Time Passages (Queen or Freddie Mercury Fanfic)

28. Art, Japan, and the Invisible Man

Sal here.  This chapter was supposed to be much longer and include all three of our heroes' voices, but Danny is a blabbermouth, and his part went on too long (and besides, he's way too much fun to write for), so the next part will be a two-POV one, with F and J, respectively.  I do apologize for how many parts this story already has, and there's still so much more to come... XD

Danny

"Walking feet, please!" some teacher yells from somewhere, but I don't listen- and since Lauren is trying to keep up with me, neither does she.  I have to get to art class as early as possible.

I love art almost as much as I love choir.  Part of the reason is that we're just working on a new project from now till Friday.  I won't have to take an actual test in it tomorrow, which will be the last full day of school before Christmas Break starts.   Man, there's going to be so many church rehearsals starting tomorrow- one for every day after it until Sunday, the performance night.  But I don't want to think about that right now.  Too scary.

The other part of the reason is that Lauren's in art with me.  Jamal, I'll see at lunch, and then we can all take on Ms. Rydinger together.  But most of the reason is I get a new Japanese word from the best teacher ever, Ms. Yamaguchi.

"Konnichiwa, tomoyo!" she greets me when I walk in.  Lauren rolls her eyes as she plops down at one of the tables.  But she's just jealous, because she knows I'm definitely Ms. Yamaguchi's favorite; she doesn't say that to anyone else in my class.

"Konnichiwa!" I reply, creeping up to her desk and holding out my hand for her to take it.  I haven't kissed her hand since Friday when I got in trouble for it, but this time, I do. 

And she loves it.  "You are such a funny boy, Daniel-san," she giggles.  "Always make me smile."

"So do you," I begin- and then I stop.  For the first time, I recognize the music she has playing right now.  Well, not the music, because I've never heard this song before- but now I know the voice.  I grin like a nut, which makes her laugh all over again.

"What is it?" she asks.

I point at the hidden overhead speakers.  "Is, uh- is that Queen?"

"Ah, yes!" she nods.  "A very old song, it came out many years before you were even born."

"All the music I like is from before I was born," I tell her, one ear still listening in.  The music itself is way more techno-y than most Queen stuff I've heard so far- it's almost like a Prince song except without as much going on- but it's Freddie all right, sounding just the way he did yesterday: "I've got to break free/ God knows/ God knows, I want to break free!"

And then I remember, there's a track on the second disc of Mr. Adams's Queen music that's called "I Want to Break Free."  This is it!   Wow, even the second disc stuff is good!  Not even Prince can say that.

"Did Freddie write this?" I ask.

Ms. Yamaguchi shakes her head.  "No, that song was written by, uh... what's the name... Dean.  Yes.  John Dean.  He was the bass player."

"Oh," I nod.  Makes sense.  This song isn't nearly as nuts as "Bohemian Rhapsody"- or "Bicycle Race," that one's crazy, too- so Freddie couldn't have written it.

"Do you know," she goes on, "my aunt worked in a Japanese bath back in the eighties- and one of her, ah- co-workers, she actually met Freddie Mercury."

I have to bite my lip to keep from spilling the beans.  "Cool!  What- um, what was he like?"

Her eyebrows make wrinkles in her forehead while she thinks.  "She said he was really rather quiet," Ms. Yamaguchi replies.