Day 104 - Simple Song of

 Simple Song of

 Matthew Ryan Fischer

 

“Irene, I need help. Pick up the phone, Irene. Irene! Pick up the phone!”

Gary left a message. Irene was not home.

Years ago, Irene would sing little songs and Gary would feel better. Gary thought she had a magic voice. Irene would wink and say he didn’t know the half of it. Gary thought she was cute, and considered her his best friend.

That was years ago. Life pulled them in different directions and time was the great divider.

A friend of a friend sent Gary a video and that was how he discovered Irene was singing her songs, but now to much larger audiences. Irene was a storyteller and her songs touched the heart and pierced the soul. She sang slow and she sang fast, soft and loud. Each song was a new chapter, a new style, a new message. He never knew she had such talent or such desire to pursue such things.

Some people have dreams. Some people chase them. It seemed as if Irene was making them true. Gary thought to reach out, but something always stopped him. He had a perfect memory of who she was and how she fit into his life and he didn’t know who this new woman was, but he didn’t want to spoil the past.

Helena mumbled little verses under her breath and hummed little tunes as she walked. Her mother had taught her to sing, but she didn’t want to be loud and she didn’t want to be noticed. She had goals that were best left secret until fruition. She was happy to influence the world around her, without great effect to the rest of the world. But then one day she learned of Irene.

Helena was impressed, but baffled as to why she would put on such an ostentatious display. It was one thing to learn to sing, it was another to do it so blatantly in front of the whole world. Perhaps it was arrogance, thought Helena. Or naiveté. Irene was rewriting lives, building emotions, creating dreams in others, and she was doing it where anyone could notice. Helena didn’t stop to consider that Irene might not know what she was doing. That was an inconceivable thought. Anyone with such skill, such power must be aware of who and what they are.

Helena decided that in order to protect everyone else, Irene had to be stopped before any outsiders realized what she was doing. Helena had never killed, but if Irene couldn’t be reasoned with, she might have to learn how. There was a song that was rumored to exist, and perhaps it was time Helena start practicing.

Gary didn’t have any special abilities, wasn’t talented musically and had never had any creative energy. But he did love the skills of others. He loved lending his support and helping the dreams of others come true. Over the years Gary found himself surrounded by a series of talented people. He was always meeting painters and writers and singers. Most of his friends had passionate hobbies, building or creating crafts of some sort.

Gary didn’t know why he attracted so many talented people when he wasn’t pursuing anything of this own. They would tell him what a great friend he was, a rock, an anchor, a foundation. He didn’t mind keeping them grounded in the day-to-day if it meant they got to do something incredible in their spare time. Many of them said it was his help that inspired them to chase their dreams, to achieve like they had never achieved before.

Gary thought more and more of Irene. She was the most successful person he had ever known. It broke his heart a little that he couldn’t share it with her, if only just a little. He wanted to be happy for her, and he wanted to tell her how much her music meant to him. She probably heard that a lot, but he meant it. He felt it and it was real.

Helena was on a bus to Los Angeles when she bumped into Gary. She could tell instantly that he was an amplifier of some sort. She took the empty seat next to him and engaged in casual conversation but could quickly tell that this man had no idea of the special abilities he possessed. During their three days together, she also learned that Gary was a childhood friend of a singer. How interesting, thought Helena.

As they reached the outskirts of Los Angeles, Helena hummed a little tune and Gary fell asleep. She didn’t need him interfering with her plans and couldn’t risk his innate ability accidentally strengthening Irene if they were all together.

Gary woke up to the bus driver nudging him. He was the last one aboard and it was time to go. He felt strange, almost sick. He wondered what happened to the woman he was talking to for so long. They seemed to be getting on so well. He thought that perhaps there was a bit of a spark there. Apparently, he was wrong.

Gary got off the bus and wondered how he would find Irene and what he would say when he did. He wanted to say congratulations. He wanted to say he missed her. He was worried she wouldn’t remember him. But he was getting ahead of himself. First, he had to find her. And that would require a bit of effort and luck in and of itself.