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She sang to an audience of a thousand faces. In the dim light she could see the eyes looking out at her. She adjusted the lace on the collar, and noticed that the light refracting out from her sapphire ring sparkled across the crowd.

She saw that there were musicians off on the side, standing as if waiting for her to perform a song they were prepared to play. In a voice made of shadows and of dreams she started to hum the rhythm in her soul. She let the refractions of the ring play across the faces of the musicians, capturing their eyes one by one – capturing their eyes until their spirits became one with the sapphire. They were now in her, and she in them.

One by one they started to follow in harmony, giving melody to her voice. There was a synchronization. The song now came from the sapphire itself, her voice and the music intertwining in exquisite perfection. Then she let the refracted light touch into the eyes of members of the audience, taking their hopes and fears, their wants and needs, the songs that made their souls, into her. All came together in the blue stone, and out of it there came the lyrics, the words that would speak the dreams of everybody hearing.

She sang the songs. The musicians played. The audience grew rapt, in a trance of wonder. And as she sang the songs of every soul, the longing to be heard and sung grew. The spirits of the crowd rose into the song. The musicians played in a space where the music was playing them. She sang without thinking. And the sweat poured down her long maroon dress.

No one knew how much time had passed. Even the house people had forgotten themselves. When the song finally came to an end, no one could remember what was sung or how. All were stupefied.

She did not finish the concert by walking off stage to the back. The sapphire showed her the face of a woman in the audience, a woman whose dream and vision were blue with the sorrow of the world and blue with the vastness of the sky. She wore a dark blue blouse, and had a pendant on her neck with a single pearl on it. The singer walked out down the aisle and came up to the woman. She opened her arms, and the woman came forth and reached out. They held each other in a hug for a long time.

The ring was sliding off her finger. While holding the woman in a hug, she slid the ring off. She opened up her arms and took the woman’s hands. She slid the ring onto her finger.

She looked out of her eyes, and saw a beautiful woman with a maroon dress, a dress covered with sweat. She knew this woman was her sister. The woman seemed very tired, so she helped her to sit down in the empty seat. She felt her face with her hands, and knew that her cosmetics were dripping down her face. She decided to go to the ladies room and wash her face.

PART FOUR COMING SOON...