First Beat on the Wood

The quiet held me tight until a sudden warmth pulsed right through my shoes. I tapped my right heel down onto the circular wooden groove beneath me—clack! A real, resonant hollow sound rang out. Testing my grip, I gave the microphone in my gloved fist a solid twist and gently knocked the top of the wooden cubby with my raised knuckles. The timber echoed back like a private stage waiting for the show to start.