~ Storms of Neptune ~
Ch. 1
~ Dark clouds swarm the skies above the raging seas. Blue lightning crackles and sparks, searing through the clouds of Chaos.
Breathing in the essence of a mysterious presence. Surfing upon the back of a mighty blue whale, a trident in hand. She waves the trident summoning a tsunami of monstrous proportions.
Rising with the oceanic force, her heart pounds in her chest, senses on, instincts take over.
The clouds turn sickly green, parting to reveal the horrific glare of a greedy god. The stench of dead, rotting fish fills the air, making it hard to breathe. A ghastly haze hovers over the atmosphere. The god, mad with jealous rage manipulates his ocean swell.
Oil and water don't mix. Her thoughts race. Breath. Just Breath through it! If I don't breathe it won't make a hell of a difference!
The sea of life and purity clash against the savage, ravaging polluted sea of Davy Jones Locker.
As the Tsunami wave peaks, she and the whale are riding it high in the sky, the blue lightning strikes. Taking off flying up into space to confront the foe head on. Sands of time ticking by the hour.
She waves the trident in wide circles as if to trace the planetary orbit of Neptune around the sun. "Maelstrom Hadalcyclone!" A whirlpool whips up emerging out of the water, a swirling vortex of terror like an inside out hurricane. To the haunting song of the blue whale that echos out into the universal seas!
The Great Dark Spot of Neptune looms overhead in the fabric of the cosmos. As the moon rises in front of the Neptunian storm. Aligning with a mysterious shadow washing over it's surface in a lunar eclipse, turning it a radiant blue.
The storms of chaos get out of hand and the oceans surges her back to reality.
Breath, just breath! Breath, Wake up! ~
Michiru springs up in bed dripping in sweat, breathing heavy. " Just Breath…. Breath…. It's okay, just a dream…. Breath." She gathers her composure taking in a slow inhale and slowly letting it out.
"Another dream… no a nightmare…what do they all mean?"
Wiping the sweat from her brow with her hand. Still steeping in that mysterious presence, somewhat in a daze. She licks her lips tasting the salty sensation of the sea. As if that ocean had come directly from the depths of her soul. Seeping out of her skin from within.
"So confusing but so intriguing."
Michiru crawls out of bed to get ready for the day.
~
The bell rings its iconic intervals, Michiru listens with her well tuned ears. Already sitting at her desk staring out the window, pondering about the nightmare. I know it means something, try as I might I can't shake it.
I wonder if it means something bad is going to happen? Such intense energies, the images so vivid, it's seemed so real.
Teacher walks into class, " turn your books to chapter four where we will be learning about ocean zones.
Well, best get on with the day, no sense in worrying about it.
Michiru quietly opens her text book to the appropriate page. Curiosity strikes, looking over the pictures of the ocean. Captivating her wildest imagination, she starts dreaming of sea horses swimming around, whispering into her consciousness.
Two diagrams in particular catch her attention. The first one she observes reading the labels, going down in depth.
Epipelogic. Mesopelagic. Bathypelagic. Abyssapelogic. And lastly the Hadalpelogic zone, the darkest of them all. To think there could be trenches that go even deeper than that.
The second diagram shows the life likely to be found in each zone. Phytoplankton and zooplankton, the enchanting coral reefs and kelp forests all the way down to the angler fish and gulper eels of the abyss. Supported by the thermal vents in the depths that churn and release nutrients that supports life from deep inside the earth. How fascinating!
Such a resonance reverberates in her, Michiru can't help but ignore the teachers droning lecture. In favor of her vibrant and colorful imagination. The sea horses dance and sway in the oceans of her mind among the corals and sargassum weed floating from above.
Happy thoughts swim away with them fleeing for their lives as the fearsome image of the greedy god from the nightmare flashes into view. Disappearing just as fast only the disturbing energies refuse to leave her alone.
The mysterious presence banishes the god's polluted oceans. Revitalizing her energy in that moment, sensing the dangers passing, Michiru reclaims her calm.
~
"Hey Michiru! Glad you could make it." Elza waves her hand up in the air, flagging her down. In graceful strides Michiru comes over to the table situated under a green umbrella.
"It's always a joy meeting you at our favorite cafe after school, Elza."
Michiru pulls out the chair and sits, while setting her bag and violin down on the ground beside her.
The friends order their tea and sandwiches.
"So did you get me a ticket for your upcoming concert, yet? It's next weekend isn't it?"
"Here you go, one ticket plus a V.I.P pass to get you in back stage afterwards."
"Excellent, thanks Michiru! I promise I won't lose it."
"Well, I sure hope not, I can't get another one." She says fixing her sea green, wavy hair. "It's gonna be a full house."
"Have you hammered out that tricky passage you keep mentioning?"
"Just about," Michiru says, "polishing it to a shine."
"Great, love to hear that self confidence."
The waitress brings their tea and sandwiches.
Elza stretches her arms out, "On a sunny day like today, what could go wrong?"
"Enjoy this window of nice spring weather. It's only the middle of March." says Michiru.
"That's right, you just turned 14, how do you feel?"
"Hm, I can't really tell a difference but I suppose I'm a bit wiser than I was the year before. That must count for something."
Taking a sip of her tea, quite at peace till a strange chill comes over her. She swallows her tea going down in a heavy gulp. The innocent giggles of a little girl wafts in the echos of the silence. A shadow seems to loom over Michiru almost petrifying her. Unable to hold her composure anymore, just as she turns to look behind her, the shadow disappears.
"What's wrong? You look as though you've seen a ghost."
Michiru stares down at the napkin on her lap. Unsure how to find her words, she could not find an alibi and so opt to tell the truth.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you," she says sitting in her nervous fidgeting.
"I've been having these strange dreams and nightmares… mostly nightmares."
"Really, are they reoccurring or are they just random?"
"I wouldn't say they are random, they are all definitely related, but not the same," Michiru explains taking another sip of her tea. "I read the feelings loud and clear but can't explain it. Whatever is to come… it's going to be a doozy."
"Wicked… is there anything I can do to help?"
"Getting it of my chest certainly helps, thanks for listening to my crazy talk."
"Hey, that's what friends are for, Michiru, don't ever forget that."
~
Dinner over and with all her school work done for the day, finally Michiru can devote her undivided attention to her violin practice.
Humming the slurring sixteenth notes of her opener, Minuet, she makes her way into her practice room. Drinking some water to stay hydrated. Doing some arm stretches and neck and shoulder rolls to release tension.
"Time to take out The Marine Cathedral and tune her."
A string, D string, G string, and lastly the E string. Finishing it off with double stops running the bow across two strings at a time. Her sound now crystal clear.
Initiating her warm up routine with some long tones. Picking some easy scales like A, G, D and C major. Listening to her tone, exercising her muscles so they relax and are fit.
Reviews the scales needed in the pieces for her show. A major, A minor, G Minor. Mixing scales with rhythms and arpeggios.
"Now I'm ready. Minuet by Luigi Boccherini, ah, a breeze to play but never gets old."
Bringing her violin into playing position she begins. A favorite since her early violin lessons. As she has progressed over the years and is now a professional, this classic has become a go to opener. Gets the audience warmed up without exhaustion.
"Now on to Fur Elise by Beethoven. A total crowd pleaser!" Michiru begins the song and gets lost in the sea of absolute freedom, expressing her spirit into the Marine Cathedral. As if the violin is an extension of herself.
These songs so second nature she has them memorized to a tee.
"Now for a little break before I take on my last piece. All three movements of Vivaldi's Summer from The Four Seasons."
She drinks some water from her water bottle. Does a few stretches again to keep her body limber.
Picking up her violin and bow, rosining the horse hairs. Breathing into the right frame of mind. Organizing the movements in her head.
Coming to playing position she runs through the G minor scale. As competent at the violin as she is, Michiru can't help but still feel the intimidating weight of this piece. The other songs are cupcakes compared to Summer.
Like diving into the ocean, once she begins the first movement, she finds her composure. The music paints a picture of summers warmth. Michiru captures this imagery by creating a warm, rounded tone.
Pure immersion into the music. The velocity, stamina, and agility this music takes is a prime example as to what Michiru Kaioh is capable of on the violin.
Now moving seamlessly through to the second movement. The notes ebb and flow, but before long it picks up again to violent runs and once again returns to soft and sensitive breezy waters much like the many moods of the ocean.Then she comes to the calm before the storm.
Presto, embracing the exhilarating force of the third and final movement, Storm. Making some wrong notes, Michiru easily blends mistakes into the background.
The explosive runs of extreme sixteenth notes imitates the roaring savage winds of the storm in her nightmares. The vibes and images from that peculiar scene invades her mind, threatening to throw her off kilter but she embraces the challenges. Channeling her emotions through the music. Empowering her to round to the last measures and end with a bang!
Standing in the wake of her music breathing in the satisfaction. "All in all that was fairly good. The concert is exactly a week away. At this time next Saturday I will be on stage."
A few run throughs of the passages she knows she missed. She finishes her practice session pleased but tired.
"Knowing how to adapt in a live performance is key to putting on good show."
Proud of her practice, Michiru puts her violin away, safely tucking in the Marine Cathedral for the night.
"What awaits me in my dreamscape tonight? As insane as it sounds, I simply cannot deny the feeling that there is a greater purpose to this. My dreams are trying to tell me something, but what?"