Stand By Me
Yup, another bonus chapter! The more reviews I get, the more of these treats I'll post. This one is based on the oldie-but-goodie by Ben E. King.
When the night has come and the land is dark,
And the moon is the only light we'll see
No, I won't be afraid—oh, I won't be afraid
Just as long as you stand, stand by me.
You are here with me; I can see you among the swirling colors that make up this place. I call to you; my voice rings, echoes and multiplies through the void. You can hear me; I can tell because I notice you hesitate; you are obviously affected. My shouts continue, desperate to hold your attention, to keep you close, to keep you safe.
Oh darling, darling.—
Stand by me, oh, stand by me
Oh, stand, stand by me, stand by me—
Being in the core of your thoughts is a full assault from all directions. You usually keep to yourself, so I have no way of knowing what's going on in your mind. Purples, greens and dark blues spiral around me as I continue on, your words occasionally floating about. I'm transfixed by the sound of your voice—animated, excited and pleading all at once. It seems to grab on and hold fast, and I put up no resistance. I've always enjoyed the pleasure of your company, and this is no exception.
If the sky that we look upon should tumble and fall
And the mountains should crumble to the sea
I won't cry, I won't cry—no, I won't shed a tear
Just as long as you stand, stand by me—
Energetically, happily, I throw my voice and my thoughts in every direction, hitting you from all sides. Not only can you hear me, but also you can sense the emotions in my words. I never thought you'd understand, or even care. But without speaking to each other directly, we can still connect, we can still share, and we can still express our love and devotion. As you journey on, I follow close behind, generating green outlines of myself. I'm starting to feel apprehensive, though I don't know why. Maybe because you'll leave here soon, and I don't want that. My occasional thoughts turn into pleas, urgency creeps into my voice, as genuine fear sweeps through me. Fear of loneliness, and fear of what's ahead for you. I want you to stay with me, to hold me, to show me that everything will be all right. You can't walk away from me. You can't…
So darling, darling…
Stand by me, oh—stand by me
Oh stand, stand by me, stand by me…
It's as if someone has decided to take a knife and gut me. You become more and more desperate as I keep walking, begging me not to leave, to let you come along. Your panic briefly immobilizes me. That's when I see a crowd of your outlines chasing after me, reaching for me, and a big outline of your face seems to propel itself in my direction amongst the twinkles of lights. With each new plea, my heart wrenches, reeling from the very thought of me abandoning you. I will die ten thousand times before even considering such an abhorrent thing. As long as there's breath in my body, I will always be here—to love you, to comfort you, to protect you.
Oh darling, darling…
Stand by me, oh—stand by me
Oh stand, stand by me, stand by me…
A whisper in the void calms the storm within me. It's you; I know it's you! I instantly feel reassured as you tell me that no matter what, you'll always be here for me. The road ahead is less foreboding now, less rocky. Whatever lies in store, I'll stick to you like peanut butter and jelly. I'll look out for you, just as you will for me.
Whenever you're in trouble—
Won't you stand by me, oh—stand by me
Oh, stand, stand by me, stand by me…
Before I leave, I turn toward your green outline and capture it in an intense bear hug. You melt into it at once, pulling me against you so that our hearts beat in tandem, and for a magical moment, we are one entity. Ending the embrace is the last thing either of us want to do…
We're here for you, bro. Always…
Ditto…