Stuck In Paradise

The final duet and their moments after

Everything went white the moment Sunny’s bow touched his violin.

Despite that though, the first sound they heard wasn’t the sound of the violin being played.

No, instead it was Mari’s piano.

It played as if she was testing it out, remembering what keys were which. It played beautifully as the air moved as if it was dancing to it. Basil felt the sudden comfort of leather under him as he realized he was in what looked like a movie theater. It was nice to no longer be dangling with a rope around his neck. Though that wasn’t his main focus right now. Right now, his eyes were glued onto the stage in front of them with a screen pulled down to face their direction. What it was projecting shocked him.

It was after a beat of silence that the music began to accompany it.

At first, it was just the piano again, playing a melody Basil remembered all too well. The one he always heard coming from the piano room as Mari practiced. It was a nice and warming melody that he would sometimes hum at home. It brought him peace and it made his grandmother happy. Every time she would ask how Sunny and Mari were doing with their performance and he was happy to update her every time.

The screen had begun to play their story.

One of the first things it showed was the family photo that Basil has seen distorted way too many times to count. It was nice to see it in its full colorful beauty, even for a moment or so.

Then they moved on to Mari and Sunny who looked to be quite young. Mari and Sunny were inseparable, even when younger it seems.

Mari was holding Sunny’s hand. Mari wrapped her arms around the younger Sunny who seemed to find comfort in them. It was an image that made Basil tear up. They were so close to each other...he wishes he could see her again.

The violin had begun to play as the next scene showed them peacefully sharing a bed. Mari’s arm was still wrapped around Sunny protectively as if someone would try to take him from her while she was asleep. Despite that, she slept with a smile.

The scene changed to a bit older Sunny and Mari. Sunny’s hair looked like a mess while Mari’s was perfectly straightened behind her. They were both holding hands as if they refused to let the other go.

They grew older again in the next frame with Sunny’s hair still ending up looking like a mess. Mari seemed to look happy as Sunny looked straight ahead. They were no longer holding hands though, seeming to have comfort only having the other's presence.

Hero and Kel suddenly joined the frame. Hero standing right behind Mari with a smile as Sunny seemed happier with Kel’s presence. That must have been when they first met. It was nice to see how they got along when they were younger. Maybe he could ask Hero how they became friends later.

The next frame was of Aubrey crying on the sidewalk with the four trying to cheer the girl up. If Basil remembers correctly, she was missing one of her shoes and couldn’t find it. She began crying when she felt like her parents were going to yell at her for missing it.

Basil felt his heartache at the next frame. It was when Aubrey introduced him to the group. He was so nervous at the time, he could barely think straight. It was when his eyes landed on Sunny he managed to calm himself down a bit.

He always wondered how Sunny always managed to look calm in any scenario he got himself into in the past. It always seemed so peaceful.

The scene changed to some plants Basil had planted in the past to be gifts for everyone and then moved to a scene where everyone huddled together around Mari’s piano. Mari was teaching Sunny the basics while Kel and Aubrey danced around. Hero and Basil were more focused on the players of the music than the melody itself.