I hope you haven't been waiting for too long. I mean, I know how many days have passed since you asked me for a story. I just hope you didn't expect I would write it very fast. I've been trying my best to find a scenario that would suit your request.
I had a good idea, which may not become a good story, last Thursday/Friday while watching a horror movie. It was a... one of a kind experience. I had never felt such despair on listening a soundtrack. I liked the movie, perhaps it is not as good as I thought, and I am sure it won't feel to anybody else like it felt to me. But the whole mix of soundtrack, dimly lit scenarios, situations and my current mood, well, that was devastating.
Anyway.
You've been this close before. Hop aboard.
I know it gets pretty dark down there. Don't worry about the melancholic environment.
(It gets worse if you see it as I see it).
Well, there's the house.
(Do you see anything other than the house?)
That's where we start.
(Have you ever felt like... bleeding without blood?)
Here we go!
–Do you ever become tired?
–Never, boy.
–Hm...
The boy was playing an old videogame, old for today's standards. It was a Nintendo 64, the good and old Ogre Battle. He mostly played it alone, since besides being a single player game, most of those around him didn't see it as a great game. They might enjoy it a little, but not like he did. Not to endure dozens of hours at once.
It was a lonely night, everybody else had gone to sleep at his grandparent's house. But he always stood there, playing through the night, some might ask if he wasn't going to sleep, to which he always answered "soon".
So, there he continued.
–Have you ever played videogames?
–Never...
–Well, at least you are a good company.
–Thanks.
–I find it hard to sleep sometimes. And I really like to play. To the point of not feeling sleepy when I watch other people playing. But they always sleep sooner or later...
–I see...
The boy started another mission. The room was blinking with a pale light, having only the tv as a mean of lighting. That would be the last mission of the night, it was around 3 a.m. already. Slowly he started to feel as if his eyes started to get heavier. Yet, it was far from "sleepy-heavy'. But it was a sign that lying in bed soon would make him sleep in less than hour.
–You are not sleepy, boy?
–Oh, not yet.
–I see.
The window shook occasionally, resisting the wind that randomly blowed. There was barely no sound in the room, other than the very low game volume and the snores from his relatives, calmly lying in their bedrooms. A normal night.
4 a.m., the clock on the kitchen made its four harsh strokes. It was an old clock that hanged on the wall. It brought some sort of fear into his heart on every stroke. He couldn't help but remember of horror movies. Why would someone keep such a clock in the house? Noisily announcing that you are running lower on time. Lower and lower.
–That was one hard battle. I had better go to sleep.
–Okay.
The boy got up and turned on the living room light. He then proceeded to the bathroom. He felt somewhat afraid of walking around at night, because of all those bad things he saw at the movies. After the bathroom, it was time to go to his aunt's bedroom. It was time to let the house silently fade into the night.
He turned off the living room light and rushed to the bedroom.
And darkness followed.
He liked to go out with his friends. Recently he had met a new bunch of them. Older, he didn't have as much time to play videogames. He merely played when there was no one to hang out (which was quite rare at the time) or when everybody got together in order to play some multiplayer game. The good part is that this time he had people to play for hours nonstop, even though not a dozen hours.
He was a teenager, and if when he was a child he felt he had all the time of the world, now he was sure.
Good times.
But there was something weird. Frequently he felt bad when it was time to come back home. Mostly at night. As if, the night shouldn't stop right there. It was hard to explain because he enjoyed so much going out and having fun with his friends.
The new group of friends he was mostly entertained with would call themselves a "circle". Although there was nothing exactly different in what they did daily, it was a nice way of naming of it.
He learned a good many things with these people, mostly, he learned to lose a bit of his shyness. He learned to impose himself more, and to decide things when everyone was afraid of taking the lead. It was almost as if he leaded something, taking the group ahead. And that made him proud. Even though the group was composed of people a few months to a few years older than him, they would follow him.
Hard to explain all that passed in his head when he thought about all the "circle" thing. It just felt awesome.
And then it felt horrible.
When people didn't get together.
But it was okay, it was normal to feel like that. He tried to think that until he believed it. It could be frustration, because he raised his expectations, and sometimes they couldn't live up to them.
Just normal feelings everybody has...
–Can I sleep in your house?
–Oh, sure. But why?
–I don't know, I find it easier to sleep out of home. Not sure why.
–Ah... okay!
–At the terrace, where we can see the sky. I like it there.
–Sure, when do you want to come?
–It could be Wednesday.
–So Wednesday it is, then! We can go up there, and I'll leave you there to sleep. I can also stay there if want to.
–Would be nice.
–And... there are only those wooden chairs you know. Not very... sleep-friendly, you know?
–It's okay, I can sleep at concrete benches in the park. It's not a problem.
–Fine.
He looked at the bottle.
Was he really going to take that ahead? The bottle of tequila seemed to challenge him. His thoughts partly did the same, and partly tried to bring him back into his senses.
–Hard to sleep for two weeks in a row, huh?
–Yeah...
–Are you sure of this?
–Pretty much. Either I sleep or I die right?
He was home alone. Earlier on, he had bought that bottle at a nearby store. He left it in the car, while going around on his activities.
That day, some minutes after the purchase, he met the girl he had feelings for. It was hard to admit but, he couldn't ran away from the fact. They didn't get along well together, he knew that. Yet it was hard to say no to her. So they still met. They could chat all day, and it was fun. They would share stories and candies. But there wouldn't be anything beyond that. He had asked her to be his girlfriend, but she said no.
It just wasn't made to be, but it was hard to let go.
After leaving her home, he went to his new acquaintance's home. She was a friend from a friend. A very nice person, indeed. The group was growing, even though it wasn't the "circle", it was good to be there. And, it was "circle-related".
Everybody would gather at her house to eat some fondue and watch funny videos. The fondue was very good.
The night was fun, but somehow it wore out quickly. However, he still stood there for a little longer. Even though he inside didn't feel very bright, it was good to see all those people together having a good time. Good to see them happy.
But it was time to sleep. It was some hours deep into the night, and this was a decisive moment.
–Better start soon.
–I know.
He filled a common glass with the drink and prepared lemon and salt. Had he known there were shot glasses in the house, perhaps they would be a better idea.
First one in.
It was horrible. Tequila was easier to stand when drinking smaller amounts, not a common beverage glass full to its borders. Yet, that was still in line with the plan. No matter how much salt he used, or the fact he had only cut half a lemon, it wasn't enough to take the bad taste away.
–Stick to the plan.
–Sure.
Second glass ready. The first one had still no effect on him, perhaps because of the measly ten-minute interval.
Second glass in.
Perhaps worse than the first. He used as much lemon and salt as he could, to no avail.
He looked around. The house was silent. He sat at the kitchen, feeling somewhat ridiculous, drinking that crap on his own. Well, it was time to prepare to sleep. So he went to the computer and said goodbye to those he was chatting a few moments before. And he sent a message "from his heart" to the girl he liked.
Drunk, yet unknowingly of the fact. The message was a mess and later on he would feel pretty ashamed of it. But that didn't matter. Everything was as planned.
–Third glass and we're done.
–Sure.
Final glass in. The taste was now a part of his throat. His mouth seemed to decay. He left the other ingredients untouched in the table, they didn't matter anyway. After a glass of water, he was ready to sleep. He just sat at bed, and slowly crumbled toward the pillow.
And smoothly, he was asleep. With the lights left on. And wearing the same clothes since afternoon.
The hours moved on, until 4 a.m..
A jet of his inner fluids flew through the room. Reddish, because of the chocolate fondue.
There would be only flashes of what followed next.
But what matters is that it was the plan. It worked. For the next month and a half, he would feel sleepy around 10 p.m., and that was incredible.
Nenhum comentário:
Postar um comentário