章 26: Page XXVI - Their Song [Ｉ]

Underneath that tree, two people scavenged the entirety of different worlds as they both conversed in the language called music.

One traversed with a portal called book within his hands, and the other one used her voice to open up a new world before them.

The scenery changed again... and again. Like an infinite parallel dimensions in which the two of them freely ventured on.

Words weren't exchanged. Contact wasn't done. Yet they've been in a journey far than any normal people go on.

"What do you think of it Theo?" Gwyneth suddenly asked out of nowhere.

The breeze strengthened as the atmosphere suddenly changed between the two of them. Theodore closed his book and looked at the sky. "What is?"

"My singing. I want to know what you think about it. You're the first... well. Kinda. To hear my songs."

"It was nice."

A minute of silence followed and Gywneth was the one to break the ice. "Seriously!? That's it? How will I use that!?" She then let out a sigh followed by a giggle. "You're really something else you know that?"

"I don't understand how you're so different when you're talking normally and talking about music."

"You finally opened your mouth to conversation. Well, regarding to your question... I don't know."

"You don't know or you don't want to know?"

"...Well. Something like that. Hey Theo... will you lend me your ear?"

"Metaphorically, sure, literally, no."

"Heh. Either way, you can't escape. You need to hear this. Well... I want someone to."

"Hmm." Theodore put his book above his head to cover his face and laid down on the ground with his hands behind his head.

"Well it was about five years ago. I was just a nobody back then."

~~***~~

"Basketball was my everything. I was forced to play it due to my father and brother's love for the sport.

I was invited to play a casual game with my brother and father's friends. I picked up the ball and it felt like second nature to me.

I dribbled the ball like it was natural. Something that was fit for me. At first, I didn't pay it no mind.

But in that moment, I felt like I was truly myself. I crossed over to the first man. I know that he was going easy on me. But I could say that that was one of the best moments of my life.

I passed not one, but three defenders within in an instant. As I jumped and shot for that first shot I've ever done. It went in.

And that satisfying sound that the net makes when I make a clean shot...

SWOOSH! Haha... It felt amazing. But that was not all.

For the first time in my life, I've never seen my brother and father look at me with such proud faces.

That glory and attention I got... I was... hungry for more. At that moment, I was like on top of the world.

So I entered some junior contests here and there and joining the basketball club in my previous school.

We were having a great championship game until... an accident happened. As I was making my shot, I was shoved mid-air which caused me to fall incorrectly. So I injured my left leg.

I was out of the season that year. It felt like my world was crumbling.

I was stuck in the hospital for three months and I wasn't allowed to move as much as I'd like to in basketball.

So I couldn't play the sport that I was heavily obsessed with.

I was just wandering around the hospital until I heard someone singing.

I stopped and gazed at the distance and felt the sorrow of the man who was singing such an upbeat song.

The lyrics screamed in pain and agony, but the way he played his guitar it was much of a giant illusion."

==========================

Live long, I won't, Regret it, I don't!

==========================

"Those lyrics were engraved into my heart. When I injured my leg and failed the tournament, my whole world before me crumbled. As if nothing could heal me. Nothing could cheer me up. It was like... the end of the world for me.

But the man in front of me. The same age as me. Smiled as death was in front of him. He sang a beautiful, upbeat, sorrow song of pain.

He stopped his song and then looked at me and said...

'Yo!'

I felt like that was destiny. As the two of us met. Me who was given the chance to do anything. And him who wasn't given a chance.

In his life, he never had a choice. Never had any chances. Yet he embraced all that and managed to stay smiling while his parents mourned over his sickness.

He was strong. Far stronger than anyone I've ever met. He smiles as he gets dragged into a confined room and gets treated.

He smiles as the nurses tries to explain to his parents what's going to happen.

He smiles as he sings.

And... me who lost all hope because of losing a competition was given hope by a hopeless kid with his smile.

His smile meant everything for me. He was my... first love. I felt like if I'm with him, I could do anything. We could do anything.

'Gwen! Promise to me! You'll do your best at your basketball games, and I'll do my best at mine!'

I asked him about what that meant and he replied one thing.

'I want the whole world to learn about my story. About my songs! People in this world right now are looking too close to the puzzle that they can't see the picture! That's why I want my songs to be known to the world. I want them to see the light in that tunnel! And I want the world to see the picture that they're making their whole lives!'

But you know. Not everything in life was rainbows and sunshine as he saw it. A year later, he... died of cancer.

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