The electric guitars cut through the hush of the room. Every single set of eyes is focused on the twins on stage, brandishing their instruments and voices with unrivaled intensity.

In fields where nothing grew but weeds,
I found a flower at my feet,
bending there in my direction. I wrapped a hand around its stem
and pulled until the roots gave in,
finding there what I've been missing.
And I know....

Their voices harmonize so perfectly, it sends chills down the spines of certain patrons. Conversations halt mid-sentence. Even the bartender pauses in his work.

So I tell myself, I tell myself, it's wrong.
There's a point we pass from which we can't return.
I felt the cold rain of the coming storm...

In the stage light, the eyes of the twins almost seem to glow.

All because of you,
I haven't slept in so long.
When I do I dream
of drowning in the ocean;
longing for the shore
where I can lay my head down.
I'll follow your voice;
all you have to do is
shout it out!

There's a young man sitting right in front of the stage. He watches the performers in a way that no one else does. He never blinks, just stares, curling and uncurling his fingers like they aren't used to being empty.

Inside my hands these petals browned;
dried up falling to the ground,
but it was already too late now.
I pushed my fingers through the earth,
returned this flower to the dirt;
so it could live, I walked away now.
But I know...

The twin with the short hair shuts his eyes as he sings, his hands seeming to move on their own, disconnected from the rest of his body. The emotion in his voice betrays him. He knows this song too well. The words are nothing, but their meaning is everything.

Not a day goes by when I don't feel this burn.
There's a point we pass from which we can't return.
I felt the cold rain of the coming storm...

He opens his eyes again and stares into the crowd, singling out the young man in front.

All because of you,
I haven't slept in so long.
When I do I dream
of drowning in the ocean;
longing for the shore
where I can lay my head down.
I'll follow your voice;
all you have to do is
shout it out!

The way they lock eyes, the two must know each other. The way the short-haired twin's voice gets thicker, it must be intimately.

All because of you.
All because of you.

All because of you,
I haven't slept in so long.
When I do I dream
of drowning in the ocean;
longing for the shore
where I can lay my head down.
Inside these arms of yours.

The twin with the mohawk shifts slightly in his seat, turning his head just a little, enough to steal a glance at his brother, and follow his eyes. When they, too, find the young man in the audience, his eyes develop a glassy sheen, and his voice changes, just a little.

As the guitars wail, preparing for their last lament, the twins shut their eyes simultaneously, and the young man in front pulls in a breath like it'll be his last.

No one else in the bar seems to breathe. Everyone is frozen in the moment.

Their voices, full of emotion, pain, and longing most patrons will never fully know, fill the entire building.

The young man in front trembles.

The last rendition of the chorus reaches inside everyone who hears it.

All because of you
I believe in angels.
Not the kind with wings,
no, not the kind with halos;
the kind that bring you home
when home becomes a strange place.
I'll follow your voice;
all you have to do is
shout it out!

*****

The twin with the mohawk thanks the Open Mike Night MC again and shakes his hand, pocketing the prize money. The man, still nearly speechless, tries again to convince the boys to stay. They're looking for an act to perform on weekends, he says. It would pay pretty well.

As tempting as a steady cash flow is, the boys decline, claiming to only be in town for a little while. Just passing through, they say. But they thank the man again, and nod a good night to the bar patrons, many of whom are still watching them dumbly.

The twins leave with the tall young man from the front row, clustering together as they exit through the front door, disappearing without a trace into the night.

*****
The End