Fantasia

LXXVII

"Daaaamn!"
"You could say that again!"
"Daaaamn!"

Not a monster was waiting for them, not a giant violin or even the mystery girl, but the biggest fitting room Eddy had ever seen, containing more suits than a shop could ever display. Suits in all colors and shapes, neatly hanging from golden racks standing in equally golden, shiny open wardrobes.

Despite all those tailored masterpieces, what drew in Eddy's attention the most was what was standing in the middle of the room, which was flooded with golden light coming from half a dozen chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.

It was the mirror from the hill. The same mirror Eddy had stood in front of for the past six months.

"Eddy?", Brett asked carefully when he noticed the other blankly staring at the full-length object. Eddy raised his index finger and pointed at it.
"It's the mirror..."
"Well, it's a fitting room. I guess there has to be a mirror somewhere, right?"
"No, Brett!" He turned his head, catching the other's gaze. "It's the one from the other side. From my dream."
Eddy could see Brett's expression changing into surprise and disbelieve.
"What is it doing here?"
On a whim, Eddy stepped forward and placed a flat hand on the surface of the cold glass.

Nothing.

"Maybe it's really just a mirror....", he mumbled, more to himself than to his best friend. Yeah, maybe it just looked exactly like it, but wasn't actually the mirror from the hill.
"Maybe", Brett said, looking at it like he'd never seen a mirror in his life.
"What is this place, you reckon?", Eddy then asked, placing his violin and bow on an antique couch, which looked like it was transported here directly from a french castle.
"Isn't it obvious?", Brett asked and opened his arms like a showman, "It's a fitting room. We're gonna get ready for our concert!"

So they went ahead and roamed the dozens of golden racks, searching for suits that were fitting the occation: a life or death performance in a dream, basically.
"I can finally change out of these things", Brett meant, plucking at the reddish shirt he'd been wearing the whole time.
"Yeah, me too", Eddy chimed in with him, looking down at his black blazer, trousers and simple white shirt. "I like what you're wearing though", he added, gesturing at Brett.
"Really?"
"'Course! It's very artsy."
"It's normally not my thing at all", Brett sniggered, looking through the selection the next wardrobe had to offer.
"You should wear stuff like this more often in the real world. It suits you."
"Yeah, well, let's find something that suits both of us, huh."
"Haha", Eddy made while Brett grinned over his own dad joke.
"How about this one?", Brett asked and pulled out a neat, simple navy suit. Eddy inspected it from the distance.
"Nah!", he finally stated, proceeding to look through the variety himself.
"What? Why?"
"Too boring, too bland. You're not a boring person", is all Eddy had to say.
"Okay...", Brett muttered, a bit confused, "What do you have in mind then?"
"Mate", Eddy stepped over and caught Brett's gaze, a surge of something going through him all of a sudden, "This is YOUR performance. And bear in mind, you being in a typical orchestra setting as a musician with a lot of responsibility didn't exactly match. Now you have the freedom to choose from hundreds of suits, which don't have to be coattails!"
"Woah...", was all Brett brought out.
"What?", Eddy asked back when he saw Brett's stunned expression.
"Just never heard someone talk about a concert outfit so passionately."
Well, Eddy thought to himself, as he smiled encouragingly at his best friend, Brett deserved nothing less than someone who was passionate about everything that concerned him, even if it was "only" about his concert attire.

Different suits were selected and tried on. After Eddy's speech, Brett changed into a red one, which even Eddy had to admit, was a tad too bright and made the smaller look like an overripe tomato. Eddy holding his belly and laughing like a maniac sent Brett back into the changing room with his tongue sticking out. Next time the red velvet curtain was opened, a dark green ensemble clothed his frame.
"Too... St. Patrick's Day-ish."
"I look like a goblin."
"More like an elf, no?"
"Not nerd enough to know the difference, to be honest."
"Really? I remember you spending hours playing video games when you were done practicing."
"Yeah, but hardly any fantasy stuff."
"True...
"Arghhh, this isn't working out!", Brett groaned, turning himself in front of that giant mirror.
"All right! You know what? Go with your gut! Pick something you like! Don't listen to my stupid advice."
"It was okay advice."
"With crappy results! Now go and look for something you actually like."

Without another word, Brett steered towards a collection of darker suits, some simple, some embellished with ornaments and beautiful details. He picked two, three suits and added four button-down shirts, all with different collars and sleeves, before he vanished behind the curtain.

"How's that?"
Eddy turned his head towards the voice - and his jaw dropped.
"Wow!"
"Hehe."
"That's..." He gulped. "You look great man!"
This was it! Eddy knew it. A dark suit, fitting the man in front of him perfectly. Fine, flowery patterns decorating the heavy fabric of the jacket. The trousers were more simple, but a trained eye could recognize the value of the textile used immediately. And underneath the jacket, a white, almost shimmery button-down shone through, the collar gently framing Brett's neck, laid over the top part of the suit.
Brett turned both arms left and right, carefully examing the length of the sleeves.
"That any good?"
"It's perfect!"
"Not too boring?", Brett winked before he looked his reflection up and down in the mirror.
"Nah! Perfect!"
There were more words burning at the tip of Eddy's tongue, but he could never let them be heard without sounding way too cheesy. Instead, he walked over to one of the wardrobes and started roaming for a set of new clothes for himself. The bright colors were quickly ruled out. Too tacky, too shiny for an introvert like him.

"How about this one?", Brett wanted to know, raising his choice for Eddy on a hanger. Eddy examined it. The underlaying fabric was black, but the white ornaments were definitely dominating the cut, gracing the jacket basically from top to bottom. The trousers were of a simple black, the fabric very similar, if not the same as Brett's.
"Not too much?", Eddy frowned. It was more eye-catching than Brett's and not something Eddy would have ever chosen for himself, being an intorverted ass. Too shiny, too many patterns, screaming "Look at me!".
"It looks like a baroque painter had too much fun with his canvas."
Brett laughed. "I actually like it. Didn't you tell me to choose something I could have never worn before? I bet a thousand bucks that you've never put on anything like this for work, have you?"
"You're right...", Eddy said slowly, came closer and took the suit out of Brett's hand.
"Why not try it on? See how it feels?" Brett suggested.

Eddy did as told. And when he examined his reflection in the changing room mirror, some sort of glimmer awoke inside him.
Yeah, his previous self would have never worn a clothing so generously embellished. So how was it possible for him to feel so free, so utterly natural in this? And it wasn't just a true representation of his character, it was more. A hint of what could be, how a future Eddy could look like. An Eddy he himself hadn't discovered yet. He took a deep breath and drew the curtain to the right.

"So?", he asked, a bit uncertain despite it all. Brett laid his gaze on him, and smiled warmly.
"Yeah, mate. No need to search for an alternative."
"You sure?", Eddy had to ask again, stepping in front of the ominous mirror.
Brett nodded. "Yep! Perfect!"
Eddy inhaled again. "I guess, that's it then."