In the end, we are all performers
What a beautiful day for a bike ride!
Natalie Portman and I took out the tandem bike for our adventure, and our two other friends were riding alongside. The sun was out, the birds were singing, and the smell in the air was oh, so fresh. However, further along our trip the roads became muddy and we started slowing down. Natalie's foot slipped off the pedal and with an OOMPH, we are face down in the mud! The girl's behind us couldn't stop in time and with faces tense, fell over us. All four of us looked at each other covered in mud and started laughing. A few moments later we decided to head back to the house.
On our way home, I noticed these girls were absolutely perfect. Shining and luscious hair, soft voices, elegant posture - everything about them seemed so surreal. Why were they hanging out with me? How did I know them? When we arrived at the house, they started heading towards the basement to go shower. And you may be thinking, "Oooh, a shower scene with four beautiful girls." Unfortunately, it's not that kind of shower scene. The basement would be better called a cellar - dark and musty, with cement walls and floors. The "showers" were actually gutters positioned towards the center of the room and we all took turns cleaning the mud off of us. The water was brown and full of debris, so I couldn't tell if I was any cleaner before or afterwards. But the uncleanliness wasn't the worst part - it was the cold. The water was freezing and the basement felt like an ice box. Feet arched, I walked around on my toes and heels to avoid stepping on the freezing cement floor. I started shivering uncontrollably and one of the girls strode towards me with her model legs and white, blonde hair flowing behind her. She said with an incredibly nasty tone, "You really need to control yourself. You will make our kind look weak." Our kind? I looked back at the other girls and realized how incredibly pale their skin was now. They stared back with black eyes, and smiled at me with plump and bright crimson lips.
I hear a bell ringing in the distance. I close my eyes and the bell rings again, loudly this time. I wake up. It's time to get to my next class. I must have dozed off! I scramble to get my things together, throw them in my bag, and head out into the crowded hallway. I'm thinking of those black eyes when someone grabs my arm and pulls me off to the side. It's a very stern, older looking man - I can't stop looking at his horrible comb-over. I'm there with a boy, who obviously doesn't know why he is there. The man stares at both of us for a moment and states:
"You two need to stay in school for a few more years. You've been chosen to learn a top secret company's highly intelligent machinery and it's language. "
As to which I respond: "I really don't want to pay for anymore tuition."
The man raises his eyebrows, "You have no choice."
Well, since I had no choice, I attend my first top secret meeting. The room has a long conference table, and at the end of it is a projected screen. It flickers on and a polished-looking man in a gray suit starts speaking about the company, mutants, genetics, and secret codes. I'm not really paying attention because as I looked down the other side of the table, those three girls I rode bikes with earlier are there. They are all staring at me - not smiling this time. I shift uncomfortably in my seat and face the projected screen again. But they get up, and start walking towards me with a look that makes me get up and start running.
Running for your life makes you do the impossible. As I ran away from these beautiful yet deadly women, I jumped from building to building, scaled walls, and dodged through traffic like a high-scoring Frogger gamer. However, one of the girls manages to jump in front of me (that gorgeous blonde), and I punch her square in the face! I am absolutely terrified that I punched what may be a real monster. Before she can do anything, I'm being dragged away in handcuffs.
The next day I'm at my second and last top secret meeting, who happens to have in attendance, Heath Ledger. Heath and I are given notices to leave, but they also decide to throw us in prison. Prison is a stage. I'm not being metaphorical- it's literally a concert stage when we arrive. They clamp on our chains, pair us with another couple of prisoners, and direct us to the instruments. With no other choice, we start performing. Mid-song, I go to the piano and begin my solo. It is a slow and beautifully sad tune. When I finish, it is so quiet that you could hear the audience breathing. At that moment, I recall my day with the bicycle ride, the secret meetings, the beautiful monsters...I watch those memories crumble and drown in the deep silence. I start sinking into the black sea myself, wishing I could be there forever. But we all know that nothing lasts forever, especially these serene moments of peace.
I'm pulled out of the sea of silence as it's disrupted by the clanking of chains. It's Heath. He sits down next to me on the piano bench. Leaning in, he whispers into my ear, "Will I ever have a chance to be with you?"
I look into eyes, and then I look out into the audience. It's as though they can't look away. I take a deep breath, turn back to Heath, and kiss him as the curtain falls.