Fantasia

LXXVI

Their steps echoed throughout the hallway as Brett and Eddy walked down the bridge with the dozens of music sheets. They reached the corridor, which was home to the two big paintings, passed by them and finally got to the endless staircase.
Brett looked up the marble steps leading upwards.
"Shall we try it here first?"
"Why not? Maybe there's a secret door somewhere on the tenth floor."
Brett snorted. "Imagine it'd be on the fiftieth floor and we'll never find it because we're too weak to climb so many."
"Oh my God, that could be an actual scenario!", Eddy laughed.
"All right then! Let's not waste any time!"

Step after step, meter after meter was put behind them and it didn't take long for Eddy to notice the shortness of breath, reminding him of the embarassingly high number of days where he'd left out his morning run.
"I hate stairs", Brett mumbled at some point, drawing a chuckle out of Eddy.
"Gotta do physio when you wake up."
"You bet! How do I look by the way? Is it bad?"
Eddy bit his tongue so he wouldn't blurt out Beautiful. Instead, he settled with, "A bit thin and pale, but other than that, you look like you're sleeping. The machines around you, that's something else..."
Brett flinched visibly. "Do they have to feed me and stuff?"
"Well, feeding, obviously, but they were able to take you off the oxygen. Your brain activities increased and that helped, I guess. Makes it much better in my opinion."
"Man! It's so weird hearing you describe my body in that state. It's like you're talking about someone else."
"I know", Eddy groaned, "It's kinda weird to see you there like this and talk to you here."
"I can imagine. I guess it'll be like this for me when I meet you outside."
"I hope you'll still remember me."

Brett stopped in his tracks, as did his breathing. Eddy turned around to see blank panic overcoming Brett's features a few steps behind him and immediately regretted the stupid last sentence he'd mindlessly let pass his lips.
"Oh, Brett! No..."
"That could actually happen, couldn't it?", Brett muttered without blinking once.
"No, Brett. I shouldn't have... of course that's not gonna happen!"
"Why wouldn't it? I forgot everything when I landed here, didn't I?"
"Yes! But for all we know, that could have been your mind shutting down for a bit, protecting yourself so you could heal." That explanation actually made a lot of sense, Eddy found in a small corner of his brain which wasn't feverishly trying to find a way to calm Brett down.
"But what if I don't remember you? What you did for me?" The last word thinned out, diminuendoed into nothing.
"That doesn't matter!", Eddy exclaimed and grabbed Brett's shoulders.
"How could it not?", Brett called, louder now, his lower lip trembling, "Eddy! What we went through here..."
"Yes! It's important! Hell, the most important things in my life happened here, in this dream! All the stuff I realized... but all that matters is you waking up right now! Nothing else! You understand? I'll be there, on the other side. No matter how much you'll know about me. And we'll have time to create new memories for you to cherish, okay?"
Brett searched Eddy's eyes, Eddy could practically feel it. And then, his eyelids fluttered up and down, wiping away the giant fear that had dominated Brett's gaze just miliseconds ago. Eddy exhaled, loosening his grip on Brett's shoulder.
"Okay...", Brett finally said.
"Sorry for being an ass and saying stuff I really shouldn't."
"Nah, it's fine. You're preparing me. It's okay."
"It's gonna be fine either way, I promise."
When Brett smiled, Eddy knew he'd got his friend back on terra firma. He smiled back. "You good?"
"Yeah."
"Sure?"
"Yeah", Brett nodded.

They started climbing the staircase again. The first floor was as doorless and yellow as it had been before. The second was a miss too, but then...
"Dude!"
"What?", Eddy yelled back.
"There!" Brett pointed at the end of the hallway, where a single, wooden door glared at them.
"That wasn't there, right?"
"Nah! For sure not! You have no idea how many times I've wandered those halls."
Carefully, they approached the door as if it could jump at them any time.
"Should we do scissors, paper, rock to decide who has to open it?"
Eddy sniggered upon hearing Brett's suggestion.
"We used to do that all the time."
Brett grinned. "I remember."
They stood in front of it, Eddy's heart beating erratically and threatening to jump out of his throat. Brett gulped, laid a hand on the golden handle and pressed it down.

The door opened with a creak.

A/N: Sorry for the late upload. I'm on holidays currently 🙈.