The cage where I resided was as silent as the dead one, so silent that I could clearly heard the drop of water touching the ground. Blue mixed with black color painted around the wall, I suppose this was what cage should looks like. The silence resounding inside my cage roam like a living voice, unheard yet preserved.
Giggling sounds broke the silent while my eyes flared with a bit flame. The flame was directed towards the blind princess sitting in another cage across from mine.
"I never really thought that we would end up in a same room yet different cage…"
She smiled sheepishly with her sight directed towards me as if she had a pair of eyes.
"Got a problem with that?"
I said harshly…
But she didn't falter …
"No … instead … I am happy …"
"You don't need to get involved with me…" Although our cage looked far, but inside this room were only two of us, so my voice could be delivered well to the other side.
Her face tilted up when she noticed my attempt to break the silence, "If you go to jail … no one is going to play for me …"
… so that was her reason
"You could always find another person"
She showed another smile as I spoke so, "yes, but I don't think it will be the same as being with you…"
Words stopped flowing out at once; it was as if the last statement she spoke has placed a seal over my mouth. In reality… I didn't know what words I should say. I leaned back against the wall before I got the ability to spoke again …."Then it was your own fault for entering my world… you are making this hard for yourself" the mouth spoke but my eyes switched away from her face. Not that I dislike her, it's just I didn't wanted to look at her face right now.
"You are warm …"
Warm?
I could tell the smile was lurking back to her lip. I didn't understand myself, people said when you saw the person who was what you used to be, you will become disgusted with her. Then at the moment why those quote didn't affect me? She was like the reflection of my past, naïve and stupid and I hate it whenever I thought it would lead to another tragedy.
"Don't be ridiculous, how could you tell when you don't even know anything about me" I said again with bitterness in my voice while still keeping my tone monotone.
"I know"
You know?
"Stop lying"
"I don't"
"Its nonsense"
"It isn't"
"…"
"…"
"Then what kind of theory could proof your words about me" My eyes directed back towards her
"I could feel"
"Feel?"
"From your words … it sounded kind and caring … so I could tell when I hug you, it will felt really warm…"
I was taken aback by her words which sounded more like nonsense and stupid yet … it caught me off guard. It's my luck that she was blind, or else …. It would really hard to explain what happened to my face right now … I didn't want to show her my weakness.
…
…
…
I opened my eyes as the ray of light hit it. It's those dream again … I wonder why lately I kept having the same dream.
When I tried to move my body, I felt something weighing the side of my body. The cause belonged to the little princess who was sleeping on my lap, now I remember …I must have fallen asleep in her room. Then I remembered the dream which I have earlier where both of us were caged within a room in a different cage, in which we could only spoke to each other behind the iron bar that restrained our freedom.
Somehow it felt real, yet in the end it was just a dream. On that moment I saw something wet dropped down from her eyes. Strange … how come people could cry when they were sleeping, perhaps it was something inside her dream which triggered her emotion.
The purring sound came from her tiny lips which sounded like a whimper of an abandoned kitten. The sly little kitten woke up and smiled when the first thing she saw in the morning was me.
"Good morning, I am sorry I guess I fall asleep …" her hand wiped the small wet drop which stained her eyes.
"The same goes for me, this is your room after all …"
The memories within the dream hit me the moment I heard the giggle sound coming from her. At that time she also let me heard the same sound.
I stood up preparing to leave but her hand tugged on my shirt.
"Are you going to leave?"
Was she questioning me? Cold stare was all I could give to her, her tug loosened thus making me able to leave at once. I left the room without glancing back, not even a slightest moment.
…
…
…
I wonder if she also had the same dream. Her face before looked as if she was gonna cry. Something struck me as I shoved my hand inside my pocket. More likely it was like a sort of realization came hit my mind.
…
…
Shit
I took the wrong cellphone
There was no way this green colored phone was something I own, it's completely destroy my image as the demon of clockwork alley. I sighed … just when I thought that I could find another place to play with yet now I was restricted back to her.
Partly, I blamed myself for being so stupid as to take the wrong cellphone. The other part I blamed upon that house for existing in the first place, if I didn't go there perhaps I won't undergo this kind of change. It's pretty annoying that one little girl could change the way you behave only in several weeks.
I sighed for the second time today … one more visit to that place…
"YOU GOT MAIL"
The screen blinking few times followed with vibration in my hand. I flipped open the green phone.
"I guess we both took the wrong cellphone ehehe ~ wO"
The first thing which came into my mind was … how could she able to text when she was blind? But the fact about getting back my cellphone was much more important now, I would care less about how she did it.
"I will take it back, just wait there"
I flipped the phone back, but the phone vibrated again just a moment before I put it inside my pocket.
"Wait, right now I am not at home, could you give it back another time?"
"When?" I texted
The phone flashed one more time signaling my text has been replied, my eyes was wide open when I read the text. Not because it was too scary, the content of the text was just … too stupid …
…
…
…
"Daddy, that man looked strange …" said a child pointing at the ash haired person while tugging her father's tuxedo.
Her father smiled, bending his body to the level of his daughter, "What make you say that, sweetie?"
"Cause … his hair is gray …"
Dell could definitely hear the little girl's remark about his appearance but he could care less about people opinion. Rather he could already predict someone would eventually point it out as he openly attended this huge banquet, dressing in tuxedo with his ash hair sticking out among black haired men. It was not something strange that people could easily spotted him, he could only hope anyone who just found him could mind their own business and stop staring at him.
While sipping on the bloody red wine, his eyes found the lost kitty he was looking for. Green hair sticking out among the grass of women, a nearly childlike body, she was the opposite gender of his situation. Some people stared at her with humiliating looks knowing the girl was blind. Some snickered, some whispering, making fun of the fact she was wearing the white bandage to cover her eye part. Although blind, the girl could tell which spot she was able to walk to but she could not tell to where she walked.
From the corner of his eyes, she just looked like a princess in fairy tale came alive. Like a Cinderella being looked down by her stepmother and stepsister. The stare from the rich women around her were same like how Cinderella's stepsister looked upon her.
Suddenly the ballroom was filled with classic music, all feet moved in their position. Everyone inside the room moved towards their position. Those nobles knew the sign when the music was played. They move gracefully while the clueless Cinderella was still wandering aimlessly, not knowing what to do.
The princess was alone inside her black world, the entire world was mocking her. Not even sympathy was given, her hand swayed searching for something among the dark. But all it could felt was void. Her rigidness could no longer stay further as tiny droplet of water called tear was struggling to fall. She felt helpless, useless. The music has started … and she still didn't know the spot where she stood.
Was she standing at the edge? At the middle? A bit to right?
The helpless girl could only clutch her hands on her white gown, wrinkling the beautiful silk. The cold breeze blow by signaling how empty her surroundings were …
Suddenly she could felt something warm crept into her hands. The weight inside her hand was slowly drained by it, she could felt it as if her hand was floating. The warmth took form into a more concrete object, it's moving … and on top of it … it was gentle. Her left hand was stretched forward, while another warmth crept on her waist. Without she realized, the warmth increased …
The warmth holding her left hand took form into a hand … gently each of its fingers passed by the hole between her fingers. The materialized hand on her waist pulled her body forward little .. by .. little … towards the source of warmth. Her feet gliding carefully as she was being pulled forward till she bumped into a broad chest. She could tell it was a boy, having confirmed the subject, all imaginary formless warmth which she could not tell before became clear.
The left strong hand which caressed around her waist, the right gentle hand which its fingers softly embraced her hand. The warm steady breath which tingled the surface of her earlobe. She could not stop the heat rising to her cheek as the unknown figure has become real. It might be illusion, but her skin could not agree with this statement, knowing that they felt something which was more real than an illusion.
The music kept playing inside the ball, she didn't knew where she was, right now all she could felt was the tenderness radiated from the person who hold her. The music then slowly made both of them move, little by little their body swayed following the rhythm of the classical piece.
The invisible thread of music etched into their body, controlling their body like a string which controlled a puppet. Soon the other puppet followed the movement of the string gracefully. The Blind Princess felt safe as she was being hold in a kind hand. She felt she was drowned inside the pool of calmness which enveloped her.
But suddenly the puppet she was dancing with stopped moving which made her noticed its odd behavior. The strings were still attached to both of them yet the puppet didn't obey the way the string ordered it to. Both puppets were attached to the same string which controlled their movement, if one should break free, it will surely affect the other.
The puppet who played with her stopped its movement so does she. With her sightless vision, she gazed at the puppet standing in front of her. Her face formed the expression of someone filled with questions.
"I am not supposed to exist here"
With those words, she felt the puppet released her hand. At each sound of its step, she could felt the puppet drifting further from her.
The warmth has left her …
…
…
…
The music string continue playing, making the puppet dance on its own will. The ballroom was filled with it, having all the puppets waltzing. But one broken puppet refused to obey the string attached to her. She stood at the balcony having her back turned against the room filled with happiness.
The blind puppet faced against the cold breeze of wind blowing against her. The same wind she always felt every day inside of her room. The music string inside the ballroom was completely unheard from outside. All she could felt was the night breeze and the sound of rustling leaf brushing against the air.
It was in that moment, that she could felt another sound joining in at the moment. The blind puppet smiled as she could felt the sounds she was familiar with.
"This looks more right…" the blind puppet said while showing her smile.
The tingling sound soon fused with another sound, forming a rhythm to create melody thus in the end formed together as music. And obviously she knew the puppet whom played the music. The sound produced from guitar when it touch its finger, the puppet was as if had been made to be a musician. The blind puppet know this, it was one of the reason she enjoyed the musician puppet's performance.
Both the music played inside the ballroom and the puppet was same and both were beautiful to listen. But somehow she prefers to listen onto his music than the music being played inside the ballroom.
Blind puppet indeed could not have sight of how beautiful the world was. But blind puppet has the advantage of being able to imagine beautiful word through their other four senses. She never thought of being blind as a curse, it was a gift instead. The music which entered her ear made her completely forgotten about the dark world she resided in. She could felt it was no longer a dark world, at the moment … it was the world created by the music he plays.
The resonating melody danced in the air as if they were concrete object. In her mind though, they were not abstract at all. She could felt the air dancing with the melody, leaf whirling around decorating the dance stage, rhythm synchronizing within the vast field. Everything was possible inside her world of imagination.
She only hoped that this world won't disappear soon … but the wish was impossible …
Human could not live in illusion …
Time ticking …
Minutes passed …
The song ended ….
The world disappeared …
Her silent world where rustling leaf and breeze blowing exist has returned. The smile vanished from her lips, exchanged with expressionless face.
"Is it the end?" her tiny mouth spelled out those words with a hint of hesitation and … fear …
The grey haired puppet stay silent …The banquet had already ended a few minutes ago, all that left after she return to that room will be complete darkness. It does not make difference though with her sightless condition. It's just this time when she return to it, her surrounding will also became void.
Dell has no intention to reply her question. He was not even interested to claim further in the beginning. The boy just wanted her to return his cellphone … that's all. And the girl made it so complicated by inviting him to this banquet.
"Give back my phone …" he stated monotonously
His eyes open wide as he turned around to look at the face of the Blind Princess.
Tears falling …
But the lips smiling …
For each tear which dropped upon the ground she tried to smile harder than she could …
The musician puppet could not comprehend …
What the princess felt at the moment …
Tear of joy?
Smile or sadness?
Which one was it?
"I want to show you something" Gumi give him one last big smile before she disappeared into the darkness of the ballroom.
Seeing the princess fade to black, the astonished boy ran inside the building. The moment he stepped inside that room, he could felt the difference of this world and the world outside. The world inside was a complete darkness, he felt like he was in her situation. It made him remember how dark his past was ….
The feeling of void could be sensed on the surface of his skin. The nightmare … the pain …
The memory was just being played back once again …
He would cry surely …
If he was Len …
But he knew he was Dell …
Dell was strong and rigid. He was cold … he knew how to stay strong …
That was what Dell supposed to be…
One light shot out from above among the darkness. He turned around looking towards the direction where the light showed him.
As the light shine above the stage, he could saw the Blind Princess sitting in front of the white grand piano decorated with flower.
Her delicate fingers were pressed gently on the tune, starting with one finger then that finger accompanied by another; they start to press the tune one by one. The voice sounded like a small prick of ice bashing against each other. But this tune was not cold, it was warm …
Just like how she could gently press the key, the voice produced was what reflected her emotion. Her lip slowly opened as she started to sing …
Hi.. mo .. wo toite mieta kokoro no oku
Dareka no tame ni jibun wo kizutsuke
Chiisana … kono te de .. mamoreru you …
Tsuyoku tsuyoku negau hoshi no .. nagareru yoru ni …
Yozora ni … suikomareru ikusen … no matataki
Itsuka anata ni … todoke ni yukemasu youni ..
Kono uta … ni noseru ne egao … no tane wo
Itsuka … anata ga … hana wo sakasemasu youni …
His expression didn't change at all; it was like nothing could falter him. Not even the slightest stagger showed in his eyes. His bang covered his eyes at the moment, not it would make much difference because the princess could not saw him after all.
"What do you think?" The Princess asked,
The grey haired boy does not seem want to answer her question though. One light step allowed him to enter the stage, basking under the same light along with the princess. The loud sounds of his footsteps made her flinched, the imaginary world has ended making her return to her boundless dark world.
Her smile faded knowing her music could not reach out to him. Seed of sorrow planted inside her, she wished that she could repay him for always playing for her. But her talent was not enough for it. Hesitantly, the Princess shoved her hand inside her pocket while she could still hear the footstep getting closer.
She felt that he might be standing in front of her sooner to take back his phone. Her hand shoved forward before her finger opened showing the thing they accidently exchanged.
In a moment of seconds, her hands stretched towards void, the shifting sound of his footstep grew closer and louder a bit before she felt something warm fell atop her head. She could felt his warm big hand patting her head, ruffling her hair. Gumi could felt her cheek getting slightly warmer with his finger gently combing her hair. The girl felt like a child for being patted like this. His presences somehow like a big brother for her …
…
…
…
Her room was never been a place where the lights always visited, but it was also not the place where the darkness could always stayed. The lighting inside her room mostly like a light from firefly which struggling to shine in the end of their lives. Strangely, for her it was the most comfortable place she could belong. She could lie on her bed, swaying her leg back and forth behind her while embracing her rabbit doll comfortably.
For Dell though it was a mystery, mystery to both this room and his behavior. The softness presence somehow could still left from delusion on his hand which ruffled her hair earlier. He won't tell her, but he need to be honest to himself that the feeling of touching her hair was something enjoyable. Looking at his hand right now made his hand ache to touch her hair once again. Or does it only hair the spot which he wanted to touch?
The Princess giggled while hugging her rabbit doll tighter, suppressing herself when she was overflowing with happiness never has been her forte. When happiness filled her heart, she could not stop from the smile forming on her soft lips while her heart could not stop beating in rapid speed. The constant giggle somehow was the result of her inability to hold her happiness.
"Could you stop giggling like that? It started to get annoying." Dell was slowly finding himself being annoyed with her sound, even though he was contradicting with himself.
The girl flinched a bit when he commented but nevertheless she could not reply anything to him. The girl just simply hugged her doll tighter and hides her face, trying her best to hold it this time so that it might not annoy him. She was just afraid that he might leave her again.
For the boy though, his eyes tried to comprehend her weird behavior so he tried to gaze at her shivering form which was giving her best to suppress her giggling. Small indeed, but he could felt his lip was also trying hard to form a smile as the reaction seeing her cuteness. His honesty though made his eyes darted across the ruffling green threads flowing from her hair. The delusion still able to reform on his hand, his brain froze at the moment like he was entering a trance. Right hand moved slowly reaching the waterfall of green threads with each seconds felt like eternity before it slowly moving closer to her hair.
DING DONG
Dell retracted his hand immediately with the loud bell ringing; the girl also noticed the bell door ringing which caused her to rise from her bed.
"Ah it's must be my friend "the girl giggles came back as she slowly descend from her bed.
The grey haired kid stood up, he intended to move his feet towards balcony but was stopped when he felt her tugging on his shirt.
"What?" he asked with cold tone,
"I … I … I wanna introduce you to my friend … don't go … please …" she begged
It would be a problem if her friend recognized him as the resident of the grey alley, but at the same time, he also though that perhaps they won't be able to recognize him with his hood covering his face.
"MILADY ! YOUR FRIENDS HAS ARRIVED, I WILL LET THEM PROCEED TO YOUR ROOM LIKE USUAL" Rui shouted from downstairs,
Dell casted another glance towards Gumi whom gripped his shirt tighter.
"Be quick" he said before he patted her head once again, the girl looked at him with dumbfounded expression when she realized what she just felt. The face quickly turned into a happy face. The princess proceeded towards her bedroom door while Dell could hear clearly the sound of footsteps getting closer.
Gumi smiled and greeted the guest happily,
"Come in ! Rin, Kaito and Miku !"
Disclaimer : I do not own the song mentioned here
Song : Hoshi no Nagareru Yoru ni