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The Manor Project Chapter 58

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The moment of silence that followed the crash seemed oddly unwelcome to most of the inhabitants of the large ball of living things that now lay at the foot of the stacked mattresses.
    The lack of the fast-paced action music that had only recently filled the air seemed to leave a void that was quickly filled with a light tinkle of a mysterious, yet calming, tune.
    'Who the hell is making that noise?' Steph said, still staring at the pile of human and animal that was slowly coming to life before her. Every now and then she would glance at the five pound note that peeked neatly out from Green-hair's hand, but she was mostly concentrated on the smooth sound of light strings that was slowly filling the air.
    'I am!' the voice of Xen erupted from the pile as his head, now human, lifted up and looked around.
    'No you're not,' Chalky replied quickly, grabbing harshly at his shirt and using him to pull herself free from the pile. She took a step away and brushed herself down before glaring at the five people that had worked to soften their arrival. 'Straighten up, people. We have a visitor.'
    The pile slowly unfurled to produce an instantly distracted Doug, an only slightly less easily distracted Xen, a slightly off-put Digi who was fixing his hair and one mystery person. The last one to leave the pile - who did so by allowing the pile to leave him - was sat on the floor with a content look on his face and slowly swaying from side to side as he played a cheerful folk piece on what appeared to be an authentic lute. The music continued as the man sat in the centre of the room, seemingly oblivious to the people who were stood around him giving him looks of varying emotions. All of a sudden, three people spoke at once.
    'Who have you brought in with you?' said Steph
    'Where on earth did your piano go?' Chalky asked
    'Uh... Hey... You're kind of pretty,' came a voice from the back of the room
    The Manor residents turned slowly to regard Lauren, who was blushing and looking off to the side. Chalky shook her head and turned to Blenderina who had taken a large chunk off a table that she had been standing next to. The fairy had a grimace on her face and was cocking her head to one side.
    'Excuse me,' she said in a polite, but grating, voice that seemed to imply some sort of internal struggle. She quickly left the room.
    The room was silent for just long enough for Xen to pipe up, 'Diarrhoea?' this comment earned him a sharp blow to the face as Chalky then turned back to the visitor, who was still playing music on the floor.
    'You should be safe from any of the monsters that were following you, while you're in here,' she said, walking to the entrance to the kitchen and flicking the switch on the kettle. 'Now how about you tell us why they were following you.'
    'And you can stop playing that music.' Steph added.
    The group moved through to the lounge and lost Green-hair, who wandered off to do something presumably more interesting and Bio who curled up on a nearby chair with a sketchpad and a pair of headphones. They sat down around the visitor, with Lauren sitting uncomfortably close to him and with Chalky on his other side, with Xen sat on her lap - now a turtle.
    'So...' Lauren said, still avoiding looking directly at him, 'What's your name?'
The man smiled at her and fidgeted with the lute that he held in his lap. 'My name is Johann. What's yours?'
    'She's Lauren.' Chalky provided, saving her friend some discomfort. 'Do you know why those monsters were following you?'
    Just as Digi came back into the room after feeding Doug, Johann nodded sadly and looked at his instrument. 'It's a little more complicated than you'd think.'
'Oooo...' They heard Steph show minor signs of interest and turned to see her opening up a bottle of vodka and taking a seat.
    'Well I guess I should start with my instrument. Yesterday I came across an old lady who saw me carrying my guitar and asked me to play her a song.'
    'I hate those old ladies.' Xen said quietly.
    'I obliged and played her a nice song that I learnt from my old music master, a few years ago,' Johann then struck a chord and began playing, on a guitar that had replaced his lute, what seemed to be theme music to enhance his story. 'I finished after a few minutes and she said thank you, but before I could leave, she asked me to play another. She then asked me to play again and again. I was there for at least two hours before I twisted my guitar behind me and said "No more." I was tired and my fingers hurt and I couldn't play anymore.'
    'Oh no.' Lauren said, pretending terribly to sound hurt. She placed a hand comfortingly perhaps too high up on his thigh.
    Johann hesitated for a moment though he did not stop playing, before continuing his story. 'Suddenly enraged by my refusal, the woman screamed and raised her hands like so,' he cast his hands out in a twisted spell-casting fashion, 'and she shouted "I CURSE YOU, YOUNG BARD! THAT YOU HAVE NOT PLAYED FOR ME TODAY IS AN AFFRONT TO AN OLD CROW LIKE ME! FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, YOU MUST PLAY MUSIC FOR ALL TO HEAR! AND HEAR IT THEY WILL, FOR YOUR MUSIC SHALL ATTRACT THE SIMPLEST OF MINDS WITH A FEROCITY THAT SHALL MAKE YOU REGRET EVER APPROACHING ME!"'
    'Serves you right for approaching a creepy old woman,' Digi said, shaking his head and earning a glare from Chalky.
    'Since then, I have been unable to stop playing this instrument for very long in the day - otherwise it gets angry - and I've been chased by-' he looked to Chalky, Xen and Digi and finished, 'Well... You've seen for yourself.'
The next thrilling chapter of The Manor Project, as written by me again. Hope you enjoyed it. :D

The Manor Project - (c) :iconchalk-heart:, :icongrabyourshovelanddig: and now me.
This piece - (c) me
© 2012 - 2024 Xen-yakodo
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