Fantasia

XI

Eddy turned his head towards the direction Brett was gesturing with his not-violin-holding hand. On a first glance, it looked like there was simply a black wall, but when Eddy came closer, he noticed his own reflection getting bigger and bigger until it reached Eddy's actual height when he stood just one step away from it.

Eddy lifted his arm and touched the cold glass with the tip of his fingers. Nothing.

"Did I come out from here?", Eddy asked quietly.
"Yeah. I was playing the violin, when I heard someone say something. When I looked at the mirror, I saw some kind of shadow, so I came closer and then suddenly, you were lying here", Brett described while he was observing Eddy attentively.
"You heard me?", Eddy whispered, his voice thick.
"Yes. And I think I've seen you before, or have felt your presence or something."
"When?", Eddy asked, still staring into the dark glass and his own, white as a sheet face.
Brett took a moment to think before he said, "I think like a few hours ago? But I don't know... time's kinda weird in this dimension or whatever."
Eddy glanced back at him.
"Were you playing the violin too when you saw me last time?"
"Yeah. I mean, that's basically all I do here. More or less."
Eddy nodded. "I heard your playing."
Brett's eyes widened. "What? Like, on the other side?"
"Yes. The first time was like two nights ago."
"Two nights?"
"Yes", Eddy confirmed.
"So...", Brett hesitated, obviously some hard thinking going on in his brain, "you wake up from time to time?"
Eddy furrowed his brows. "Yes. Of course! As I said, this is my dream."

Brett was quiet for some time, his gaze fixated on his red, boot like shoes, before he looked into Eddy's eyes. "I don't."
The frown between Eddy's eyebrows deepened. "What, you don't?"
"I don't wake up."
"What? Like never?"
Brett shook his head. "Not since I've come here."
"And when was that?" There was a weird feeling creeping up on Eddy upon asking this question.
"I don't know. Don't remember. Was a long time ago."
"Oh."

Eddy took a moment to think. If this was really only his dream and Brett nothing but a mere projection of his subconscious, the fact that Brett never got out of here wouldn't be surprising. However, the way Brett acted, the way he was speaking and how he described this side of the mirror being his place told Eddy's gut, that there was more to all of this. Brett wasn't just a memory coming to life in Eddy's dream. It felt like Brett was his own person, here in his own world.
But why? Why was Brett here? How did he end up here and why didn't he remember anything about Eddy? Why did he know so little about his own situation too?

"What do you know about yourself, Brett?"
Now it was Brett's time to furrow his brows. "What, you want me to introduce myself or something?"
Eddy cut straight to the point. "You said you don't know who I am, what you're doing here and how you've gotten here. Is there something you do know?"
Did he imagine things or did Brett's face fall slightly, when he answered, "Well, I know my name is Brett Yang and that I play the violin. And I'm apparently not super old."
"You're around thirty years old by now, I reckon?", Eddy added.
"What, really?"
"So, this is all you know."
"... Uhm, I guess so."

There were a thousand questions Eddy wanted to ask. What was Brett doing for a living? So he was still playing the violin? How had he been doing and how was he now? How was his family and was he in a relationship? Where did he live?
And maybe the most pressing question in the forefront of Eddy's mind: Did you really forget about me?
But apparently, asking all those questions now would be a futile attempt on finally catching up with his former best bro.

"Alright!", Eddy suddenly exclaimed, causing Brett to jump a little. It was time to find out as much as they could about their situation, which was to all appearances somehow linked. "Show me around!"
"What? Now?", Brett asked incredulously.
Eddy couldn't help but wink. "You have something better to do?"