The stage was quiet, almost sacred, as a single spotlight revealed a young woman seated with her guitar. Her long, golden hair fell softly around her face, and her hands trembled slightly as they rested on the strings.
The audience didn’t know her name yet. The judges didn’t know her story. But the moment she closed her eyes, there was a stillness — the kind that comes when everyone senses something extraordinary is about to happen.
“Whenever you’re ready,” Heidi said gently, leaning forward with an encouraging smile.
The girl took a deep breath, touched the microphone, and whispered, “I… I’d like to sing Hallelujah.”
The first chord echoed softly across the theater, warm and fragile. Then came the voice.
“I heard there was a secret chord…”