A night without end

Waves in.. waves out..

It was a strange evening, filled with emotions Lira had never felt before. It appeared for a brief moment between stepping through an open door and sitting in a studio like room, Lira had met and greeted Ceasar but she had no memory. When she woke up to elaborate apologies from a man , aho introduced himself as Ceasar's manager Pablo. Pablo said Ceasar had to attend a dinner invitation and had just left. But since Lira was really tired from her first music session and the cycling in the storm, he wanted her to rest. 

Pablo noticed that despite an hour she did not come out, hence he woke her and wanted to drop her home. Lira felt like angool as she just could not remember anything of the first session. In her bad she saw a recorder with some lessons as a voice instruction to practise. But she must have practised as her voice was sore , as if she had shouted and not sang. May be the tutorial was really intense. But why did she fall asleep or why did she forget. 

She felt reluctant to take Pablo's help but it was too late and her silent mobile phone showed missed calls of her mother. Why did she put her phone on silence. She never did that.. must be for the lesson or was it. Why could she not remember how Ceasar looked. But that night after listening to her mother's frustration and worry at the one hour Lira was not reachable, Lira laid down on the maximum matress and tried to concentrate and remember. 

As she did that, a sudden memory slipped through her mind of a melody she used to sing as a child. A song her mother was entranced with, sh wanted to write her story on the background of a desert castle. But the story the song or melody gave was not a happy telling. Lira noted her mother's distress and slowly stopped singing. Today she felt like picking up her guitar and singing the tune. She waited for her mother to fall asleep, slightly angry at her. Then she tried to pick up the song on guitar. 

Yet she could not, then song was not simple, with sections that required deep musical sense and  instrument knowledge. But as she played the song in her mind, she remembered meeting Ceasar. His eyes were darkest black, darker than any stormy night waiting for the storm. It was as if the had known the absolute darkness and captured it within his soul. She remembered feeling guilty as she met him, of doing a grave harm to him. But that was a mistake as Lira had never harmed anyone. 

In the next weeks that followed , Lira confirmed her appointment on w******p and was often stranded in an open or a closed studio as Ceasar was never there. The lessons where detailed, his voice was magnetic, haunting and Lira found herself often closing her eyes and syncing into it. She kept recording her sessions but her invisible tacher was never happy. Slowly all thoughts were being taken over in her mind by the need to be perfect. Perfect to her invisible teacher as she could not stop herself from going to the classes, to responding to the demands of the teacher to come an perform in a vacant studio and then leave. Next day she received a detailed criticism of the places in her session where she slipped. Slowly she noted herself living for those recorded instructions , classes practise sessions and critics. She followed blindly other instructions too , like drink warm water, gurgle only warm drinks, nothing cold unless it is an exception. Infact that note was left on the studio rack hand written, Lira stored it carefully. She downloaded all the music Ceasar had created ever, from when he was declared a musical protigy at eight to till  today. Initially whenever understood then complicated pieces played on piano,while his songs were much more appealing. But slowly the music created on piano and very few on a violin, lipped into her conscious and semi conscious. Every waking hour and even in her dreams, she felt the music surround her and take her emotions out and give them a wake up call. 

Ofcourse her mother noticed the change. And she was not happy with the sudden burst of emotions Lira was showing . She held the musical classes responsible for the behavioral changes in her girl. Her mother wanted her to go out with her friends, have a party or two, check on some new courses in the university in her gap year and travel the world. "Leave this madness Lira. I donot know who Ceasar is or his music and I want to have a word with Hasi when he is back from his business travels as to why did he get you introduced to such a famous celebrity for musical classes ? Celebrities wear masks and I know this because when I was bound I had a crush on one who then turned out to be a child molestor."

Lira was feeling mentally tired and was trying to escape her mother who was upset and understandable so. Desperate for some semblance of acceptance from her mother, she started going out with her friends again, after quite a few months of silence. She deleberately missed a class , sending a message that she had promised to attend a friend party and hence needed the day off. She wondered all the while, why did she give the details. But she did. Even as music played in that crowded bar and people danced, she felt out of place and under dressed. She wore a decent dress but her friends who had planned this for long, were in matching shades of blue. She looked down as her dusty pink dress and wondered if she should have listened to her mother and bought something new. How could she explain to her beautiful mother that all she surfed on online sites were exotic dresses from exotic lands, long sorts that danced as she walked.. down the terrace of an ancient fort. While her friends were good to have her and the birthday girl Sarah even reassured her with, the more the merrier and you were my first invite, Lira started to feel deeply out of sync. She listened to their chats, had finger food and even danced a little with Nico. Nico was their basket ball captain , one year her junior and always amazing boy. Lately wherever he went there were followers, something which amused Lira, for she remembered Nico is dampers as for the longest time he refused to let them go. That Nico was also Sarah's friend was a surprise and not an unpleasant one. While Nico's father and her won had been friends, they had distanced themselves from Lira and her mother after her father's death. Nico however had always been warm, at times too warm , towards her. As she sat down post a dance with Nico and saw him being dragged away by Sarah, she felt Sarah wanted her also because of breaking the ice with Nico. 

She was thirsty, but she did not want to drink cold beer. It will harm your voice.. the almost disembodied words flowed in.. She shook her head to clear it.She had heard such voices many times and ignored. Today however she was listening to her invisible tutor, but not completely. She giggled to herself and held on to a glass of chilled and took a sip. Suddenly it seems the temperature in the bar dipped by degrees, the lights dimmed and the scenes changed.. give me some water.. begged a voice.. a scalding hot water was poured on his eyes..  Lira screamed and ran down .. tried to run down.. "Cut off her tongue.. throw her out.. let her bleed to death..she should have never been born .. NOW." The harsh voice called back, " when you are at it take off her jewels and dress her in the p********e's wear.. she is one.. just like her damned mother.. " The first voice roared, " Not her. She is an in innocent." 

The King in his regal wears came out and looked a his son," Tear off her tongue. She is not your daughter but mine.. and you knew it on the day she was born. " The Prince dragged out a dagger and ... 

A strong pair of arms gripped her, "Princess .. Rajkumari.. relax.. No one will harm you again. I am here.. " The soft , mesmerizing voice lulled her to sleep. She rested her head on the chest and all went dark. The man shielded her from the light. His dark eyes shone sinister like to others but to her, his arms felt safe..safest. He looked up and saw a pair looking at him with confusion. He breathed out his anger. He had known what had happened but had not known too.. Today he knew that he was not betrayed by the Princess. He put his hand on her back and held her safe as he felt people approach them with different degrees of anger, puzzlement and confusion.