The forgotten promise

As he was muttering about being friends with her, she looked at her watch to look at the time. As the clock hit three, she stood up and looked back at him. He looked at her and thought he was going to be screamed at, but she just took off her AirPods from her ear. She then gathered her things and she left the classroom. Outis's face turned red as he was embarrassed about how he was chattering to himself for a whole hour.

But then he followed her outside and walked beside her with a huge distance. “Were you wearing those since the starting of our conversation?” he asked her. “No, but I did wear it after 5 minutes of you talking non-stop.” she said. “Thank god that I wasn't talking to myself for an entire hour.” he sighed. For some while they both were quiet, peacefully walking. Then they entered the forest path. Even when it was afternoon, it was dark in that path. Carmia felt like something was calling her, so she looked back. Then she saw a vision of her past.

Her mom was teaching her to hold the violin. “You should keep your posture straight and position your left hand at the end of the violin's neck, before the struts. Hold the neck between your left thumb and forefinger, as if you are pinching it. You don’t need to hold it too tightly, or you will cramp your hand. Curl your forefinger onto the top of the neck.-”

“Mom, it's very hard to learn. Let's do something else like-like, what about painting? Yes, let's paint.” said little Carmia. Her mom laughed it off and said, “To be honest, you need practice in drawing more than you need it on playing the violin.” Carmia pouted her face as she heard her mom's words. “Promise me will never leave playing the violin until you will win the world championship, then only I will leave you.” said her mom as she put her hand in front of her. Carmia nodded and took her hand. Then the atmosphere  changed as the scene. This time Carmia seem to be crying with a lot of wounds on her body. “I won't leave you until you get this piece right otherwise, you know that I don't like a person who makes mistakes.” shouted her mother with a stick in her hand.

Then again the scene changed as Carmia seemed to be at the age of 10 with violin in her hand. Staring at her mom with tears  in her eyes. “You are the worst child a person can ever have.” shouted her mom again. “Well, if I am the worst child, then you are the worst mom. You never let me play with my friends, always told me to practice. Father was way better than you, but sadly he is dead and that's all because of you. I hate you, mom! I hate you.” Carmia shouted back at her mom and tears were running down her face. Saying this much, Carmia ran away from there as she was wiping her tears. All the people there looked at her mom with disgust and anger as they murmured, “What a bad mother is she!”, then suddenly her mom grabbed her chest. She slowly loosed her balance, falling down to her knees.

Then, as if nothing happened, she was back in the forest. She couldn't believe what she saw. Then she saw her mom again, but this time her mom was humming the song she always used to sing to her. She stared at her mom, then a small child which looked very similar to Carmia came running to her and hugged her. Then her mom, hugging the child back, started humming the song she always used to sing to Carmia when she was small. Then she stared at Carmia and smiled.

The humming grew louder and Carmia fell on her knees, started shouting, “STOP IT! STOP IT!” on and on nonstop as she covered her ears with her hands.

Then she was brought back to reality when Outis started shaking her, “HEY, ARE YOU OKAY???”

Carmia then came back to her senses as she stared at him with tears in her eyes. “Are you okay?” he again asked, but this time with a calm voice. Her tears broke as she hugged him and kept on saying, “She is here. She will kill me.”

“No one is going to hurt you, calm down.” he said.

After some while, after everything was calm, he asked her what was wrong. She answered him, “You asked me why I left violin, right? Well the reason is that when I was 10 or in other words 3 years ago, my mom died because of me. I was the reason she died. The one who gave birth to me, the one who taught me to play violin, died because of me, because of my words.” she said and tears came rolling down from her eyes. “Ever since then, I promised myself that I will never touch the violin.” she continued.

“And now I think her soul haunts me, as I see her in my dreams every day and-”. Before she could complete her words, Outis interfered in the middle and said, “What if there was a promise you forgot to fulfill?” as he looked at the stars.

“A promise?” she asked.  “Yes, a promise. Maybe you made one with your mother and have forgotten it right now?” he said. Then she remembered the vision she saw just a few minutes ago when her mother was teaching her to hold the violin.

“Well, I did promise her to play the violin until I win the World championship. You think that is the reason of her still haunting me?”

Outis snapped his fingers and said, “Bingo, of course that's the reason of her haunting, you dumbass. Haven't you heard the rule of never breaking a promise, especially the one you make with your mom?”

“So, I win the championship, she will stop haunting me?” she said with excitement, but it withered away as she realized that winning the championship isn't a piece of cake. “But it will probably take years.”

“It might take 10 years or so.” he said. “But don't worry because I know that you will make!”

“It's not as easy as you think.” she said.

“So? What kind of game is fun if it is easy to win?” he said. “That's true but-” before she could finish her words, he again interfered, “No buts or ifs! We, no actually, YOU will win, and I know it.”

“Let's be friends.” she said out of the air. “WHA-” before he could complete his words, she again said the same words, but sounded more forceful this time.

Outis face lit up as he heard her words and quickly accepted her offer.

“Okay, this is awkward.” she said. “Are you not used to have friends?” he asked.

“Maybe.” she answered. “Loner” he whispered to himself, but she accidentally heard him. “Excuse me!”

“Excuse you!” he said back.

“I must say, you are pretty annoying.” she said. “And I will take that as a compliment.” he said with a smile.

“Okay, that aside, you need to work on your violin lessons. You have not forgotten how to play it, I suppose?” he said.

“Well…about that. To be honest… I don't actually know if I still remember it. I mean, it's hard learning the notes again, you know." she said.

"Wait“, you copy the notes????" he” asked. She nodded her head and smiled with embarrassment.

"The“heck-You are supposed to play it with your feeling rather than like a machine, if I am right." he said, questioning her. "That“ is true, but my mom told me to play it just like the original, then only we can win any competition." she said.

"That“ is true but… But still."  he took a deep breath.

"I am“ not even sure what to do now." he” went into a deep thinking, "Let’s first teach you how to put your emotion into music. That's the plus for wining for the people. If you win the people's heart with the rhythm of your music, connecting with your emotion." he said.

"Is“it is hard?" she questioned. "I “know nothing about music, so I don't know. But, it shouldn't be that hard."

”Let's first get back home, I am too tired to stay here. We shall start our discussion tomorrow."

”Okay, but don't forget to practice or search about how to show your inner feeling to someone with music whether if it is sad or happy." he said and they both waved goodbye and went to their ways.

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