A Voice in the Noise

         Its dark I can't see a thing. I take a hesitant step forward, then another. More steps then I hear the thunk of a door opening. I walk through the now open doorway, grabbing the frame as I go past to keep myself steady. Two more steps then I'm turned to my left and three or four steps and turned back to my right. I stop and wait for something to happen. Off to my right I hear someone say, "Jump up and down!"

         I don't know if I should do what they say or just stay still. Then to my left I hear someone yell, "Spin around!" and like that had triggered a switch there came shouts from all sides of me. I stand there being bombarded with words and commands. I don't know what to do. I can't even make out what anything is any more, the words that are coming at me now just sound like a bunch of noise that is bouncing around in my head.

         Then there is silence, and I am brought back out the door that I came in through. A few moments go by and I'm brought back to the same spot. The shouting starts again and I want to cover my ears. But then I hear a voice on my right. "Lydia, this is Rachel. You need to hug Val. Just walk strait and hug her." But a second voice on my left speaks, "Lydia no! You don't want to go hug Val she is not nice. You don't want to hug her."

         "Lydia come on just walk forward Val is waiting for you. You can do it just start walking forward."

         "Come on you don't want to hug her come this way, turn this way."

         I couldn't move, I still heard the voices shouting all around me. But the two that were right beside me I could hear so clearly. I trusted both of them but I didn't know which one I wanted, needed to listen to. I just stood there listening not knowing what to do. The two voices that were on either side of me kept going, trying to convince me that they were the one that I needed to listen to. Slowly the noise in the background dies and the voices beside me become quiet as well.

         I am again brought out the same door. The quiet of the outside is so pleasant to my ears. But it doesn't last long. I am soon brought to the same spot on the other side of the door. The shouting starts again, and the two voices on either side of me are there again. Saying the same things, but there is one thing that is different, the person that belongs to the voice on my right holds my hand comforting me. The voice on my left gets louder but they do not touch me. They try to drown out the other's voice. But I am listening to the soothing words that are coming to me from my right, and I feel the reassuring grip on my hand.

         "Come on Lydia, just walk forward. You can do it, Val is waiting for you."

         I take a step forward, and more steps I'm being guided, but not pulled, by the person that is on my right holding my hand.

         The voice on my left gets louder and more insistent the more steps I take.

         "Lydia you don't want to do this! You don't want to hug Val. Come on all you have to do is turn around and walk the other way."

         I hesitated, the voice sounds so sure. But the voice on my right speaks up, "Come on Lydia you are almost there. Val is waiting with open arms. Just a little farther and you will be there."

         More steps forward, I am getting closer to my goal. Up two steps, still being guided by the gentle hands.

         "Lydia! You have to turn back now!"

         "You made it, Lydia! She is right in front of you. Go and hug her!"

         I fumble forward a little. But then I find what I had come for. I felt arms rap around me and I copied the gesture. Tugging the blind fold off my face I see people all around me smiling. I had made it.