I closed my eyes, expecting to die right there and then. Already believing I had failed before I had even begun. But I didn’t die. The boulder of gray didn’t smash me under its massive size. Something did happen though. Music. There was music.
I could hear Whatsername’s bloodcurdling screams once more. I peeked at the grey cloud thru a half shut eye. She/It was retreating and shrinking. Now I opened both of my eyes, wide. Where was the music coming from? I certainly wasn’t playing.
Pushing myself back up on my feet, I turned to glance behind me. There they were. My people from the Land of MakeBelieve. They had come to save my ass. All I could do was stand and gawk at them like I was brain dead.
Gregen rushed over to me. “Milord, we can not do it without you. You must play with us.” He bent over a lifted the guitar off the re-greened grass and shoved it into my chest, which still throbbed. I readjusted the strap, listened to everyone play, then jump in myself.
Whatsername’s cries of pain grew louder and louder still. I focused on the strings to keep Mary Jane’s voice out of my head. G, A, up, down. My fingers were used to the placement by now. I could have played in my sleep.
I could feel the guitar pulling me into another world. Not like the Land of MakeBelieve, but something much more beautiful. I couldn’t feel my fingers because they weren’t my fingers anymore. They were a completely different being from me. Every part of me felt like this. My head was swimming some ten feet away from my body which was flying away from my legs and arms.
Then song was over and my world came back into view. The sky was a rich blue with hints of pinks and purples. The grass was green once more. There was no sign of gray anywhere.
That’s when I let myself fall to my knees. Fighting off a giant cloud beast with only a guitar takes a real toll on your body. Everything hurt and then it all went black.
I didn’t know what day it was. Or how long I’d been sleeping for. I couldn’t remember a whole lot past coming home from the Land of MakeBelieve. But my head hurt, so something must have happened. Something big that I should remember. As I moved to sit up in bed, I heard the front door creak open downstairs.
I crawled out of my dank room and headed down to see who was here. As I passed into the main room, I spied a clock. It was a really nice clock. It told the time and day and month. I stopped to see if it was early or late. It read ten in the morning. Good, I’m safe. Then my eyes slide down the glossy face to check the day.
September 1st.
I blinked.
I looked over the clock again.
Still September 1st.
This couldn’t be right! September?! Last I checked it was still July. I whirled around to face mom and Brad, suntanned and carrying more bags than when they left. “Mom!” I shouted. “The clock…it’s.. I think it’s broken! It can’t be September!”
Mom just stared at me like I was a lunatic. Maybe I am. “Hunny,” she said softly. “The batteries have been dead since we got the thing. It takes special batteries we could never find.” I blinked (again).
“Hee….ha…” I couldn’t help but laugh at my own stupidity. September? What was I thinking?
At breakfast, Brad told me about all the fun they’d had on their vacation. I didn’t really hear a word he said though. In one ear, out the other. I pulled on the first pair of clean looking jeans and a tee that was lying on my computer chair. Something in my gut said I needed to go outside. Once my hair was fixed up, I headed out into the colorful world outside my door.
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