The Master Of Bluffing's Merciful Eternal Dream

The Calm Before The Storm

                    "May we now invite Miss Violet Strings up to the stage to perform the piano, violin, guitar and the harp. Round of applause please!" The host stretched out his arm, gesturing the audience to clap. Well obviously we all have to clap to show manners, besides, that girl has amazing talent. It would be impolite for us normal people to be mean to her." That's what I thought, but damn! That girl is definitely something, if I had a quarter of her talent, I would be getting awards everywhere I go. But I don't, which is why I am in the audience.
                     "Hey dude, she can play the guitar!" Tom rubbed his arm against my shoulder, "Yeah I know that, the host just said that." Despite Tom being sixteen years old, he can still manage to look and act like an excited ten year old unintentionally. Which is why nobody talks to him, but I am a loner, so I hangout with him. He is a pretty friendly guy if you don't mind his habit of overreacting to little things. "I wish I can be like her!" Tom rubbed my shoulder again. "Tom, there is a difference between the talented and the talentless. You and me are the talentless while Violet Strings is the talented. We will never be like her." I said to him, it's harsh but it's true. Why bother if you were never meant to have any talents?
                       " But doesn't mean we can't try to be like her right?" "Yeah whatever." I gave up arguing with him, it's really tiring to think of rebuttals when he doesn't get half of what you are saying. Just as I answered his questions, the curtains on the stage opened up. Up on the stage was a girl around me and Tom's age, she bowed to the audience as she walked to the piano. We all closed our mouths as she started playing, music began to fill the hall. Every song Violet played was amazing, as expected from her. She played all four instruments one after another with ease, receiving a large amount of praise every time a song is finished. The performance was thirty minutes but it felt like five, I must have enjoyed it, after all, only the things that make you happy go away quickly.

                        After the performance, me and Tom left the hall. Tom said, "Calvin, are you going to leave now?" I answered, "Nah, I am gonna get a drink, you can leave without me." Tom nodded and turned away towards the school gate, I headed to the opposite direction for the vending machines. The students and their parents that came to the performance already left, only a few people are left to do the clean up, I feel sad for them, not only because they have to clean the hall up, but also because they aren't allowed in until the performance ended, which means they can't even enjoy the performance.
                           I continued towards the machine, imagining what would I feel if I was Violet Strings. I really can't think about it, it's impossible. I pressed the button for coke and inserted the coins into the vending machine, the can came rolling into the space for you to put your hand in. I grabbed it and walked to the school yard, there is this place that I usually relax in. It's right across the vending machines, just a bench next to a bridge. But it's really comfortable no matter what season it was, I sat down on the bench and yawned. I had to wake up early in the morning to come to the performance, but it was worth it. I opened the can and started drinking, I leaned to the backrest. Looking around, nothing catches my eye. But the blazing sun makes everything look it is made of pure light, it hurts my eyes. I took another sip of coke , and then something caught my attention. It was someone walking closer and closer to where I am, I looked closer, it was a girl with a beautiful dress that looks like it belongs in a painting. Suddenly I realised, it's Violet Strings!
                              Violet walked towards me until she was three feet away from me, taking a closer look. She is definitely a pretty girl, with a nicely combed hairstyle that fits her black coloured hair. "Um, is it ok if I sit there?" She pointed to the empty seat on the bench, "Uh, of course! Don't mind me." Violet thanked me and sat down, to think such a talented person is sitting next to me scares me. Is she gonna do something like killing me? Nope, she just sat there like a frozen statue. Ok this is getting really awkward, should I say something? I don't know what to do! I should just ignore her and look at my phone, I felt my pockets. Shit! I left it at home! The best option now is.... look at the tree! "What is wrong with me?' I murmured. I stared at the the tree hoping she would leave but she didn't move at all.
                               I continued looking at the tree, weirdly, I can't look away. It was like it was forcing me to give it attention, this doesn't feel right. I stood up and walked closer to the tree, it looks any normal tree you can find in a park. But something feels off. And then I saw it. A spark came out of the tree, "What the fuck?" I said. I heard footsteps from behind and I turned around, it was Violet. "Can you not swear?" She said with a straight face, I ignored it and said, "Look at the tree!" Violet turned her head towards the tree and gasped, I looked at the tree again. More and more sparks are coming out from the tree but the tree is unharmed, all of a sudden the sparks stopped coming out. I stepped in front of the tree, I looked closely, there are no marks or hole that the sparks can come out of. And then a rectangle with words appeared on the tree like it was carved in, the words are, "All preparations complete, opening tunnel to character creation." I said in awe, "Tunnel? Character creation? What does this mean?" Violet looked at me in fear, "What is going on?" I don't know what to answer.
                                  Suddenly, a hole began to open up on the tree. The hole stopped until it was able to fit a person, it was slightly taller than me. Me and Violet looked at each other, "Do we go in?" She asked, "Let's not." I answered. Me and Violet slowly stepped backwards, afraid that the hole would do something. And we were right, the tree branches came flying and grabbed us like an octopus using its tentacles. "Help! Someone help!" Violet began yelling, but no one came. The branches pulled us closer to the hole, I tried kicking the branch that is holding Violet. She deserves to live, she is special, she is talented. The branch that grabbed her didn't even care, it just pulled us into the tree. I looked down, nothing is down there. Just a regular old tree, and then a hole opened up in mid air right next to us in side the tree. I guess its a portal, because the branches slowly puts into it. I looked into the portal, it looks like a long tunnel. So that's what it meant! I sighed and looked at Violet, "Listen, I am sorry I dragged you into this, I don't know what is going on. If we die, then this is it." I yelled at her but I realised, she is unconscious. I suppose it was the shock from seeing a hole opening up in a hole in a tree.
                                       Another rectangle appeared behind us, it said, "Have a nice trip!" I shouted at the sign, "You can't be fucking serious!" And the words in the rectangle changed, "Aggressive behaviour detected, speeding up tunnel." I sighed, I should shut up. Just as I sighed, the tree branches pulled us back out. Do sighs affect them? I tried sighing a few more times, the branches pulled backwards a little more and I realised, it was trying to throw us in the portal. And it did, the tree branches swung forward quickly and  let go, sending us flying into the unknown.