In the Twinkle of an Eye

Indulgence

A gust of wind pulled a handful of gold and brown leaves past Kaiser's feet, helpless victims of Autumn twisting and writhing in submission to the subtle strength of nature. The river had an enchanting surrealness to its glimmering surface, reflecting a water painted sky of purples, oranges and warm reds. The air had become distinctly colder over the past few days, the warm glow of the summer sun began to fade as the rotation of the Earth furthered its distance from the sun.

The old wooden panels of the peer had been replaced by brand new light green painted strong timber; the old bench had also been given a lick of paint to match. Kaiser observed the leaves forced over the edge of the peer like unwitting lemmings into the river, sending out subtle ripples in a circular motion outward.

The back end of Kaiser's pen rested in his mouth as he watched a small cream coloured speedboat depart from the marina in the distance. One final line and the song was finished. There was a good feeling surrounding this song, he felt something special in its essence. This song wasn't about love, but by taking life by the scruff of the neck and taking control of one's own destiny. A different style from his usual, a faster rhythm and a more explosive excursion of the voice.

Kaiser knew this song was going to be the one that made an impact in the public eye, mostly due to the utilisation of the book's methodology. The idea was to receive some notoriety from a song; something to bring in some extra money and garner a small degree of fame.

Watching numerous popular music videos also inspired him to work on a song which would cater to the average musical consumer, in contrast to something that actually held meaning to himself. He shrugged it off as a one off but noted he didn't have the same feeling of satisfaction he usually underwent upon completion. It was a dulled satisfaction, blunted around the edges like a mediocre student having the epiphany that he himself is mediocre; but from some kind of twisted irony is revered and celebrated instead of the higher achieving student who put his heart and soul into his work.

With an over the top flick of the pen, his song had finished. He lifted the pad off the dark light green wood of the bench and closed it with a loud snap. The strenuous effort of working counter intuitively to one's inner truth would soon be vindicated once the song had been sent off and released to the public. He crossed his arms and placed his head on his folded arms and closed his eyes.

A gust of wind roared past his ears, to which he turned his head to the side and wind crumple the smooth surface of the river. A darkness began to creep in from the east as the lights of distance houses on the opposite end of the bank began to pitter on like twinkling stars. A distant thought of the vanishing village stalked the outskirts of his mind, dipping its toe in the pool, succumbing to the image of the wealth, adulation and admiration which came from his completed song. The feeling of complete confidence and invincibility nudged him in the decision to asking Belle out on a date.

With weakened knees, Kaiser stood atop of the Mearding Street Library stairs once again. He was suspecting that she would agree, but why the nerves all of a sudden? He shook himself off and summoned up the courage to walk through the door.

The library was empty. Though it was early morning, he had never actually seen it so baron before. Even when there were numerous people excavating the place, there was still a relaxed kind of hustle. There she was, standing in between the towering bookshelves, with her hands held together behind her back. She had a serious look of concern on her face as she looked up at the painting of the philosopher Catalina Watts.

Kaiser approached Belle and placed his hand on her right-hand shoulder. She jolted and let of a quiet squeak. With fiery eyes she turned around, the fire extinguished as she saw that it was Kaiser.