Writing Championships #5

Amber Antags

Everybody had their own music box, playing a song about its owner. Some played sorrowful tunes while the others played cheerful tunes. Some were silent, and there were also loud ones. It was said that the music told a lot about the owner's mental state. People heard their tunes all their lives, if it stopped playing it meant there was a problem. But it was solvable, as time passed by people learned how to tamper with them. Some abused this skill, but they were chased down a long time ago. In the end people decided not to play with them as much as they did before, leaving the job to those who studied them.

Xisuma put down his tools on his desk. While he worked on Cleo's music box the sun had come down and the room was a lot darker now. She had said the music was getting lower day by day, but now it should have been fixed. The man rose up from his seat, he had worked on the box all day long and even sitting was tiring now. He decided to check on her, grabbing his elytra and rockets. He stopped at his tower's landing and take-off pad. He was sure he saw a figure coming his way, he usually didn't have visitors when he was working on something so this had to be something important. Right away he readied himself for the worst: another broken box, a big fire somewhere, someone being seriously injured and many more. Being the admin Xisuma had made it a habit, getting ready for the worst. He waited there as the figure got closer.

Xisuma squinted as the shape in the sky became more clear. The construction outfit and oversized eyes were all too familiar to the admin. Keralis. He could hear Keralis's music box faintly in the distance, a warm, bouncy sound. He looked over at his own, shoddy, unkempt music box, but as Keralis began to come closer to him he tore his eyes off the item.

Keralis stumbled ungracefully into Xisuma's base, his elytra unfolding a bit too quick, causing the man to almost fall right on top of X.

"Hello Shishwamy!" Keralis said cheerfully, but Xisuma noticed his eyes darting to his music box and looked back at him.

"Hello Keralis. How have you been my friend?"

"I've been great myself! But... I noticed your music box. How come it's so-- bad looking? Wait no, now I sound rude! I mean, uh, like how come it is so dusty?"

The other hermit was silent. Another time he might have found Keralis' shenanigans funny. Another time he might have smiled. But he knew those days were long gone. Keralis' eyebrows twisted up in concern, looking back down at X's music box.

"When was the last time you cleaned that thing? Let me try and get some of the dust off of that." Xisuma opened his mouth to speak, but Keralis had already grabbed it and started attempting to wipe off the months of built up dust. When this didn't have much result, the hermit scrubbed more furiously, his arm in a constant up and down motion.

"Why haven't you cleaned this, seriously, it's jammed with grime and dust! This can't be good for it, Shishwamy."

"I know... I am always just so busy,"

"I keep track of everyone's music boxes, I keep them alive." Keralis was now curious, concern still under toning his gaze. Xisuma didn't know how to explain. He rubbed his ears, not bothered much by the seemingly endless noise. He was used to it."Fixing them, keeping them beating, you know...." Xisuma trailed off, his voice raspy from years of relying on little naps to keep him on his feet. He sighed, looking to the music box Keralis was holding, cradling even.

"Then why does this one have your name on it?" Silence. Well, besides for the music, the room was silent. Tunes crashed and fumbled against each other, making growls and snarls rise from them.

"Well—" Xisuma stared at the music box in Keralis's hand. The dust was still there, even with Keralis constantly rubbing it off. There was so much built up.

Automatically, he listened for some kind of song in his head, a tune long forgotten. But nothing came. He could hear some notes, sure, but barely. It was like trying to listen for a tv that wasn't on and was 20 feet away.

"Then we have to fix it." Keralis was more serious now, scraping away at the dust built up over years of neglect. Xisuma felt embarrassed, like a child that had to be spoon-fed due to not eating enough. Along with that, he was shivering, as if he was a rabbit with no fur. Keralis didn't seem to take note of this, scraping and scraping.

"Keralis—"

"No— it's fine. Do you have any screw-drivers? Or anything that can help? I'm not the best redstoner on the server— is this thing even powered by redstone? If so wha—"

"Keralis!" The man shrunk back in fright, but steadied once he got back to his senses. Xisuma felt bad, but he didn't want Keralis to do all this.

"Uh- keralis, why are you trying to fix it? I don't think you'll be able to-" Xisuma was midway through saying, before Keralis interrupted him.

"No, don't doubt me shishwammy, There's a way to fix this, I know it." Keralis said, Xisuma just sighing. "You fixed others, you know how to fix this right?" 

Xisuma nodded hesitantly, slowly walking over and giving him a small screw. "I'll go get some stuff for you. You'll need it."

And so they worked, for hours upon hours on the Music box. The neglected music box. Determined. The other boxes booming in the background.

As night hit, Xisuma was coming in with supplies, when Keralis held something up.

"We did it."

Xisuma stared. He hadn't done it, had he? "Keralis...." He trailed off, Keralis had a smile on his face, proud of himself!

"We did it!! We did it Shishwamy— wait, what's the time?"

"Quite late." Xisuma deadpanned, his gaze sharp.

Keralis jumped, seemingly panicked. "Oh— I need to go— I'm sorry shishwamy!" Keralis hugged Xisuma right then and there, and he could only smile.

Xisuma made up his mind right then and there to never be ashamed. From that day on, he would block out all of the jeers and all of the laughter and he would dance along to the music that only he heard. As long as the sun shines, he will listen to this music, and won't ever stop it, or let it stop. Xisuma stared out at the sunset, and as Keralis flew off on his elytra, finally he felt happy. Happy to be alive.

Score: 9