20050610

Hungry Bassist

A lowly bassist got off the bus with nothing but a shirt and a jacket to cover a valuable instrument. Because of this, the neck and the head are able to show the four knobs with only three strings. Two years ago, the first string was broken when the bassist was trying to learn how to pop a note from that string after the slap on the topmost string. It hasn't been replaced ever since. But this didn't stop it from playing music that's most beautiful to the bassist -- nevermind that some people heard it as nothing more than noise. It never occurred to this bassist that he should make music to present as a gift to the world. To this bassist, one's music should be a present for the self. The bassist opines that music should be appreciated by others only by coincidence. Selfish it might seem however, to someone deprived of an obsession, so is the rest of the world.

With just enough money to buy two cheap pieces in one of those small bakeries that's already closed, a three kilometer walk began. The bassist slips, and almost fell flat to the ground from a slippery slanting sidewalk. Even while falling down, the bass was prioritized and was raised to make sure it won't be the first one to hit the ground. This was inspite the fact that this bassist hasn't slept for almost three days, -- save the bus ride, -- hasn't had a decent meal for half a day, and has been longing for water for two hours.

However tired, sleepy, hungry or thirsty, the bassist still persisted to walk home on a seemingly endless path. The bass held on the right and bag clutched on the left, the bassist started to hallucinate. Visions of a beauty that can never be had rushed to the mind like cold water falling down a falls. It didn't come a straight stream tho. It came like packets on a Distributed Denial-Of-Service attack -- unceasingly coming from all directions.

Memories. A pretty smile. A face immitating a fish. A secret of some old conflict. A thirty minute barf. A view that one is only either fabulous or unfabulous. A futile eight-hour search for a gown. A startling scream that was caused by a bald head just a few inches from the door. A cute voice asking what movie it was again that has Gary Oldman in it. A tendency to overreact on little things. A habit of sleeping with at least one limb hanging off the bed. These, and some more, are all from a girl that has been in the bassist's mind for years.

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