Chapter 7: Perceptions

A sad tune was being played from outside the ruined and ghostly café. Terry mesmerized by her slowly opened the door and step outside the little shop, forgetting for a small and blissful moment about the creatures ready to torn him apart.

The street was empty and dark, the only light was coming from the street bulbs, old enough and with so little power that the only light it could give was a dreadful and sickening orange to the surface mist that engulfed the nightly town and projected shadowy hallucinations of livings (or dead) beings...

But… Terry was so obsessed that he didn't care about a possible predator lurking in the shadows, or the facts that the mist was dry, or that the temperature in the ambient had been dropped out considerably or… anything at all.

Just that piano, the little notes could ease him and give it answers

He walked down the street following the sound…

Every time the beat changed to another tune Terry hurried the pace, afraid of the end…,

He crossed Bloch Street and up some stairs he opened a dual door

The inside of a church greeted him and at the end of the pews was a long tail piano and a female figure sited in the stool, both hands in the keys, her head high and proud and his spine straight and serious

"Hey" – Greated terry

The lone figure stopped playing the keys majestically and gracefully, she lift her head and his features peeked into Terry's eyes.

A woman, between hers mid 20's, brownish hair, deep hazel ayes and a very yet curiosly odd look stare at Terry for a moment. Then followed a long and very audible sight, marking the end of the short break. Her hands ready now in the keys before the long piano started to dance a slow, sad but pleasant tune.

Mesmerized by this, Terry only aimed to listening the play before him and took a seat in a nearby space across the innumerable pews and dedicate to watch her, this place, and rejoice (a very strange emotion now) in the sound caressing his ears.

His hands locked automatically in a prayers stance and his head cocked to the side, the sounds and sights marvelled him in this so call sanctuary, he relaxed his muscles, his legs and his arms, and his mind.

He was tired, exhausted, sleepy… Yet something beyond him told him not to doze off and keep his eyes and ears open.

Why? I'm such a horrible person?

haunted by this terrible things, chased around by mi own consciousness and constantly seeing realities far beyond my dreams. Is a punishment? Yes… I am selfish, so what? Is a harsh world, there's nothing I can do. Is that so terrible? There are worse people than me. No… only me, always me…. Is this your work uh, "god"? Want to teach me a lesson? Is that it?

The tune continued. His eyes did not. His mind soon followed him to a place of his own, where reality is just a trick and a wonderful illusion.

The women stopped playing once again and looked at him sleep. She watched him helplessly and thoughtfulness. Slowly and with elegance she stood up, closed the lid of the piano, fixed up her dress and approached the silent man, she sat besides him slowly, gracefully and soundlessly, caressed his hair and sobbed silently and solemnly watching him. She sighted and cocked his head to the ground now lamenting at her own feet's

"You are where you must be… why can't you accept it?" – She whispered to the vastness of the place.

"Ash… grandpa isn't coming home with us." He told his daughter on the way to his car, crossing the double doors Brookheaven hospital and into the cold streets

"But he needs our help! I saw him! We can't leave him here! The doctor says that!" – The little girl cried out behind him following

"No, he is just fine, he needs rest, that's all, is no big deal ash. They'll take care of him here, don't worry!"

But the child was not going to let go, and Terry was almost running for the car

"But… but, they are gonna lock him up in the loony section dad! We must go back!" She yelled at him almost running to catch him

"Who told you that?" he replied stopping and looking at her eyes. His expression was now severe and tough. Hers was the same. A fine quality inherited

"Aunt Miry and that doctor." – she replied without letting go her eyes from his - You know it cause they told you the same!" her face pale and his body trembling both with excitement and fear

"They wont do that." And he started moving again, now at a faster pace.

"HE IS GRANPA! HOW CAN YOU LEAVE HIM HERE?"- she shouted him never moving -"DON'T YOU CARE ABOUT HIM?"

Terry stopped and withdraws the last steps he did and grabbed the child's arm and started to drag her down the streets

"I don't care. Is his… Life...Not mine… Now get in the car" forcefully pushing his daughter into the car and slamming the door shut.

And the sad thing, though his daughter, was that he was telling the truth. He honestly didn't care.

"You know? Reality is just an illusion of ourselves… is a thing we all developed to interact with each other everyday…. Who can say we aren't dreaming, or hallucinating or perhaps in another place being controlled by others we can't see? I know this sounds like a total messed up line, but… We are who we must be, and if you can't enjoy the moment then why you keep living? Don't you agree?" – Said a soft voice to his right.

"Not at all…. That really sounds totally meesed up." – Replied Terry, eyes shut and ears open.

"Yep, it is… But is the only logical solution I see in here… We are or dreaming or hallucinating or being controlled… And I am happy with that. Wont you?"

"Why I should be happy about anything in here? The sooner I leave this place the better…" – Terry was still sleepy apparently.

"This place is beautiful…. Is really a place to soothe your soul and find answers. I don't say it isn't ugly or bad or "evil" or I don't know…. But, where else you can find peace, quiet and time?"

"Time? What you mean by that?"

"I mean that in here, Time is like reality… is an illusion, a thing that doesn't really exist, yet it does at the same time. Is really hard to grasp the concept, but I know you know what I mean." –

She was looking at him, affectively and with a loving look., He didn't open his eyes to meet her gaze, nor he wanted to, he was exhausted and in truth he really didn't think there was another human being sitted next to him and the conversation was just a part of his dream. A very pleasant dream

"I'm not even sure when I get here… if I get here… Or I was always here? I can not remember, well, honestly I don't care the only thing I want is to….. well… I don't know what I want… Do you?" – Terry said

"Yes I do know what I want…. But like you I was confused a lot when I got here… you know, is normal, at least when you get used to it you start to appreciate the whole picture this place really is. I assure you'll like it, sooner or later."

"Im not really expecting that, I just want to get out…" –finished a drowsy terry

"You will eventually " – She said getting up and leaving him alone – "One way or another you will leave. But this place grows on you."

And she crossed the double doors into a sunny populated street called Bloch.