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“Uh, Kris, you good?”
Kris wished that they could give a reply to that. But, when you’re possessed by a SOUL that controls your every move you don’t really get the chance to reply to much.
Kris couldn’t really do much of anything at the moment.
For some inexplicable reason, the entity controlling them is making them stand still in utter silence.
The atmosphere of the graveyard didn’t help the awkward situation.
“Listen… I miss the Old Man too,” Susie muttered, looking towards the nearby grave. “So uh, what I’m saying is… if you need some time alone I’ll just go wait by the church. Okay?”
Kris watched as Susie slowly walked away from view, before it was just them at the damp graveyard.
Them and…
Focusing, Kris forced their hand into their very being and pulled the SOUL out of them. They carelessly threw it to the ground and freely moved over to the lone bench.
It wasn't often they got to sit down on their own recently. Maybe they should start cherishing that more…
Kris gazed over at the SOUL, still floating by the Old Man’s gravestone…
That was unusual, at least for the little Kris knew about the entity.
“You’d usually have said something to me by now…” Kris mumbled. They weren’t sure if the SOUL could hear them from where they were. They didn’t care.
The SOUL seemed to flicker for a moment, before rotating and floating to the bench and taking the spot next to Kris.
Kris groaned. They shouldn’t have said anything.
“Sorry,” the SOUL said with an unusual silence. “I’m just caught up in something.”
“What?” Kris asked. They weren’t expecting a response, but they were somewhat intrigued at the idea that an otherworldly entity could be ‘caught up in something.’
“Just some thoughts…”
Kris raised an eyebrow, though unnoticeable due to their bangs.
Whenever the two of them got a chance to talk, the SOUL would say some strange things, but never clarified any of it when asked. Maybe they could push for answers.
Kris spoke, “What… What thoughts?”
The SOUL turned to face Kris with a rotation, which wasn’t creepy… at all.
“Some music,” echoed from the heart.
Kris stayed silent for a moment as they dissected the statement in their head.
Music? Now of all times?
“What music,” Kris said simply.
The SOUL buzzed. “You play piano, yes?”
Kris didn’t get to reply before the SOUL continued.
“Have you ever played a piece of music that you haven’t heard in a long time and gotten emotional about it?”
“Haven’t had time to play much piano. Or get emotional,” Kris sputtered, “I’m sure you can guess why.”
“Ha. Ha.” The SOUL said with little enthusiasm. “But, you get the gist of what I’m saying right?”
“Yes,” Kris somewhat agreed. They mostly played the piano for others, so they’ve seen the described effect from a friend. “Where are you going with this? Did my playing in that Dark World make you cry or something?”
Kris internally found the idea of the entity crying at their music kinda funny.
“No,” The SOUL replied. “Not that your playing was bad.”
“Sure," Kris turned their head down and looked at the dirt. “That means so much coming from you.”
“Hey, I’m serious! You’re good at it!” the SOUL praised.
Kris scoffed. “Whatever.”
They didn’t need compliments from the entity to know they were good.
The two sat in silence. Kris could only wonder what was on the entity’s mind. What music was it talking about?
“Have you ever hallucinated music?” the SOUL said out of nowhere.
Kris paused before slowly turning to the floating heart with a very confused look. “…What?”
The SOUL flickered, seemingly finding some sort of amusement in the human’s confusion.
“Sorry, that was a bit out of pocket, wasn’t it?” The SOUL apologized.
“You hallucinate music,” Kris stated.
“No,” The SOUL shook a little, “Well, yes. In a way you’d understand.”
“You’ve been hearing music this entire time.”
“Yeah. Really good music, I’ll say.”
Kris put their face in their hands and mumbled, “I’m sure…”
The two sat in silence again, and Kris couldn’t help but wonder—
“The song that’s playing right now, ” The SOUL began, pulling Kris out of their thoughts.
Kris looked at the heart and squinted. The words they said had such solemness to them. It was unusual coming from them.
“I’m having that feeling. Hearing a song I haven’t heard in…”
The SOUL went silent, seemingly unable to find the right measurement of time.
Kris waited a moment, before opening their mouth. “Didn’t you get here a few days ago?”
The SOUL’s hovering seemed to falter for a moment. “Our perception of time differs. Greatly.”
“I see,” Kris replied. They didn’t want to know more than that. They didn’t want to know that this thing has been in control for even longer than they thought.
“That’s besides the point,” the SOUL said. “The song I hear is not from this world.”
Kris didn’t want to think about what that implied. And yet without thinking it made a lot of things make sense.
The SOUL rotated again. It seemed to be looking at the Old Man’s grave.
“A lot of stuff recently has reminded of an old world. Old people I care about.”
Kris chuckled. “You care about people?”
Somehow, the SOUL looked stunned.
“Of course I do! I hope I can be friends with everyone someday.”
“And if that’s not what I want?” Kris asked, putting their hand on their chest. It only made them aware of the missing part of them.
“Why wouldn’t you want that?”
Kris didn’t answer. They only felt the stark reminder that the entity had control.
They sighed. Susie was probably getting tired of waiting. “You ready to go?” Kris asked reluctantly.
“Yeah. I have one more question for you though,” the entity spoke.
The human only tilted their head in acknowledgment. What does the entity that seems to know everything about them have to ask. What more could it possibly want to know about them.
“Have you ever wondered if it’s raining… somewhere else?”
“That’s an odd question,” Kris answered, looking to the darkened sky. “Rain isn’t something I actively think about.”
The SOUL glowed for a moment. A light in the damp graveyard. “It’s something I’m always thinking about. It’s been a long time… but…
“I’m glad I found the place where it rained.”
Kris paused. “Why did you say it like that?”
The SOUL suddenly pushed itself back into Kris. “Let’s just get going.”