She left us in grim silence, soon broken by Willow’s giggling.
“Cherry’s trying to scare us,” he said unconvincingly. “Things have always been tense near the Dark because of the Divine entropy.” He leaned over so the candlelight would flicker ominously over his face. “I hear people who cross the border can go mad and stay lost for eternity!”
“I was already scared! Don’t make it worse!” I whined, rubbing my temples.
Piranha patted me on the back. “Everything scares you. Don’t worry, we aren’t going all the way to the border anyway.”
Sharp slammed her glass on the table to get our attention. “Worrying is a waste of time. Right now, we should pay attention to the mission at hand. The sun is setting soon!”
“I almost forgot!” Willow blurted. “Hey Cherry! Do you know where we might get our hands on an orchestra gourd? We only need it for a few hours.”
The owner poked her head over the counter. “Tonight? Our house band leaves its instruments here on off nights, but that one is the most complex. I’m hesitant to lend it to an amateur.”
Willow’s childlike laugh kept the ATMOSPHERE warm. “Oh Cherry, you judge too quickly. Amateurs? Don’t make me laugh! The four of us have enough skill to make it all the way through the Deep Dark if we wanted. I have no earthly idea how to play an orchestra gourd, but my dear Badger here has been playing since he was four!”
She looked at us and asked, “Is this boy always like this?”
Piranha and Sharp said, “Yes!” in perfect unison, which made me spit out the last of my sun-wine.
The owner took on an affectionate smile as she stacked the last of the dishes on her arm. “You kids are interesting. Why do you need an orchestra gourd at this hour?”
Willow scrambled a few gold flats from his satchel. “Come by the fountain at sunset and see for yourself.”
She made a tentative promise to be there. We said a brief farewell before leaving with the instrument, trying to beat the setting sun.
“We don’t have much time,” I said, tuning the gourd as we walked towards the edge of town, “so let’s find somewhere to practice.”
The orchestra gourd was a unique and complicated instrument, but it could make amazing music in practiced hands. The oblong shape gave it percussive capabilities, while the sides were outfitted with instrumental strings and carefully crafted acoustic holes. It was ugly to look at but not to hear. Mama Robin taught me to play, and Willow’s advanced ear for music allowed me to master it. It was my precious, secret talent.
One practice session was enough to make us giddy with laughter. The people of Summit Town would be amazed by the incredible style of some common Valley kids. We headed back to the fountain, but I stood back a few yards, watching. Piranha and Willow argued with Sharp about which notes she could make drumming the bone-blades on her percussive armor. They were so engrossed, none of them noticed when I disappeared.
Was it special to gaze upon the unsuspecting souls of my friends? Or was it an invasion of privacy, like looking upon a secret they didn’t want to tell? I was too curious to resist, resolving to ask forgiveness before permission.
Willow’s golden soul was magnificent, swirling with lines of sky blue, identical to the color of his favorite wind scarf. Piranha’s dim light was fuzzy and warm, a fiery shade of orange. The souls often conformed to personal preference, a theory supported by Sharp’s silver light, colored in some places like cut jewels and emitting thin rays of white. All of them rotated at the same speed, in the same direction, set to the same motion.
I reappeared before anyone noticed.
Sunset was fast approaching. The lights in the business windows had been illuminated, and the glittering town bustled with all sorts of people, including tall, armored Warriors, Valley people in practical farm clothes, as well as some bright-eyed Wild people with grey skin and ash-black hair. I resisted the urge to turn invisible again and escape the nerves churning in my stomach.
Suddenly, an idea came to me. I pulled Willow by the scarf so I could whisper it in his ear.
“Hmm…” he pondered, leaning back against the fountain. “Are you sure it will work?”
“I know it will. I’ve been testing my power non-stop for the last few days.”
“What are two going on about?” Sharp interrupted.
“A way to improve our performance,” I explained. “My voice can’t be heard in the Unseen Dimension, but I can still make noise. I think the audience would be able to hear me play the gourd invisibly, at least if I start with the percussive.”
Willow’s eyes illuminated. “You’re a mad genius, Badger! We’ll need to adjust the plan a bit, but we’re not out of time yet!”
The other two agreed with this new idea, and we figured out the blocking in time for the sun to kiss the horizon.
“Places everyone!” Sharp commanded, and we dispersed to different sides of the fountain.
Once I was sure no one was looking, I disappeared with the orchestra gourd, and discovered the Unseen Dimension was brighter than the day. Every soul of every person in Summit Town created a mess of multicolored lights, a spectacle of humanity’s beauty.
Willow was the brightest soul in the crowd.
I played the first notes, and all the souls reacted in different ways. Some changed colors, while some became brighter or dimmer. Many of them moved about, looking for the source of this strange new noise.
The soul of my City friend flipped onto the lip of the fountain, a pleasant melody created by her instrumental bone-blades. It was a thin weapon, a short kind of rapier made with dull bone on one side and deadly sharp silver-steel on the other. Certain points in her armor corresponded to certain musical notes. Centuries had passed since any war on the Vast United Continent, so the term ‘Warrior’ had lost the violent connotation in place of a more whimsical one.
A blinding light jumped out in front of us, all the way to the top of the fountain. I gasped, forgetting I was supposed to be in the middle of playing an instrument. Willow’s soul was now twice as bright, putting all others to shame. He sang like dripping honey, and for a moment, every soul connected.
“Can’t move on, can’t move on
‘Til the sun
Goes Down.
Can’t go home, can’t go home,
‘Til the sun
Skips Town
Can’t go out, can’t go out,
