I wish there was a way to know you're in the good old days before you've actually left them. - Andy Bernard, The Office
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It was a rainy Friday evening. Everyone is minding their own businesses. Calls, chatters, footsteps, car horns and the sound of the rain overwhelms the city. Most of people at this particular time readies themselves for their own agendas – some, quickly wants to go out because they want to be with their families, friends, romantic partners; and some, like Judy, stays in the office for overtime.
"See you on Monday," Judy's co-worker says as she arranges her bag to leave the office. Judy just nods at her and continues to do her job. She grunts and frowns.
"Hey Judd," Her co-worker, Philip asks her without turning his head around. "Do you want to drink after this?"
"Nope, I'm too tired to drink. Maybe next time." Judy responses.
"Sure, okay okay. Just don't refuse next week huh, it's my birthday next friday." Philip says, focused on his work.
After two hours, she turns off her computer. "I thought you were not done yet," Philip said. Judy stretches and carefully picks up her bag. "Well, I've been working on it for 5 days. I'mma go now." Judy says while rolling her right shoulder.
"See you on Monday, bud," Philip says.
"See you." Judy says with a little smile and leaves the building.
While walking, she plugs her earphones and silently plays 'Keep Yourself Alive' by Queen. She closes her eyes and sighs. "I'm so tired of living like this, like a robot." she mutters to herself.
"I wish there's a plot twist in my life." Judy continues as she walk towards the train station. A couple of guys tried to catcall her. She's too tired to confront them and so she raises her middle finger to them. The boy got pissed and shouts, "You're not pretty!"
"Your mom is not too, sweetie!" She unplugs her earphone and bluntly replies. The boy frowns and acts like he wants to punch her so bad.
The song changes to 'A Kind of Magic'. She kept on walking until she reached the train station. She sits down and looks at herself in the glass. She sighs. The lights got dim, and there are five to ten person in the train wagon.
She turns her phone off as she went down the train after 45 minutes. She stops by to a ramen restaurant to eat. As she enters the restaurant, the dim, orange light and the smell of broths soothes her down a little.
"The usual, Judd?" Ms. Takahara, the owner asks. "Yes, please." Judy replies with a smile as she sat down in the front of the counter. "And please, with gyoza on it."
"Got it." The woman replies as she went inside. Judy looked around the restaurant. She stares blankly at the teenagers who are laughing with their friends while sipping a hot barley tea. She also glances at the couple who are having their moment.
"Do you wish for it too..?" Takahara asks while serving the tonkatsu-shoyu ramen. "N-No, not really." Judy says while smiling a little. Her eyes lit up as Taka-san serves the ramen.
"Hmm." Takahara replies. "Someday, you will."
"I guess..?" Judy says as she shrugs her shoulder while picking up the chopsticks and the spoon. Takahara looks at her for too long and leaves. "I'm just gonna go cook some more for the others."
"Okay Taka-san.." Judy smiles.
The warmth of the ramen calms her down. After eating silently for an hour, she pays for her food and leaves the resto.
"That is so good." Judy says with a smile. As she walks back to the train station to go back in her apartment. It's almost past 9PM. She reached her unit and took a warm shower. She prepares a chamomile tea and gets some frozen grapes while she's chilling in her pajamas and bed.
She opens her TV and stares at it blankly as it plays some random series. After finishing the tea and grapes, she brushes her teeth and went back to bed.
She stared at the ceiling for too long, then she glances at her Queen posters.
"Bri, Rog, Fred and Deacy," she whispers. "I wonder what they are all doing right now.." she sat down and looked at the posters one by one.
She suddenly cries. The feeling of unsettling sadness she keeps inside kicks in. She gets her Roger plushie and hugs it while crying. "I don't even know why I'm crying but.." she whispers, "but when I see you four, I just.. I feel sad, but happy." She giggled a little while sobbing. She glanced at it for one last time and lied down again.
Suddenly, her phone vibrates.
"Hmm." It was a text message from an unknown source. It wasn't a number. It wasn't a letter as well. It was, blank.
Her body suddenly quivers and it gave her goosebumps. The feeling of strange familiarity kicks in.
'Are you really happy right now?' She raises her eyebrow.
'Who are you?' She replies.
'Hmm. I don't know too, but.. I know what you wanted to do.'
'And what is that exactly?' Judy challenges the person.
'Look out to your balcony.'
'Okay, that's enough. I'm blocking you.' Surprisingly, all among settings, there was no block tab for this person.
'Just go. I'm not gonna hurt you.'
Judy got a little scared, but the peculiarity of it is too powerful to not ignore. She carefully stands up and looks at her balcony.
She stared at the letter there, along with the tiny glass.
'How did you get here?!' Judy is scared now. She's frantic. She looked at the corners of the building. The streets were empty and quiet.
'I'm not gonna hurt you. I swear. Just look at the paper. Read it.' A message pops in again.
She carefully reads the letter.
'Dear Judy,
I know you're reading this in bewilderment. I'm not gonna hurt you, but I heard that you want a plot twist in your life.
If the liquid in that bottle dies, or loses its' spark, you might as well as throw it out.
You must drink it to grant the wishes in your heart.
Sincerely,
E.'
Judy laughed frantically. "Now who is this crazy man?!" She said in a high voice.
She smashes the bottle out of madness.
"You! You don't know me, okay?! You will not!" She shouted at the bottle.
The bottle's essence spewed. A gleamy black liquid quickly vanishes. The bottle turns into an ash.
"W-What kind of sorcery is this!?" Judy said, running back to her bed and puts a blanket while she's trying to contact a police.
'Why did you break the glass? I told you it will make your dreams come true!' A message appears.
Judy did not reply. She turned off her phone and told herself a lot of times that it's not real, until she fell asleep.
Little did she know, its' essence went into her already. E flew down and went inside her apartment without her knowing.
She stared at her for a long time while Judy's sleeping. "L-Little thing I forgot," E muttered. "I hope she reads this as she wakes up." She leaves a note and then floats again.
"I'll just gonna go, okay.." E awkwardly says as she goes like a wind.
--
***author's note:
Hi guys! This is my first fanfiction about Queen. I haven't decided about the title yet, but I'll use the 'A Kind of Magic' as one. I hope you will love this story. Thanks for reading!
