In the Twinkle of an Eye

Awareness Grows

Flicking through the channels with swift contempt, Kaiser targeted the music channels before being halted by a sharply dressed news presenter speaking in a patronising monotone voice. A thought rolled around Kaiser's mind of which he had become more and more acquainted with: 'What is happening to the world?'

He had never been one to watch the news, but something captivated his gaze about this news presenter. It had happened again. These peculiar incidents were becoming more and more frequent. Another city completely vanished from the face of the Earth. All communication had been lost; there was nothing nor anybody left behind. Where there had once been land was now an empty void above the smooth ocean blue.

Something about that news presenter gave Kaiser the suspicion he knew more than he was letting on. Kaiser's pulse began to fluctuate; somewhere between the line of fear and excitement.

'Who cares anyway? When we go, we go. This world is a brief interval before eternal darkness. Irrelevant. Any further thought on the matter would be a waste of time,' was how he forced himself to think. He stumbled to his window to open the blinds, tripping over a guitar stand in the process. Beams of golden light forced their way through the slits of the blinds, forcing him to cover his weary eyes with his forearm. It was a beautiful summer day. A day so picturesque one would swear they had stumbled into a dream.

It was time to get a bit of work done before heading over to Kyles. It had been a while since he had last seen him with the trials and tribulations of adult life getting in the way.

A number of Kaiser's songs had been sent off to record companies all over the world. A few journey men of the industry had decided to pick up a couple of his songs here and there, one of which asked him to write an album. He had sent them out to a myriad of artists and record labels over the years, with the odd song or two receiving minor successes, enabling Kaiser just enough money to get by. Though he was able to earn a relatively decent living doing what he loved, he had great ambitions to go above and beyond. The dream was to sell a number one album and write at least one song that would be considered one of the greats.

His dreary eyes laden with clumps of dried sleep felt heavy, and for a moment he questioned whether he was actually awake. His guitar lay resting on the floor next to his bed with a notebook and pen on top of the glossy wooden body of his black guitar. He picked up the pad and with a strained effort read aloud the unfinished words to a song.

'And they say that life's for living,

I'm going to go beyond the limits,

and I'm not on my own,

there are many that have shown,

that impossible is just another word.'

He didn't know what it was, but for a second, a feeling of excitement and exhilarating anxiety jolted through him like a wave of new life. The life had returned to his body, and he widened his eyes as if stretching for a race he was about to win. With his newfound alertness he picked up his pen and continued on with the song.

...

It was ten past before he remembered he was supposed to be at Kyle's for three. With his mind running wild and racing with chord progressions, as though they were right there playing in his ears. But it would have to wait. He had promised to see Kyle. A sudden realisation creeped into his mind, every time he had 'that feeling' about an idea, somebody would call him, shout for him or need him for one thing or another. He shook his head and grabbed his coat.

The streets had a robotic lifelessness to them for such a beautiful day. The people on the surface smiling, but he sensed a distance. There was a feeling of uneasiness that seemed to lurk in the pit of his stomach, a feeling he could not find a source for, and so made a conscious effort to push it away.