i broke the silence for you

xi. adagietto

you told me that if all the stars fell out of the sky
they’d all come to me
because i’m as empty and ebony
as the darkness between the universe’s suns.

     the few days were easy and lighthearted. life decided to give them an easy part in its symphony for once. the two woke up and exchanged good mornings, ate breakfast, then went out to get coffee, and headed over to the concert hall for rehearsal. the orchestra seemed a bit loose as well.

     the sun never failed to greet them, which they found admirable. even thougt life was hard and work was tought, it rose every single day without hesitation. it had its light to give to the world.

     but it was all preparation for the rough waters that they were soon approaching.

~ ♪ ~

     “eddy! eddy, wake up!”

     eddy was shaken awake, small hands gripping his shoulders tightly. the room was still partially dark, and something annoyingly bright lit up half of the room harshly. brett was on his knee on the couch in front of eddy, his face twisted into desperate knots.

     “what is it?” eddy asked groggily. he sat up and rubbed his face.

     “eddy, just look at the tv!” brett pointed frantically at the screen. eddy squinted, still not used to the bright light.

     the headline shook as eddy focused on it. russian orchestras, concerts, and competitions canceled. heat rose up eddy’s body as he processed the information with his foggy brain which wasn’t fully awake yet.

     “wait—so we can’t perform our tchaik next week?” eddy cried.

     “not only that—sergei’s russian! he’ll get fired or something!” brett said.

     “that’s so fucked up! it’s not like everyone in russia is with the bombing.” eddy squeezed brett’s hand gently.

     “what are we supposed to do?” brett whispered.

     “i don’t know,” eddy responded. he gave brett’s hand another squeeze as worry filled brett’s eyes.

     now he finally realized how important orchestra was to him. although rehersal and performances crowded his schedules and were usually tiring, eddy enjoyed playing with other musicians. he loved being with other people who understood his constant classical talk, how they all practiced and performed. how all their different skill sets and instruments were so diverse yet fit together so easily when they played.

      the world should be like that. to be able to have everyone fit together like pieces of a puzzle and make a beautiful symphony.

     “i’m calling sergei,” eddy said. he picked up his phone.

     “can you put it on speaker, please?” brett asked. eddy did so.

     the phone rang once, twice. hours seemed to go by as the two waited in anticipation, both hope and fear for the worst lining their breaths. the ringing seemed to go by forever.

     “hello?”

     relief passed with eddy’s next breath—but he wasn’t fully reassured. yet. “sergei, did you see the news?”

     “yes.” a bit of hesitation edged his usually certain voice.

     “what’s going to happen?” brett burst out.

     “i’m not sure.”

     brett slumped. eddy pulled him close sympathetically. it was pretty frustrating when no one knew what to do.