Free Fallin'
(Hi everyone. So, Let's just get these points over with nice and quick. First off, the title is from Tom Petty's hit song of the same name. It's a fantastic song and I love this man's music. Secondly, the poem is not my own writing and credit goes to Doctor John Cooper Clark, a British Performance Poet. And finally, this may end up being a long one. That's why I'm rushing through this Authors Note. Enjoy!)
"Hi there, Leyon!" A smiling Monika greets me, as I walk into the club room. I nod at her, still not entirely sure what to make of my new home. I'm settling though.
"Ooooohhhh, Hey Monika." I return, finishing a yawn. I hope it's not too obvious I'm absolutely shattered. I didn't sleep too much last night. Four hours? Maybe five? I'm not entirely sure. Wait, why am I asking myself if it's not too obvious if I'm tired or not? I just yawned, of course it's obvious.
"You didn't sleep well, did you?" Monika asks me, now about a foot away from me, looking… Disappointed? No, I guess sad would be a better way to describe the look on her face. "Look, don't try too hard today, okay?" She adds with a reassuring tone of voice. "I know you had a conversation with Sayori last night, so I know you're… troubled, to put it, mildly."
Mildly is a nice way of putting it. At least Monika understands that.
"And honestly, I don't think anyone could blame you? So, if you want to just go home, I'll understand." Monika finishes, smiling with her eyes closed. She's trying so hard, for me and for the club, that to just go home on my first day wouldn't be right.
"Thank you, Monika." I finally say to her. "But with all due respect, I have a poem for today, so I'll be sticking around." I add, with at least half a smile. "If Natsuki or Yuri ask, I had a nightmare and had a hard time getting back to sleep."
As I say this, Sayori walks in and sees how tired I am. She looked concerned when we walked to school and that hasn't changed. "Leyon, are you sure about this?" She asks me in that lighter than air tone of voice. She's sweet, and it's nice that both her and Monika are concerned. At the same time, however, I must make the effort for them, just as they're making the effort for me.
"I'm sure. Look, I really appreciate how much you two are caring for me, but I have to return the favour to you." I say, putting my arms across their shoulders and hugging them. "I swear I'll be fine, just as long as you two are here to support me."
Both girls smile up at me and nod. "You can count on us!" They both reply at the same time, enthusiastically. My god, that was adorable! I hug them tighter and smile, genuinely and warmly, for what feels like the first time since I got here.
"Thank you. Both of you." I say to them, before I give them one more tight hug and letting them go, taking my bag off my back. "So, I have a poem, and I have another idea for a club activity. But I'm also hoping we do something with it outside school hours? Like, a day on the weekend, say?"
Monika looks puzzled, but also kind of happy. "Leyon? Are you asking me to come over to your house?" She asks, thinking I must be joking. Even Sayori starts giggling. Yuri and Natsuki walk in together at that precise moment, both with very quizzical expressions on their faces.
I just nod back at Monika. "Yes I am. As well as Sayori, Yuri and Natsuki. One day in the weekend, we can all gather at my home for a Literature Club activity outside of the school."
"If you think any of us are going sign up for some kind of Harem, you can think again?!" Natsuki interrupts. Monika looks mad. Sayori is shocked. As for Yuri, she just sighs in disappointment. And me? I just laugh. Honestly, I predicted something like that.
"Natsuki, please." I say to her, calmly. Getting mad and arguing with her will only escalate things to a level that it really doesn't need to reach. "I'll explain more after we've exchanged poems, but we can make a start on my idea today, in the club, if that would make you a little more comfortable?"
Natsuki seems surprised by my response. Was she expecting me to get defensive? I guess that's what the players avatar would have done. Hold on. Does that mean Natsuki's self-aware, too? No, Leyon. You're overthinking it. In any case, Natsuki seems to calm down and nod, wordlessly and shyly. I guess that's her way of apologising to me.
"Okay, everyone!" Monika calls out. I was looking forward to hearing her using that catch phrase of hers. It's pleasing to hear. "Let's share our poems first, for a change. It sounds like Leyon has a big plan for us!" She adds, pulling out her poem for the day, as do I and the other girls.
Who should I show my poem to first? I guess I haven't had a chance to speak to Yuri, yet. Yeah, let's make her my first choice. As I walk up to her, she shyly takes out her poem. "H-hi, Leyon. How've you been?" The question I was dreading. Well, no time like the present to try my excuse.
"I won't lie, I had a rough night, last night Yuri." I pause for a moment for a short, quiet yawn. Perfectly timed, body. I can feel Monika and Sayori's eyes on me, listening intently. Hopefully, they're just gauging Yuri's response and not just trying to work out whether that yawn was fake or real. "I had a bad nightmare and couldn't back to sleep, immediately."
Yuri looks at me sympathetically. "How horrible for you." She says, softly. "I understand how that feels and I appreciate the fact that you're still here, regardless. Thank you."
She's thanking me for showing up, really? I guess it speaks to my character, or something. "Uh, you don't need to thank me for that. If anything, I should thank you for accepting me." I respond. Yuri looks flustered. And starts playing with her hair.
"I-it's really nothing…" She struggles out. I smile back at her to reassure that everything's okay. "I'm looking forward to seeing what other activity ideas you have for the club. It's good to know that we have creative types among us." Yuri adds after a momentary pause, finding her confidence again. "I took the time to listen to that song you suggested we analyse the lyrics of. It's a fine song."
I can't help but feel happy about that. I totally forgot I brought that up yesterday. I know Sayori didn't listen to it, she was with me. Monika might have done. Natsuki… I'll have to ask. "Thank you, Yuri, that means a lot to me. I'm looking forward to tomorrow, now." I reply with an upbeat tone in my voice. "Anyway, would you like to read my poem, now?" I ask, completely forgetting what we were supposed to be doing. Yuri nods and takes my poem from me.
I Wrote the Songs.
I wrote the songs that nearly made the bottom line of the hit parade.
Almost anthems, should-have-been hits.
Songs like Putting Off the Ritz.
Some Enchanted Afternoon.
24 hours From Levenshulme - in Manchester.
Dancing in The Daylight. Singing in The Smog.
You Ain't Nothing but A Hedgehog.
Ain't No Blag. Mama's Got A Brand-new Jag.
She Ain't Heavy, She's My Sister. Not to mention Twist and Whisper.
Brand-new Leopard-skin Pill-box Glove.
Baby, You and me Got A Greasy Kind of Love.
Yuri goes from interested, to slightly giggling to laughing, breathlessly, holding her stomach. She takes a seat and takes aa moment to compose herself. "Well… That wasn't an approach I expected from you." She says, sighing and catching her breath. "Wow! Okay… Well, the comedy and references to popular songs are more than evident here. It's simple, but effective. And when you're looking to make the reader laugh, that's what you should go for. Good work!" She adds, smiling and going back to read the poem a few times, trying not to laugh again. I look around the room and the rest of the girls look intrigued.
"Well, thank you, Yuri! I must admit, on top of my love of music, I'm also a person who's a fan of stand-up comedy. From legends like Billy Connelly and George Carlin, to more current comics like Dara O' Briain and Jimmy Carr. So, I want my poems to be able to make people smile and laugh." I inform my lilac haired friend, who nods along, not able to say much about it without laughing again. "May I ask, what line was it that really got you?"
Yuri, now noticing all eyes are on us, suddenly goes shy again. "Y-you ain't nothing but a hedgehog." She murmurs out. "I know the original song, it's a classic. And to see it written like that, well…" She finishes her sentence off there. Honestly, she doesn't need to use her words. Her face tells the whole story. "Anyway, would you like to read my poem now?"
I nod and take the poem from her. Honestly, it's what I expected. Very melancholy and metaphorical. It's at that point I realise it's Ghost under the light, the first poem Yuri shows the player at the beginning of the game. "It's strange… There's a very familiar feeling coming from this poem." I say to her with a half-smile. "I like this poem a lot. The use of ghosts as a metaphor is very clever."
Yuri shy's away again, playing with her hair. "I-I… I didn't expect you to get that right away. That's impressive." She responds, stuttering. I smile to try and comfort her and she smiles back. Eventually. "Thank you for sharing with me." She adds, before turning to Sayori.
From there, I share my poems with the other girls and the reactions are what I expected. Sayori needed a drink and some tissues to dry her eyes, she laughed so hard. Monika found it funny, but also maintained her composure. And Natsuki didn't get it because listening to classic popular tunes seems cringy and stupid. At least she complimented me on sticking to a theme, so I guess that's something.
A moment or two passes, before Yuri brings out some tea and we're sitting around the desks again. Here I am, once again, between Monika and Sayori, right across from Yuri, with Natsuki at the end. Monika finally breaks the silence. "So, Leyon. You mentioned you had another idea for a club activity?" She asks me, before resting her elbow on the desk, her hand meeting her chin and, my god, her eyes are amazing… No, stop, don't get distracted.
"Ah, yes. Yes, I did." I go to my bag and rake through every possible book, before finding the one I'm actually searching for. What hit's the desk is a three-hundred-and-sixteen-page hardback book, with the words 'Player's Handbook' emblazoned in white on the front. The cover is mostly coloured orange with some form of giant in what looks like combat with warrior woman with a spear. "So, this is a Role-Playing Game, or RPG for short. It's a game of collaborative storytelling and playing a character. I thought this would be good for the club as both a bonding exercise, because of the teamwork it requires from all players, including the Game Master. But also, because it would be interesting what sort of characters you create."
The reactions are split. Sayori and Monika seem excited, one slightly more apprehensive than the other. Yuri has an expression that can only described as pensive. And Natsuki looks horrified, like I did describe a harem. "Okay, I guess now's a good time to answer some questions, so, let me just get a few easy questions out of the way. No, there is no limit on the backstory of your character. Yes, there is combat, and a lot of luck involved as it comes to dice rolling and, no…" I pause to look at Natsuki. "No, it's not even remotely sexual, if you don't want it to be. If you want a very manga type hero, that's what you can make. Anything else? The floor is now open."
Sayori smiles and claps, like I just gave an inspirational speech. It's a little odd, but not discomforting. I nod to her. Monika nods at me, which I can only assume is her way of giving me the go ahead. And Yuri nods, but is still curious about what's happening in game. Natsuki reluctantly raises her hand. "How… do we play the game?" She asks, timidly. So, she's interested? That must have been hard for her to ask, but she would hate me for making a big deal about it. Instead, I hand out character sheets from inside the book. I printed them out around lunch time. I hand out the three-page sheets to the girls and one for myself. "Ans why do you have a spare set of sheets?" Natsuki adds with interest.
"Well…" And as I start to answer Natsuki's query, the bell rings. "Well, I'll have to answer these questions another day, it seems." I try to hide my disappointment, but my fellow club members don't look to happy about it. Even Yuri and Natsuki, who were more apprehensive to start with.
Then Monika stands up and looks around all of us. "Well, why don't we all go over to your home, Leyon?" she asks in a suggesting tone. The rest of the girls look at Monika, surprised. As do I. I didn't expect her to go so bold with this. But Sayori is the first to make up her mind about the idea.
"That's a great plan! We can hang out and get to know our knew club member, better. Hang out, outside of school hours, and continue to do this character creation, which is super fun!" She suggests. Natsuki seems reluctant, but nods in agreement. And Yuri nods, as well, but seems happy to join in on the fun.
"Well, alright then." I say, sighing. In truth, I'm actually very happy, on the inside, they want to spend time with me outside of school, which is great. "Let's go then."
And thus, today marks the day I sold my soul to the ladies of the Literature Club.