Ringo's Requiem

Chapter 4: Dreaming

This was a dream.

Ringo knew it was.

Why else would he and his friends be in this hotel room right now.

He did not remember how he got there, nor did he know how long he had been sitting at the edge of the bed, staring over at John and Paul's bed as they had a pillow fight with each other.

It had to be a dream now.

John, Paul, and George all looked how they had in 1964, aside from the pyjamas they had on.

Ringo knew that the same went for himself.

"Ay Macca!" John laughed as he stood up on the bed, holding a pillow in the air, "let see if ya can avoid this!"

Paul, who was standing next to the bed, raised his as well.

"It's on!"

George, who was laying on the same bed that Ringo was on, laughed.

"We're not little kids, you know."

That statement, along with the situation, did make Ringo giggle a little.

He didn't care if this was a dream. At least he would be able to escape reality for a time, even if it couldn't last forever.

"Oh yeah George?" Paul asked playfully.

A pillow flew through the air and landed on George's face.

"Come on, you know you want to join!"

Ringo looked over at George as he took a hold of Paul's pillow.

"Well, if you say so. And, thanks for making yerself defenceless!"

Within a moment, John and George were both attacking Paul with their pillows as the bassist fell on the floor, laughing as he tried covering himself.

"Ay! This isn't fair!"

Paul's exclaim didn't sound serious.

"Ay Ringo, wanna join?"

Ringo smiled as he stared at George, who had asked the question.

"I suppose."

Ringo turned over to take a hold of a pillow, but...

His eyes widened.

Everything around him was gone, replaced by darkness as far as they eye could see.

The laughing had stopped instantly, and Ringo looked around.

It certainly was a dream now.

Ringo blinked, and he was back in the studio where his friends would practice, sitting at his drum stool.

His hair was back to its long length, and John, Paul, and George looked the same as they had when Ringo had last seen them.

The very sight made Ringo shrink back a little.

"So, explain to me why again are you suddenly the boss around here!?" Paul shouted, now sounding angry.

John scoffed.

"Well, apparently, you have no idea how to do things yourself!"

Ringo gazed over at George, who , like him, was just looking on at the pair.

"I'm not some baby, Lennon! No one's the boss here!"

"Oh yeah!? Prove it to me by playing like how yer supposed to!"

George stepped forward, starting to glare at the two.

"This is getting annoying now! Can we just forget about who's right and just get on with this session!?"

Paul grunted.

"We can't until John here lays off a bit!"

Ringo saw John's hand curl up into fists.

"Yer the one who started all of this!"

George clenched his teeth in anger.

"If that's how you two are gonna act, then I quit!"

Ringo sat up instantly.

This was the first time anyone had said something like that, and it still shocked him, even though he knew that it was a dream.

It wasn't out of the realm of possibility that it could happen on reality, and that made Ringo feel even worse inside.

"Well then..." John paused, seemingly in thought.

"I quit too."

"So do I."

Ringo slowly got off his stool, staring at his friends, all of whom were backing away from each other.

"Goodbye lads!" Paul shouted as he walked briskly out of the front door.

John rolled his eyes.

"See you two later... I guess."

After John had exited the building, George turned to Ringo, expression neutral.

The guitarist sighed.

"Just be glad that you weren't involved. See ya."

Ringo stood still as George left him, leaving him all by himself.

He looked around the empty studio, the distance echoing of the laughs and singing that had once bounced off its walls barely audible.

A tear began to fall from Ringo's eye.

Even though it was just a dream, the pain that it brought felt all too familiar.

Ringo sat down on the floor and covered his eyes, starting to cry.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ringo sat up in his bed, taking in a small breath.

Upon recognizing where he was, he sighed in relief.

He was in his bedroom, Maureen still sleeping at his side.

Ringo turned his head around to stare down at her, seeing the peaceful expression on her face.

"If only I c-could tell you..."

Ringo laid back down, placing his head on the pillow as he stared up at the ceiling.

"But... I don't e-even think you could understand..."