticed Scratch in his oversize hoodie standing with his arms crossed by the hallway to the doors, his head cocked, listening intently.
    Then I exploded with the music at the refrain. It started with power but only increased in intensity past forte, building to a crescendo. My heartbeat, my music, my life. Then the music ended abruptly as I dropped from belting out the lyrics to the last whisper of a word in a delicate pianissimo. “Love.”
    It was deafening, the response I received after two beats of silence, as the crowd exploded. I looked down and Paya was jumping on her toes clapping frantically close to her chest and screaming. Teri just smiled at me with a slight head tilt, her eyes glittering and a wistful smile on her lips as she placed both of her hands over her chest and made a single heartbeat.
    That was what warmed my heart most, the other cheers were lost on me, Teresa liked it. I was smiling like a loon. Then stepped back and said into the headset, “Thank you! The next track has a little more pop flavor to it, Drifting.” With more cheering backing me as people danced, I had fun with this one. It just had a beat you couldn't help but dance to and just have a blast. There weren't any huge transitions, it was a pretty straightforward song I wrote to infuse fun into my listeners and dare them not to sing along and move their hips.
    Though it did have... I hit the power note in the end. I singled out Teresa in her party goddess form and pointed at her, carrying the note past the instrumental a full measure before kicking up an octave to finish it off for fun.
    People went crazy over it. I loved all the smiling faces as I looked around, realizing I had put those smiles there, the song did what it was intended to. But one smile in particular held me. I exchanged my headset with Ronnie for my mobile. He yelled in my ear over the crowd. “Friday after next, full set?” I blinked at the man. A full set? Really? I nodded stupidly as he smiled and stepped away, addressing the crowd over his mic, “Tabby Cat!”
    I hopped down among my friends, retrieved my bag, and couldn't hear who he was announcing next as Paya's squeal threatened to burst my eardrums. She snagged me... “Gack!” Into a tight side to side hug and released me. Harry was slapping my shoulder in congratulation, and I turned just to be captured by blazing emerald eyes. There was a smile somewhere beneath them, but I wasn't sure as my entire body was buzzing suddenly when Teresa matched Paya's hug.
    Goosebumps rose on my flesh and traveled down my neck as her hot breath hit my skin when she said loudly into my ear, “That was brill Tabs. You need to hold pressure in your upper diaphragm to gain more fortissimo on that last note to avoid a glottal stop, which can damage your vocal cords.” I chuckled as she released me, even now she wanted to instruct me, to improve my voice. Then she made the most adorable squishy faced, half-sarcastic smile and asked, “Tabby Cat?” Over the sound of a local garage band, Acid Reflux, doing a