Fantasia

V

"Sis, something's changed!"
"Eddy? Are you alright?", the worried voice of his dear sister Belle rang through Eddy's phone.

She was the only one Eddy'd told about his dream, once hoping she could help because she was one of the few people who really knew him.

That hope had soon been crushed to pieces when he learnt she'd been as clueless as him.

"I think... I had that dream again!"
"Oh, okay? The one with the hill?"
"Yes! And remember how I told you it's always the same? Nothing ever changes?"
"Yeah?"
"Well, something was different this time!"
"Eddy... slow down! Did you just wake up? It must be like... 4 a.m. in Singapore?"
"Yeah, yeah, not important!"

He heard a heavy sigh at the other end of the line.
"What changed?", Belle asked, sounding defeated. She'd provably would have liked to tell him to get the little hours of sleep that were still left. She knew Eddy got up at an ungodly hour to get himself so ready for a shower by running his ten kilometers.

"There was music...", Eddy began, trying to recall the exact scene as his memory of the dream was slowly slipping away from him.
"What music?", Belle asked after a while of thought filled silence.
"I don't really know actually. I mean, I didn't recognize the melody, but like the tone... it was kind of familiar."
"Okay? And was there music during the whole dream? Like some background music?"
"Nah. It appeared and got clearer when I stepped to the mirror..." Eddy brushed through his hair and scrunched his eyes shut in order to remember it correctly.
"And was there something in the mirror then?"
Eddy shook his head to himself. "No. The usual white, grey kind of thing."
"Mhm...", Belle made, clearly trying to analyze what Eddy'd just said.
"And you know the crazy part actually? I didn't hurl."

There was silence on the other end and Eddy already thought he'd lost connection, when his sister made a surprised "Huh?"
"Yeah! Right? I mean, I'm glad... But it's weird..."
"Wait... Eddy... why hurl? Why are you saying you didn't have to? Why would you even?"

Eddy stopped in his tracks, his eyes becoming bigger and bigger as he realized his mistake.

He had told Belle about the dreams. But of course, he hadn't told her anything about what always happened after he'd wake up from them.

Shit!

"Uhm... never mind... my tongue slipped or something...", he tried weakily, sounding terribly unconvincing even for his own ears.
"No, Eddy! Tell me honestly now, what did you mean by 'didn't hurl'?"
Eddy laid his head into his free hand and sighed, defeated.
"Don't tell mum..."
"I can't promise this, Eddy. If she should know, I'm gonna tell her."
"No! She'll make a fuss, you know that!" And he really couldn't have that right now. He had enough shit to deal with.

Bland, boring, but nonetheless important shit.

"Eddy... You know I'm just looking out for you", Belle tried to soothe her little brother.
"I know...", Eddy said, genuinely believing it. His sister had always been taking care of him, even though she was a professional pianist, living more or less on the other side of the world in the capital city of the United Kingdom.
"Look! I'm not gonna tell her if it isn't like life-threatening or something."
"It is not!"
"So you don't need to worry!"
"Okay okay..." Eddy took a deep breath, before he explained, "whenever I have this dream, I normally have to, well... hurl when I wake up."
"... Jesus!", Belle made, the shock clearly audible in her voice, "What? Like, every time?"
"... Yeah", Eddy admitted reluctantly.
"But... you've been having those dreams for what, like months now?"
"... Yeah."
"Jesus!", Belle said again, "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't think it had something to do with this at first. I simply thought I was sick. I went to the doctor, so no worries. It's being taken care of!"
"You sound like it's some business matter. It's your health we're talking about, Eddy! And months? That's way too long! It could be dangerous!"
"It's fine! As I said, I went to the doc already. I'll get the results soon. And it didn't happen this time!", he tried to bring them back to the actual topic.
"Still... God, Eddy! You really need to take better care of yourself! How can you just wait for such a long time before you actually do something?"
"I thought it would go away eventually. And it did! I was good this time!"
"Promise me you get this treated properly if it comes back!", Belle ordered in her firm, typical big sister tone.
Eddy sighed. "I will!"
"So, back to your dream. What do you think, all of this means?"

As if Eddy hadn't been pondering over this question during their whole conversation.
"I have no idea."
"I mean... music. Why music?"
"Aren't you the musician? Can't you tell me?", Eddy yawned, the exhaustion catching up on him.
"I'm not you. Have you been playing your violin again recently?"
Eddy froze.

Violin. His violin. The violin!

"Belle, the sound in my dream..."
"Hmm?"
"It was a violin!"
"Wha... you sure?", she half yelled. Eddy hoped for her sake that she wasn't in some professional environment or something.
"Hundred percent!"
"Oh, wow... well, have you been playing it then?"

His violin. It was sitting in his old, brown leather case put in a corner. He had brought it to Singapore alright, three years ago, when he'd scored that position at the firm he was now over a video call interview, but he'd never touched it. Barely even glanced at it when he walked past by.

Funny, how a once beloved thing could grow to be almost foreign.

"No", Eddy finally answered, blankly staring in the direction where his instrument slumbered.
"Maybe you should?", Belle suggested carefully.
Eddy let out a heavy sigh. "I don't have time, Belle."
"Music might help you in your busy schedule, little brother. You have way too much going on at work!"
"That's exactly why I don't have time for this! It's a waste! How would playing the violin benefit me in any way?"
"It might help solve your mystery dream", Belle used a more teasing tone. The one she put up whenever she wanted to challenge him, convince him to do something he didn't want to.
"You think so?", Eddy frowned. He seriously doubted that. But then again, the one thing being different in his dream had, after all, been violin playing.
"It might. It's better than sitting around and do nothing, isn't it?"
"Maybe..."
"Oh, Eddy", she sighed, "Look! Get some more sleep first and then you can still figure things out, okay? Please look after yourself! Don't make me fly over to Singapore to take care of you!"
Eddy smiled lightly. How very typical for his sister to end a conversation like this.
"I will."
"Or worse. I can make mum come look after you", she threatened mischievously. Eddy's eyes widened in horror.
"No, please don't!"
"Just kidding!", she chuckled, "But she does care for you, you know? Talk to her from time to time. She complained to me about you never calling, last time I spoke to her."
"Belle, you know we have a... complicated relationship", Eddy said, running a hand over his tired face.
"I know. But she's still your mother."
"I feel like you've taken over that role."
"Maybe a little? But also just because you're not talking to your actual mum. Alright! Eddy, go to sleep!"
Eddy sniggered. "Okay mum!"
"Take care."