The Songwriter's Funeral Song

XXXI. The Sound of the Final Symphony

The Songwriter's Funeral Song
The Sound of the Final Symphony

"Miyako, you coward."

This phrase just reminisced in mine... for a thousand and a hundred times. It's like an earworm crawling in my ear every minute. Lying down in this grassy field with fair weather made me think of her. And that song I sang before I died is like a beautiful nightmare.

It's windy, yet this wind seems to burn my skin. "It's already noon, isn't it?" I asked myself. My stomach rumbled. I haven't taken a meal yet, but why am I here, lying on the grass in the middle of the day?

I tried to get up but my body feels heavy and the grass on the grassland seem to pull me back to the ground. If I'll stay here any longer, I'll become a roasted human.

"Is this hell?" I thought.

I want to slumber in a place where I cannot be bothered
With enough wind, a place not so hot, not so cold
Without any noise that will surprise my ears
But sweet melodies are a good release

Please don't mind cradling the bed
I'm not used to such motions
I feel sick especially when my eyes are closed
I'm fine with the things at rest

Give me a pillow that's soft and tender
And a white blanket that'll serve as a cover
In my wounds, I've been counting over
Sing me a lullaby that'll put me to sleep forever

I heard Miyako's song play in the wilderness. Is she here? Will she join me in hell as well?

But what is sleep when we're bound to wake up?
Waking up not in the same bed but either in heaven or hell
If we could only choose what's in the middle,
Then I won't worry about my second life.

"Miyako, you really are a coward."

The moment when the song was almost going to end, the wind blew even hotter. It's not a normal wind anymore. It's already fire. I struggled to get up, but even with my full force, I couldn't. Fire crawls on the ground, swallowing the grass around me. Nearer... the fire crawls nearer to me. Nearer and nearer 'til I got swallowed by it. I'm in a raging fire, and crispness was all I hear when it burns my skin. I began to panic, breathe continuously, and scream in pain. But with those, stillness ended me.

Cough! Cough!

I breathed air heavily as I tightened my grip on the blanket. My eyes were wide open and through them, I could see the hospital room with Mom sleeping on my side. Miyako's Walkman was with her, playing a piece of slow music.

I didn't bother to wake her up, but I would like to stroll around. I slowly got up, still shaking. And when I managed to put my upper body vertically, I noticed strands of hair on the blanket. I reached for my head and combed my hair with my hand. And as soon as I put it in front, strands of hair rest on my palm. I watched it for a couple of seconds, and imagine myself being hairless for some time.

"Yuru, you're awake!" Riri came in with a smile on her face. She quickly ran towards me and hugged me.

"Your hair—" she looked at the strands of my hair on the pillow. I just smiled at her, telling her it was okay.

"Nah. I'm a restless soul now. I'll be scarier when people saw me," I softly laughed.

"You just woke up, yet you're making jokes now. Don't you ever tell me about ghosts again," she said, cutting the good vibes around.

"But you're a ghost... like me." I even poked her on the cheek. Her face looks irritated. She always has that expression. It's funny that she even got that on her second form—being a ghost.