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Writer
Join Date: Dec 2005
Gender: Male
Posts: 35
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The Composers Lament
"The Composer's Lament" (12/05)
Nobody knew much about me in Grand Portage. People thought they knew me very well, and I suppose they had good reason. But there were certain things that eluded their knowledge, and I had no interest in guiding what did. Such secrets are not welcomed in places of simple dwelling.
My name is Darwin Bridge. I am not the son of a rich man, nor am I the father of a fortunate child. I am simply someone with fewer ties than most. There is something about being alone that I find comfortable, and I am sure that it seems strange. However, much has been given to my mind as it has opened over the years.
I told William Peterson, good friend and colleague for sixteen years, about my gifts. We were in the Casino, it was late afternoon, and the enthusiastic sounds of sophisticated machines polluted the air around us. Bill was working that day, and I had stopped him in front of the snack bar.
At first, he did not take me seriously.
"Do you want to quit filling machines with quarters and join the Circus?" Bill was laughing before he spoke, and continued thereafter.
A smile had crept onto my face, but I did not want it there. "Very funny," I said.
"Honestly, Darwin, what is this?"
Grabbing his arm, I said, "Come with me, Bill."
He nodded, then followed me down the hall to the restroom. After Bill had come through the door, I turned to face him. The perplexed expression on his face was reason enough for me to gather his attention.
"Bill, do not tell. Not a soul. Understand?"
Nodding, Bill looked like a child at a shuttle launch. I waited a moment, then lowered my head slowly. My arm extended out to Bill, with my palm open and my fingers looming over it. From it, a dim blue light blossomed and grew, desperate to fit in my hand. As it met the skin of my digits, the light began to fade, revealing something tangible and real.
Bill's eyes, left glossy from the mysterious light, were fervent with awe.
"It's a ball."
Feeling fevered from the act I displayed, I lifted my head and told him, "And it's yours."
He took it, then looked to me. "How did you do that?" he asked.
"I don't know. I just did it." I started to leave, but Bill moved in front of me. He was much bigger than I was, and I remembered it then.
"Tell me how to do that, I won't tell nobody," he said.
He had been feeding my sickness. "I can't tell you how, it's something only I can do and it's science eludes even me," I told him.
"Just tell me. Nobody will know you did, I promise," he pressed.
My patience had been tried, and I wanted to leave and be alone.
He said, "I know you can tell me, little buddy."
"Bill," I said, growing tired of his difficulty, "you don't understand."
"You don't understand," he said, "you're being selfish."
Much closer to me now, I backed away from him. I was feeling uneasy. My eyes closed to retreat from the sight of him, but that didn't help at all.
"I'm going to ask you again, as a friend," he told me, "otherwise I'm going to use force. I don't want to do that."
With my hand, I touched his chest, letting it's mass overshadow it. Before he could speak, I screamed his named, allowing something unfamiliar to surface from my palm. And as his name ended in my voice, Bill collapsed to the tiled floor. His body was lifeless and seemed to wear the ground appropriately.
Last edited by aloycius : 06-26-2006 at 01:24 AM.
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