Heroes of Disney #1: Rise of the Firebird

Ch. 10: Son of Man

When we reached the restaurant, I was surprised by the huge crowd outside, considering what time it was. We migrated around the crowd until we reached a back entrance. Tiana unlocked it and we walked inside.

It looked like a warehouse of sorts. Boxes were littered about everywhere, and dust shaded everything.

I watched a spider spin a web nearby. "Um, Tiana? I don't mean to be rude but your returaunt is a little more....run-down than I expected."

Tiana laughed. "This is backstage, silly. All those boxes are full of props and costumes." She pulled out an old karaoke machine. "What you're going to do tonight is sing some karaoke. I have just about every Disney song in karaoke version on this machine. The only problem is you have to choose one you know the lyrics to, because you're not going to be able to use lyrics or cheats. Understand?" Tiana said.

I nodded.

"Good. Now, you have about ten minutes before the performance starts, so this will give you time to look through and pick one. Don't worry about turning it on. All you have to d is give me the signal to start and I'll turn the music on." She explained.

"Alright." I said wearily.

She smiled at me. "Great. I guess I'll see you on stage in about ten minutes."

She walked back out the door we came in, and left me alone in the dusty room.

I walked over to the karaoke machine and turned it on. It made a whirring sound as it started up.

A list appeared of practically every single Disney song known to man. I scrolled through it, looking for one that I knew how to sing. I mean, I CAN sing. I'm very good at it. I just don't like performing in front of people. There was a time, years ago, I loved being the center of attention, and singing songs to my friends and family. I even performed on stage once or twice. But then something horrific happened, and, well, I don't like talking about it. Eventually I found one, one of my favorites too. Not to soon too, because I could hear Tiana's voice behind the curtain, talking to the crowd.

"Welcome folks to tonight's performance. I've got a very special performer tonight! He's an Earthling!"

A loud mumble rippled through the audience.

Once everyone died down, Tiana began to speak again. "Alright everyone, get ready to clap your hands loudly for Jamie Herinson!" Tiana told the awaiting crowd.

There was huge applauding and cheering as I took my cue and walked out from behind the curtain, holding the karaoke microphone. A large blinding light attacked my eyes. When my eyes adjusted, a huge crowd faced me, mostly New Orleans folk, but there were a few Disney Characters strewed throughout the crowd. I saw Eudora, Tiana's mother in the crowd. At first I was a little frightened. Many, many pairs of eyes, staring at me. But I gulped down my fears, and turned toward Tiana, nodding my approval to go ahead and start the music. She nodded back and hurried backstage.

Three seconds later, the familiar music started playing. I brought the mike to my lips, and started singing.

"Oh, the power to be strong
And the wisdom to be wise
All these things will
Come to you in time
On this journey that you're making
There'll be answers that you'll seek
And it's you who'll climb the mountain
It's you who'll reach the peak
Son of Man, look to the sky
Lift your spirit, set it free
Some day you'll walk tall with pride
Son of Man, a man in time you'll be."

At about this time, the audience started clapping, and I was getting more excited. I moved around a bit, dancing slightly to the music.