It's dark. I look around and there is
nothing. I can't see my hands or limbs. Just pure darkness and a seemingly
unending black space. I hear voices, mumbling, slowly gliding through my ears,
softly and gently whispering to me. I can't understand them even if I tried,
the noises just linger on. My body feels weightless, just floating around in
this void. It's cold and I feel all alone. Hoping for someone to save me.
I feel a bit of heat, then I saw two lights flying over the distance, like two ballerinas dancing, swiveling, and circling around each other in a graceful manner. I reach out, hoping to grasp them. I want to feel their light, their warmth. I force myself to move and my body slowly starts gliding towards them. Then I heard someone calling out to me, loudly screaming my name.
“Riza!” The voice screamed.
“Riza!” It repeated.
“Riza, wake up!” It said.
“Riza, there's a package for you downstairs!” I heard from my sleep.
I wake up with the sunlight touching my face, warming me up as if comforting me. I open my eyes and see my light blue-colored room and the mess that surrounds my bed. The floor on my room has various clothes, music magazines, and papers filled with unused ideas for my songs. My desk is piled with books and notebooks with various pens lying all around its edges. I look outside the window and see the clear sky, the clouds slowly drifting by, moving, doing so without a care for what's happening below.
I stood up, dragging my drowsy body towards the door as my feet cut through the clutter that’s beneath me. With my eyes half open, I grasp the knob and continue to walk forward. I hit my head on the door and realize that I hadn't opened it yet. My body feels heavy, I want to stay in bed longer and just waste the day away, but my mom would nag on me further and I wouldn't want to start arguing with her again like last night.
I pat myself on the face a couple of times to wake myself up and slowly went down the stairs while holding on to the wooden guides at the sides. As I reach the bottom of the stairs, I see a large rectangular box along with a smaller square box at the side.
“It seems like your friend last night kept her word,” my mom said with a smug on her face.
“Now, if only she hadn't taken your father's guitar, it would have been much better,” she added with an irritated tone.
“Mom, I already told you that I was sorry, alright? I didn't mean for it to break, a lot just happened, and I lost sight of it,” I pleadingly replied.
“I already know. I'm not angry anymore, it's just that your father really wanted you to use it and help you on your journey,” my mother said.
She sits on the chair by the dining table, her back hunched as she covers her eyes. I can see on the side of her face that her skin was turning red as she tears up. I feel her frustration and started tearing up as well. I never wanted for the guitar to break and I never knew that it mattered so much to my mom.
Last night, when Atalia told me that she was replacing the guitar, I was deeply glad. Not that I hated the previous guitar, but it had a lot of scratches and paint chips on it. The only thing that was clean and unmarked was the embellishment on its body. It was this weird sunlike design that had its eight rays that had sharp tips that stretch out like a compass. It was gold and unique, unlike anything I had ever seen before. But it was the only thing unique about it, nothing more, it was just a plain old guitar.
There was silence in the air. A couple of minutes had already passed, and no one was talking or making a sound, the only thing I can hear are the ambient sounds found outside on the street. I approach her and hug her tight. She hugs me back tightly and feel her warmth. It was the first time in a long while that we showed affection towards each other.
When I reached the age of thirteen, my mother was stricter on me. She told me that I had to look prim and proper, to do my utmost best in school as most of her income is saved for my future. She works as a nurse for the Ironhart City Sevenite Hospital. There, she was recently promoted for her outstanding service of five years and now works a shorter eighthour shift compared to her past 13-hour ones. With her promotion, we were granted a change in living location by the Local Assessment Bureau as our total LPOM boosted our household rank from 22.3 points to 30 points. This was only our second Household Promotion. The first promotion reward we had was used for my schooling, so I can go to a prestigious Sevenite school, the Sky Garden Sevenite Academy, one of the best academies in the city.
“I’m sorry you shouldn't see your mother like this,” she said, pulling back her tears as I
kept on hugging her.
“You should get ready to go to school now. Eat your breakfast and take a bath, you can open your package before leaving the house,” she added as she removes my arms from her.
“I’m going to go grocery shopping for a while, so lock up when you leave, alright?” she said with a smile.
She grabs her handbag from the kitchen counter and rushes off to the market. I sit on the chair and start eating breakfast. It was scrambled eggs along with some small bread rolls that's packaged inside a thin paper bag. I grab some and break it in the middle then spread some cheese inside before biting on it. It reminded me of the first time my mom taught me how to eat these.
I look over the door and see the box that was delivered earlier. I grab a box cutter from the kitchen drawer and start opening the large rectangular box to break the silence. Inside is a white guitar case with a piece of paper on top. I open it and it reads,
“Dear Little Miss,
I apologize for what had transpired last night. I put your life in danger and had you right in the middle of a battle, almost causing you harm. But seeing you helped me remember why I do my job, my true purpose in life. Having to talk to you, understanding your life as a Sevenite, it reminded me of what I had been through when I was a young lady like yourself. Starting today, I hope to make amends, to set things right. I deeply thank the heavens for meeting you as you enlightened me, helped me to clearly see the path I had lost a long time ago. May this new guitar help you create more songs, inspire you and help you blossom further.
I wish for your safety and well-being. Hopefully, when we can see each other again but in more peaceful circumstances. Let's catch up and talk more about ourselves when that time comes.
P.S. Please keep everything that had happened last night between us. It's for everyone's safety, take care always.
Sincerely,
Atalia Reign
Commander of the Ironhart City Ward Smiths”
I pull out the white case and see a black and gold guitar inside. The neck of the guitar was designed with a golden painted dragon that runs along the sides. Its body has a golden scratch plate, but it may just be metal coated with gold paint. The strings are brand new with a fresh metal smell unlike the semi-rusted ones I used before. It's beautiful, full of embellishment and it feels sturdy, like it's made from the finest materials. It feels heavier and more durable than the one I had but it feels a bit different, it feels that it's missing something.
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