Dell's Journey

Chapter 23: Caverns/Lanterns

The two individuals involved were the young musicians

Monster, and a moody character, quite thin, pale, with

large sober eyes, who tended to be hunched over much of the

time. He was also very brooding and introspective, and

tended to think negative thoughts. His name was Gradient.

Monster and Gradient were, by all accounts, friends.

They spent much of their time together, had common

interests, and shared many ideals. They had even developed

remarkable similarities in their vocabulary, which often

happens when two people spend lots of time talking and

interacting. Their differences, for example Monster's

optimism and laziness as compared with Gradient's

gloominess and occasional outbursts of genuine hostility,

had once been matters of fascination to each other. Their

mutual curiosity in one another's peculiarity was the thing

that glued them together for the period of their brief, yet

intense relationship.

I will omit most of the history of their friendship –

from their first meeting which came about as the result of

posters Monster had made, reading, "Musicians Sought for

Mutual Development, Enrichment, & for the Formation of a

Forest Performing Ensemble," to their two-player (and four

handed) attempt to "re-interpret" Ravel's piano concerto

for the left hand in D-major – and move straight to the

pivotal moment of their parting, within a vast cave with a

narrow passageway on one end which led into darkness. But

first, it is essential to give a brief explanation of the

Sorrowful Lands, a place Monster and Gradient visited for a

time toward the end of their somewhat tumultuous

acquaintance.