If all goes well, this will be continued. It was a brief idea that popped in my head, but I'm unsure if it's worth keeping in my files. xD Grammar will be off, I know, so don't waste your time in that area (unless you really want to). Just the overall idea: Am I in good shape here? And if not, why (obviously)? xD
The Magic Flute
It is not just black and white notes.
It is not just a sound ranging from beauty to trash.
It is a whole different language.
Billy’s sister said that so many times, he had the line memorized with her voice too: her screechy, high-pitched, annoying voice he could not stand to listen to. Once she came home from school, he was out for a burger. He had no need for an entire lesson on breath support or expression. At this rate, he could pick up a bassoon and join the orchestra.
Like that would ever happen.
He sat in the bleachers of the high school gym, racing neck-and-neck with Princess Peach and attempting to shove her pretty pink kart off the side. Despite Wario’s size, his kart could not roll over Peach’s vehicle. The entirety of both his arms tensed, and his teeth ground together until they were out of alignment and a retainer would be working heavy-duty that night. Eventually, he kicked the woman in front of him who, as casually as she could, looked back at him. He jerked his head in a “What’s up?” fashion, and his mom jabbed him in the side.
“Sit still,” she hissed. “Your sister’s about to play. You should listen.”
Billy snorted and returned to his game. Peach bumped his kart off the side, knocking him from second to last place. “Oh, no you don’t, Princess,” he whispered. He started his kart, nabbed the power-up on the road, and burst down the road.
“While the symphonic band warms up,” said the girl on the gym floor, “we’ll have a couple soloists perform. Four people are playing, and they all received a top score at the competition last weekend. First up is Katie Fischer!”
The audience applauded as Billy’s sister walked onto the floor. Billy watched her set up. She handed the piano accompanist the music, and then set her own on the stand. Raising it to her height and blowing into her flute to warm it up, she took her time in preparation for a fantastic performance…again. Uninterested, Billy returned to his Nintendo DS.
The piano started, a trickle of notes flowing into one ear, through his head, and out the other. He heard this song way too many times to even give an ounce of care.
When Katie hit the top note she countless times messed up in some way, Billy looked up. Even while she played, Billy could see the pride etched in her face. That note still hung in the air, ringing eternally into the night. It would never be forgotten; he could already hear the compliments she would get afterward.
With that sickening thought, Billy returned to his game. He growled quietly when he found him sitting in the lake this time, off the road and in last place. Clicking a few buttons and options, the race was reset. 1…2…3…Go!
And he went.
Katie hit another note she had struggled with before. He ground his teeth and prevented himself from looking up. He would not let Peach beat him. A red, spiky shell was flung at him from behind, but Billy dodged it. He left a pile of nails as he drove away, and Mario was sent flying to the sideline.
Peach knocked him to the side though, and Billy was reset as well—last place and right behind Mario.
“Billy, you’re going to hurt someone again,” his mom muttered to him.
“Nah, I’m fine,” Billy managed to say. He leaned to the right as his character turned to the right, bumping into his mom. She jabbed him fiercely in the thigh, and he winced. “Ah! Sorry, okay?” He did not look at her but at the screen, passing up Bowser.
Katie ended on her last note. Billy looked up and watched her sweat as she held the note out long and quietly. He remembered her complaining how hard it was to decrescendo a high note. It could not be that hard, but here she was, shaking to the very last second that she let go. The audience did not listen to it echo off the walls and vanish. They clapped loudly and proudly. Billy’s mom stood up, frantically applauding and waving at her daughter as she left the gym.
Billy hadn’t noticed.
He stared blankly at the screen, not pressing any buttons. Without a player, Wario drove straight ahead into the lake. The game reset him on the road, but Wario didn’t go. He stayed put—as did Billy.
Billy felt his head spin, but he couldn’t feel his fingers. His sister continued to hold the note as the room whirled around him—or did he whirl around in it?—and his body fell limp on the bleachers.
His mom heard him fall and looked. Her proud face changed abruptly to a frightened look. Leaning over him and shaking him, she shouted his name. “Billy? Billy! Wake up! What’s wrong, Billy?”
Billy heard her shout, but all he could do was knock on the Nintendo screen.
