As I watched the faces caught on camera, raw emotions pouring from wide, fearful eyes, it seemed a disaster of epic proportion was eminent. Loud chanting punctuated by insistent drumming and clashing sounds assaulted my ears. The camera panned away from the screaming crowd and focused on the object of this display of passion.
Two small armies of young men faced briefly before they slammed into each other, all intent on doing great bodily harm. Or so it seemed. Each man’s eyes mirrored the eyes in the crowd as they stared out through bar-like structures which covered young, tender faces. At one point in the confrontation it appeared that a golden head went flying into the air as a brown object spun the opposite way. A blur of tightly-clad blue and yellow men flung themselves to the ground.
Suddenly, the mood changed as one of the men tucked his head and arms inward and began to run madly away from everyone else. The voices increased in pitch as some of the other gladiators threw themselves with abandon at the runner. With supreme effort, the runner escaped his pursuers and fairly flew to the refuge he sought, an area seemingly off limits to those who chased him.
The sound became deafening and the drumming was joined by a legion of instruments playing a triumphant melody which reverberated around the arena. A great celebration by the brightly-dressed army ensued as all the young men retreated from the field, hugging one another and leaping into the air. As a final act of joy, a large container of liquid was poured over the leader and many once-fearful eyes danced with victory.
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